Cincinnati Reds' latest, greatest top prospect, Noelvi Marte, to assume everyday 3B role

Four times since Christian Encarnacion-Strand made his big-league debut for the Cincinnati Reds last month, the Reds have started an all-rookie infield.

That group’s about to get even younger.

Get ready for a baby-faced quartet that barely three months ago was an all-International League infield.

With the promotion Saturday of the team’s latest, greatest top prospect, Reds manager David Bell said he plans to start Noelvi Marte at third base every day, as soon as Sunday’s series finale against the Toronto Blue Jays, and until further notice.

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He joins everyday shortstop Elly De La Cruz, everyday second baseman Matt McLain and job-share first baseman Encarnacion-Strand — none of whom was in the majors as recently as May 14.

Rookie Spencer Steer, who debuted last year, started at third Saturday night but will play mostly in the outfield with Marte in the lineup, Bell said.

“The way (Marte’s) developed in a short period of time led us to believe he can handle it. Or he wouldn’t be here,” said Bell, who called it “very impressive” that so many young players have been able to perform well in significant roles so quickly for the Reds this year.

Especially for a team that lost 100 games a year ago and won just seven of its first 22 this year.

When they won on rookie Encarnacion-Strand’s walk-off home run Friday, they passed the Chicago Cubs for second place in the National League Central and into a tie with Miami for the third wild-card playoff position in the league.

Marte, 21, was a highly regarded shortstop prospect when he was acquired at the trade deadline last year from the Seattle Mariners in the Luis Castillo deal. He has played mostly third base this year at Triple-A Louisville in anticipation of his eventual role with the big-league club and said it took a while but he’s become comfortable there.

“I’m here for whatever capacity the team needs me,” Marte said through team interpreter Jorge Merlos before Saturday’s game. “I’m here to fight every day. Wherever they want to put me.”

Marte, who becomes the Reds’ major-league-leading 14th player to make a big-league debut this season, called his emotions upon arriving at the ballpark for his first day in the majors too much for words. “I knew it was a dream that came true,” he said.

He said when he was told Friday night he was going to Cincinnati, “I felt like I was born again.”

A new start, he said, “just like starting from zero. And I’m hungry. I’m even hungrier now than I was before. And I’ll keep fighting as hard as possible to stay up here.”

Marte becomes the 11th rookie on the Reds’ roster, most for any team in the majors (one more than the Cleveland Guardians).

Veteran infielder Kevin Newman went back to the injured list Saturday as the corresponding move, having suffered a left oblique strain during pregame infield drills Friday. The move is backdated the maximum three days, which would make Newman eligible to return next weekend in Arizona (though oblique injuries tend to be tricky and often prolonged).

Bell said that a long day of traveling that started with a 6 a.m. flight in Des Moines, Iowa, was the main reason for giving the new kid a day before putting him in the lineup.

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The manager was asked before the game about just how young his team is, how many rookies it has filling major roles — and how rare that is for a team with the kind of playoff aspirations this one has.

“I acknowledge it, but I don’t spend a whole lot of time thinking about it, because they’re here to perform, and we’re here to win,” said Bell, who couldn’t immediately come up with a comp from his playing career or any other time in history he could recall.

“They don’t have to do anything different other than be themselves and keep working every day to get better,” he added. “There’s no reason to put too much emphasis on it other than I’m happy for them, and I’m happy for us as a team to have an environment that can support them.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Noelvi Marte added to Cincinnati Reds baby-faced infield at 3B