Alejo Lopez absent for Reds Friday afternoon

Cincinnati Reds infielder Alejo Lopez is not in the starting lineup for Friday afternoon's series opener against right-hander Adrian Sampson and the Chicago Cubs.

What It Means:

Spencer Steer will move to second base in place of Lopez and hit sixth while Kyle Farmer shifts to the hot corner. Jonathan India will replace Lopez in the lineup to be the Reds' designated hitter and No. 2 batter.

India has a $7,500 salary on Friday's single-game slate and numberFire’s models project him for 9.9 FanDuel points. Per our MLB Heat Map, the Reds’ implied total (3.17) is tied for No. 22 in the majors today. Among Friday's projected starters, Sampson has the third-lowest strikeout rate this season (16.5%).