Reds fire manager David Bell after 6 seasons

The Cincinnati Reds fired manager David Bell and named bench coach Freddie Benavides as the interim skipper for the last five games of the season, the club announced Sunday, according to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com.

Bell, who was under contract through the 2026 campaign after signing a three-year extension in July 2023, managed the Reds for six seasons.

"David provided the kind of steadiness that we needed in our clubhouse over the last few seasons," Reds general manager Nick Krall said in a statement. "We felt a change was needed to move the major-league team forward. We have not achieved the success we expected."

The 52-year-old posted a 409-456 record with the team, which included a wild-card appearance in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. However, the club failed to make the postseason in every other year under his guidance.

The Reds came into 2024 with lofty expectations after missing the playoffs by two games following 82 wins in 2023. Yet, Cincinnati has an underwhelming 76 victories and trails the Milwaukee Brewers by 13.5 games for the NL Central lead heading into the final week of the regular season.

Miami Marlins manager Skip Schumaker is a potential replacement for Bell, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Schumaker, who was the 2023 NL Manager of the Year, will be free to join another team after this season.