Spencer Steer to undergo wrist surgery next week, expected back for Spring Training

Spencer Steer will undergo surgery next week to repair a torn tendon sheath in his right wrist, the Cincinnati Reds informed reporters, with the club expecting him to be ready for the start of Spring Training. Reliever Tony Santillan is also set to have hip labrum surgery, with his recovery timeline to be determined after the procedure — an outcome manager Terry Francona had suggested was likely the night before, per Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors.

What happened

Steer suffered the wrist injury on a swing in late July. Rather than proceed directly to surgery, the Reds spent a few months attempting to manage the injury through rehabilitation, and Steer had progressed to swinging the bat a couple of weeks ago. The situation changed over the weekend, when Francona said Steer felt some discomfort as he ramped up the intensity of his swing. That development prompted the club to opt for surgery rather than continue down the rehab path.

Per Franco's reporting, the Reds' reasoning was straightforward: they did not want to wait any longer and risk requiring surgery at a later date that would threaten Steer's availability for the beginning of next year. The procedure is scheduled for next week.

On the Santillan front, Francona had flagged surgery as a likely outcome the night before the team relayed the news to reporters. His recovery timeline will not be known until after the operation.

Why it matters

The decision to operate now rather than later is essentially a calendar calculation. A surgery performed in late September, with Spring Training months away, gives Steer the longest possible runway to recover and be ready when pitchers and catchers report. Waiting — and potentially needing the same surgery in November or December — would have compressed that window considerably. The club's reported preference was to protect his availability for the start of the year, and the timing of the procedure reflects that priority.

For Santillan, the uncertainty is more open-ended. His recovery timeline will be determined after the procedure, which means the Reds and the reliever are operating without a firm return target for now.

Does the surgery affect Steer's trade picture?

Per Franco's reporting, the injury and surgery could cloud Steer's offseason trade picture enough to dissuade teams from meeting Cincinnati's asking price. The note is worth sitting with: righty bats were reportedly at a premium at the trade deadline, and the report suggests the Reds might have been overwhelmed by an offer had Steer stayed healthy through the summer. Whether that appetite persists into the offseason — with a wrist surgery now on the ledger — is a different question.

The report frames it as likelier that Steer will be back in Reds camp next spring than dealt this winter. Depending on what Cincinnati does over the offseason, he could factor into left field in some capacity alongside JJ Bleday. His current salary stands at $4MM, with a raise due and two remaining seasons of arbitration eligibility ahead of him.

The numbers

Before the injury ended his season, Steer had put together a line that Franco described as league-average production in aggregate — 16 home runs and a .238/.319/.421 slash line across 384 plate appearances. The aggregate, though, obscures a pronounced split. Against left-handed pitching, Steer hit .342/.442/.620. Against right-handed pitching, he managed .207/.278/.360. The gap between those two lines is wide enough to define how a roster-builder thinks about him: a genuine weapon against lefties, a more limited option against the majority of pitchers he would face in a full-time role.

That split is also the lens through which any trade conversation would be filtered. A team acquiring Steer is largely acquiring a platoon asset — a very good one against lefties, a below-average one against righties. The wrist surgery adds a layer of medical uncertainty on top of that profile, which is precisely why Franco's reporting suggests the surgery could soften the market.

Where the club stands

The Reds enter Thursday at 73-85 (.462), sitting fifth in the NL Central, 26 games back in the division. They have been eliminated from both the division race and the Wild Card race, and they carry a one-game losing streak into a road game at the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park, where Brady Singer is the probable starter opposite Tyler Mahle. The weekend brings a trip to Rogers Centre for two games against the Toronto Blue Jays, with Nick Lodolo lined up for Friday and Rhett Lowder projected for Saturday.

With the postseason long since out of reach, the final stretch of the schedule is largely a formality — which makes the timing of these surgical decisions easier to absorb. There is no playoff push being disrupted, no roster crunch being created. The Reds are playing out the string and, apparently, scheduling operating rooms.

What we don't know yet

Santillan's recovery timeline is the most significant open item. The club has said it will be determined after the procedure, so there is no timetable to report. The material does not support speculation about his availability for next season, and the desk will not get ahead of it.

On Steer, the expectation of Spring Training readiness is the club's stated target, not a guarantee. The report preserves that framing — "expected to be ready" — and so does this desk.

The broader trade question is also unresolved. Whether teams will engage on Steer this winter, and at what price, depends on factors that will play out over the coming months. Franco's reporting raises the possibility that the surgery complicates Cincinnati's leverage; it does not resolve it.

What to watch

The first thing to monitor is any update on Santillan's surgery and the recovery timeline that follows. Once the procedure is complete, the Reds and the reliever's camp will have a clearer picture of when he might be available, and that information will shape how Cincinnati approaches its bullpen this offseason.

For Steer, the watch item is his progress through the winter. The club's Spring Training readiness target is the benchmark; any deviation from that — in either direction — will carry real implications for how he fits into the Reds' plans and whether any trade conversations gain traction.

The broader context is worth noting: a few days before this report, Chase Burns had been placed on the injured list with a groin strain, closing out his 2026 season. The Reds are finishing the year with a significant portion of their roster working through medical calendars rather than box scores. How those timelines resolve — and what Cincinnati does in the offseason to address the gaps — will define a good portion of the winter's conversation around this club.