GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The small crack in the door left open for Spencer Steer to begin the regular season on time was shut. The Reds will place Steer on the injured list, manager Terry Francona revealed on Saturday morning.

"I talked to him for a while," Francona said. "He’s going to go with us to Cincinnati. He is going to start on the IL. I give the kid so much credit. He’s busting his [butt]. But he’s also such a good kid that he listens, and he gives you good opinions."

Steer, 27, came to camp experiencing soreness in his right shoulder, an injury he managed throughout 2024. He hasn't played in a Cactus League game since Feb. 27 before he received a cortisone injection on March 1 and didn't resume taking any swings until March 12. Multiple MRI tests have ruled out structural issues in the shoulder.

This week, Steer began throwing and he got into his first Minor League game on Thursday.

On Saturday, Steer estimated he was ready to begin the season on time if he was just the designated hitter, but Francona ruled that out.

"He understands. Being a full-time DH probably isn’t best for him or our team," Francona said.

Steer will travel with the team to Cincinnati and take at-bats against the pitching machine and possibly in simulated game action before going on a Minor League rehab assignment, but a full timetable for his return is not known.

"We just need to get him healthy so he cannot put himself in jeopardy," Francona said.

In 158 games last season, mostly as the left fielder or first baseman, Steer batted .225 with a .721 OPS, 20 home runs and a team-leading 92 RBIs.

Without Steer, the Reds now have three outfielders remaining for the final two spots in Stuart Fairchild, Blake Dunn and Jacob Hurtubise.