David Bell’s time in Cincinnati has come to an end.
The Reds officially fired their longtime manager after six seasons on Sunday night, shortly after the team’s 2-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Reds have just five games left in the 2024 season and will miss the playoffs for the fourth straight year and fifth time in Bell’s six seasons with the team.
“David provided the type of stability we needed in our clubhouse over the past few seasons,” Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall said in a statement. “We felt a change was necessary to move the major league team forward. We have not achieved the success we had hoped for.”
Bell was first hired in 2019 and in 2020 led the team to its only postseason appearance in the past 11 seasons, though they were eliminated in the wild-card round in the COVID-shortened campaign. Bell finished with an overall record of 409-455 in his six seasons with the team, marking his first major league job as a manager. Bell was under contract with the team through the 2026 season.
The Reds currently have a 76-81 record heading into Tuesday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians. They sit in fourth place in the NL Central. Bench coach Freddie Benavides will lead the Reds in their final five games of the 2024 season.
This post will be updated with more information shortly.