The best month of Jonathan India's career has given him some more stability

Heading into the season, Jonathan India’s main goal was “just to be healthy all year.”

He was confident that if he was at full strength, then the rest would take care of itself. For most of India’s career, when he has been healthy, he has been good. After winning NL Rookie of the Year in 2021, India battled hamstring and shin injuries in 2022, but he posted a solid .770 OPS when he was at full strength. In 2023, India had a .794 OPS in late June before plantar fasciitis impacted him throughout the second half of the season.

In February, India avoided arbitration with the Reds by signing a two-year deal. The contract has incentives for 2025 based on how many plate appearances he makes and how many games he starts this year.

When India signed the deal, his role on the Reds was one of the biggest questions on the team. He was preparing to play first base, third base and left field, and he wasn’t going to be in the lineup every day.

Four months later, India is back in the role that he’s most familiar with. He’s a leadoff hitter and an every day player. And he’s earned his way back into this role.

“I’m in a good spot,” India said.

Batting first

Earlier this season, when India was in the worst slump of his career, he thought back to a bad decision that he made two years ago.

In 2022, India saw the Reds’ lineup get torn down by trades as the organization started its rebuild. Trying to make up for what the Reds had lost, India put on weight and tried to hit for more power. The approach failed and contributed to a hamstring injury, which cost India nearly two months on the injured list.

So this year, when India was at another tipping point, he didn’t make the same mistake.

“I know that I’m not a big switcher upper,” India said. “When I switch things up, it doesn’t end well for me. I’ll always stick to who I am. It’s a lesson I learned along the way. Be yourself, and everything will work out in this game.”

That approach has helped turn around India’s season. He has looked more like he did in 2021 than he has at any point over the last three seasons.

He’s grinding at-bats, getting on base and turning on line drives down the third base line.

It has all paid off with the best month of his career.

“I’m trending upwards,” India said. “I stick to my plan, stick to my approach and prepare the same way I do every day, and good things will happen. It’s a slow progression this year. I didn’t really have the best offseason due to my (foot) injury. But, hey, I’m stronger now.”

India’s season started to turn around in May when he hit a grand slam in a win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. All season, he had been working to get back to his identity as a hitter. But he wasn’t hitting the line drives down the third base line that had been a significant part of his game during the best stretches of his young career.

For the first seven weeks of the season, India’s long-term role on the Reds was in question because he wasn’t hitting for any power. He was walking, but he wasn’t doing anything else at an above-average level.

India dropped from the leadoff spot to the No. 8 spot in the lineup. The Reds planned to get Noelvi Marte some experience playing second base, which raised a question about India’s role going forward.

India had a lot working against him.

“I prepared every day and stuck to my process,” India said. “I don’t get mad at myself. It’s baseball. Every year is going to be different. It’s been tough. All I can do is keep putting one front of the other and keep playing the game hard.”

India said that his slow start could have been connected to the fact that he wasn't healthy all offseason. India battled plantar fasciitis in 2023, and he had a setback over the winter that prevented him from doing a lot of the training that he had planned.

India has gotten stronger and faster over the course of the season, and it’s showing up in his performance.

“My play is getting better,” India said. “I’m feeling healthier and stronger as I go.”

India described his midseason turnaround as “a sense of relief.” He kept telling himself that he had the ability to break out of this slump, and he still believed that what worked best for him in 2021 could still work at a high level in 2024.

His grand slam against the Dodgers was a big step in the right direction, and that moment became a turning point.

“You do everything physically possible, but this game beats you up mentally,” India said. “I had to trust myself to turn and let my hands do the work rather than forcing it. Now, I’m just trusting myself.”

The last 13 months have been a roller coaster for India. Last year, he heard his name in trade rumors, played through a significant injury, lost his role as the Reds’ every day second baseman to Matt McLain. During the offseason, he heard more trade rumors, got reassurance from the Reds’ front office and signed a two-year contract extension.

India entered spring training as a utility player. Then following McLain’s injury, he was back as the Reds’ every day second baseman.

Now, because of what he has accomplished over the last month, India has a lot more stability.

“I’m still learning,” India said. “This game is about failure. We all know that. I’m not fully there yet. I’m only 27. I’ve got a long way to go. This is a tough game. No one will ever really know. You’ve just got to stick to your process.”

Right now, India looks like what you’d expect a Rookie of the Year to look like in his fourth year in the big leagues. His polish and poise at the plate are shining, his defense is much improved and he’s bringing a lot of consistency to a young team.

“I’m so happy for him,” David Bell said. “He  just looks so good out there in every part of the game. He’s moving well. Physically, he looks great. And we’ve always known he can hit. It seems like he has been here for so long. But he’s young, and he’s getting better.”

The next drive

The week before Joe Burrow suffered his season-ending injury, he and Ja’Marr Chase made a play that showed what the story of the second half of the Bengals’ season would have been.

Against the Texans, Burrow and Chase improvised for a 64-yard touchdown. Initially, Chase ran a route over the middle of the field that was blanketed by Texans’ defenders. The only way to break free of the coverage was by breaking down the field, so Chase split the two safeties and ran for the end zone. Burrow made an incredible off-balanced throw that hit Chase in stride deep down the field.

Last year, Chase’s role in the Bengals’ offense expanded about as much as it could on paper. He lined up everywhere, ran every route and did just about everything.

There’s only one level left for Chase to reach: Achieving the same mind meld that has defined Patrick Mahomes’ connection with Travis Kelce and becoming unguardable through improvisation.

That might have happened last year between Burrow and Chase, who started getting more and more double teams. The Texans play was a good sign, and it showed what the next step for Chase is in the Bengals’ offense when defenses pay even closer attention to the Bengals’ No. 1 receiver.

Question of the day

What is the Reds’ coaching philosophy here: On shallow fly balls with runners on base, is it better for the Reds to have Elly De La Cruz make the catch on his back foot because he has the strongest arm on the team? Or is it better for an outfielder to make the catch with his momentum bringing him back into the infield, even if the outfielder doesn’t have as strong of an arm as De La Cruz?

Quote of the day

David Bell on Jonathan India: “He definitely looks like himself. He’s playing well in the field. He’s moving athletically and trusting his hands. He’s playing well in all areas. Offensively, he’s on the same track our team has been on.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: The best month of Jonathan India's career has given him some more stability