Will Benson opens the Reds' spring training slate with a familiar swing

GOODYEAR, Ariz. –– After Cincinnati Reds outfielder Will Benson homered in the spring training opener on Saturday, he flashed to the biggest moment of his young MLB career.

At Goodyear Ballpark on Saturday, in a 4-0 win over the Cleveland Guardians, Benson crushed a low pitch down the right field line for a no-doubt homer. The ball took the exact same flight path as Benson’s walk-off homer last June against the Los Angeles Dodgers. On Saturday, Benson followed his home run with another epic bat flip.

Benson’s homer provided another reminder of what the young outfielder brings to the Reds’ lineup. He proved that he belonged in the big leagues last year, and the 25-year-old is still younger than a few notable prospects in the Reds’ organization.

Reds spring training roster battles Why Cincinnati Reds young infielders should take notice of Tony Kemp, Mike Ford signings

“Knowing me and who I am, being comfortable, being in a very similar situation, I thank God,” Benson said. “I keep my head down so I can really do it again and build on it. There’s more information for me to grow and learn. I’ll be very comfortable settling down and doing that.”

Following the home run swing on Saturday, Benson flipped his bat, shrugged, shook his head and watched the ball fly before he took off running.

“A lot of my reaction is simply being in the zone,” Benson said. “You’re getting a real treat. Even I don’t know what I’m doing sometimes.”

At this point last year, Benson was a fresh face for a new team. The Guardians dealt Benson to the Reds for two lower-tier prospects, and Benson was still feeling some doubt about how his career would shake out.

Following a tough April in the big leagues and a demotion to Triple-A, Benson got called up again in May and never looked back. For the last four months of the 2023 season, Benson was one of the best hitters in baseball against right-handed pitching.

“Last year gave me a base to know how this works, the routine works, approach works, the mindset works,” Benson said. “Let’s just go and repeat it and do it as often as I can. I think it really simplified my offseason so I can be consistent and narrow focused.”

Even though Benson is an established big leaguer now, he said that he still felt nervous before Saturday’s game. It was the first game of the spring. He wanted to perform well. He was facing his former team.

Benson earned his current role with the Reds because of his success ignoring those nerves and overcoming any pressure that he felt when he was competing for a spot on the roster in 2023. The Reds are counting on Benson having a big presence in their lineup again in 2024, and he started out the spring training schedule with a perfect swing.

“I still want to solidify who I am as a baseball player,” Benson said. “I don’t want to put any extra pressure on it. I don’t pay any attention. I want to be the best player I can possibly be and lead by my actions.”

Jonathan India progressing from foot injury

Reds manager David Bell said Jonathan India will start playing in spring training games around March 7 or 8.

India’s plantar fasciitis, which put him on the injured list last year, popped up during the offseason. India has been getting a lot of work done during spring training practices, but he’ll continue that work in a controlled environment as he ramps back up before he plays in a game.

“He will have time to be ready for Opening Day,” Bell said. “He’s doing a ton. We’ll make sure he’s ready. The reason the games are delayed is because we can’t control as much with the workload on his foot. But he’ll get a lot of live at-bats and things like that without running the bases. He’ll be ready from a baseball standpoint.”

India's plantar fasciitis tore during the offseason, which prevented him from needing surgery. He can't re-injure it, but he can experience aggravation, and he's building back up through a progression.Reliever Ian Gibaut has a pronator strain and won’t throw for three-to-five days. “Nothing serious,” Bell said.

Tony Kemp adds to the Reds' infield depth

In 2022 and 2023, infielder Tony Kemp was the veteran leader on an Oakland Athletics team that had one of the worst rosters in the big leagues.

Kemp signed a minor league deal with the Reds on Friday. The only parallel he sees between his new team and his old team is the youth on both rosters.

“It was obviously a tough few years,” Kemp said. “There was a lot of talking to the younger guys. But the biggest deal here is this (Reds) team wants to win and they’re going for championships and division titles. That’s what you want to be a part of.”

Reds spring training Williams uniforms Williams: See-through the complaints. Major League Baseball uniform rollout is embarrassing

Reds spring training outfield The Reds enter the 2024 season with the outfield as an under-the-radar strength

Kemp has been an every day player for most of his eight-year career, but he had his worst season in 2023, hitting .209 with a .607 OPS.

Kemp didn’t find a big league deal in free agency and joins the Reds during the middle of spring training. He’s competing for a roster spot and gives the Reds more infield depth in the organization.

“I’m excited to be here,” Kemp said. “It’s an exciting team with a lot of talent. I’m excited to get going. The biggest deal that came to me is so many connections here. When you see these young guys, you want to have veteran presences around. What appeals to me is that there’s opportunity to grow here. It’s not always going to be as clear cut as you want in the big leagues. Unfortunately sometimes struggles happen. I want to help these young guys and speak from experience.”

What first baseman Mike Ford brings to the Reds

The Reds kept adding to their organizational depth on Friday, signing first baseman Mike Ford to a minor league deal.

Last year, Ford was an above-average hitter for his position and played a role for a Seattle Mariners team that was in contention for a playoff spot. In 83 big league games, Ford posted a .798 OPS and made hard contact at an impressive rate in a small sample size.

Reds spring training news Angels manager on Elly De La Cruz; Reds agree to deal with veteran utility man Tony Kemp

Reds spring training Don Gullett Bass: Why Reds’ Don Gullett was ‘lucky,’ after all

Reds spring training Wittenmyer & Williams: Why's Jonathan India still a Red? Here are reasons nobody's talking about

“I locked in,” Ford said. “I want to become a well-rounded hitter again. The power has been there. I got away from going to the opposite field. I can handle fastballs. The breaking ball has been the kryptonite occasionally. I worked on that, getting a better bat path for those pitches. I’m excited to see where it goes.”

Ford joins a deep group of Reds infielders with MLB experience on minor league contracts. Along with Ford and Kemp, the Reds have Josh Harrison, Erik Gonzalez and Mark Mathias. Infield prospects Edwin Arroyo and Tyler Callihan are also in big league camp.

Reds first baseman Nick Martini, one of the team’s most clutch hitters last September, is also competing for the 26th roster spot and has a minor league option for 2024.

Ford faces an uphill climb to make the Opening Day roster, but he wasn’t concerned about his fit in the organization.

“It’s a great team that’s moving in the right direction,” Ford said. “I wanted to be a part of it. I jumped on board. Let’s see what we can do. If I hit, I’d expect to kind of be in the mix. Who knows? It all comes down to the bat.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Will Benson opens the Reds' spring training slate with familiar swing