At this point last year, TJ Friedl was in Triple-A, where he was working on a swing adjustment that he hoped could help him prove that he should be a big leaguer. Matt McLain was in Double-A pushing through the first slump of his professional career. Jake Fraley was on a rehab assignment in Triple-A, but there wasn’t a set spot for him in the Reds’ big league lineup when he was back at full strength.
On Saturday, as the Reds beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-2, that trio hit back-to-back-to-back homers in the sixth inning to give the Reds the lead.