JJ Bleday, who’s bounced around to four different teams in his first five MLB seasons since being drafted fourth overall in 2019, just reminded everyone exactly what his potential is. On Saturday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the 28-year-old outfielder etched his name into the history books for the Cincinnati Reds, tallying a single, double, triple, and a home run to complete a cycle. It took him only four at-bats to pull off the incredible feat.
Bleday Blasts His Way to History
What a night for Bleday! He kicked things off in the first inning with a 101.6-mph rocket down the right-field line off Michael Soroka, driving in Elly De La Cruz from second base to give the Reds the opening lead. Just two innings later, Bleday blasted a ball deep into the right-center gap, bringing in Sal Stewart and ending his running journey at third base for the triple. By the fourth-inning at-bat, he had a ground ball into right field for a single. All that was left? The elusive home run. That 370-foot blast came off reliever Zack Littell and ended up in the right-field corner seats. Four at-bats, four boxes checked. That’s how you make history.
A Rare Feat for a Journeyman
This wasn’t just some regular game, either. Bleday became only the 12th player in Cincinnati Reds history to hit for the cycle, cementing his place in Reds lore. Think about that for a second. According to the Elias Sports Bureau and MLB, his outing was the 354th cycle EVER in MLB history. He also became just the fourth player during this 2026 season to pull off the single-double-triple-homer combo in a single game. It’s been a bit of a journey for Bleday since the Miami Marlins drafted him fourth overall back in 2019, with Cincinnati being his fourth stop in five seasons. But with his 2026 stats sitting at a .217 average, 20 homers, and 48 RBIs, pushing his career totals to a .215 average, 69 dingers, and 190 RBIs per Baseball Reference, this cycle could be the building block that takes his career to the next level.
Bleday isn’t the only one making cycle noise this season, though. Just over a month prior, on July 10, Chicago White Sox outfielder Tristan Peters etched his own name into the record books. Against the Athletics, with his team rocking special Chicago Bulls-themed jerseys, Peters needed a triple when he stepped up to the plate in the seventh inning. He got it, legging out a groundball that trickled past the first baseman and into the right-field corner, racing around to third base. He became the seventh White Sox player to write his name in the cycle record books. It’s wild to see two of these happen in one season.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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