CINCINNATI — In the classic board game Scrabble, there are two blank tiles, and they can be used for any letter to help make a word if the player doesn’t have the pieces needed to make any other word.Spencer Steer has been the blank tile for Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona’s lineup card. In pretty much any position — on the field or at the plate — Francona can throw in Steer and make the rest of the lineup work.Monday before the Reds’ game against Francona’s old team, the Cleveland Guardians, he no longer had that tile available for his board.“It’s really valuable — really, really valuable,” Francona said Monday afternoon before that night’s game was postponed. “Even when he came out of the game (Sunday), our options were severely limited.”Steer left Sunday’s game in St. Louis with a right wrist sprain and was placed on the 10-day injured list Monday. The Reds called up Ivan Johnson to take his place on the roster, in part because he has played the infield and outfield. At Triple A, Johnson has played all three outfield spots and second and third base.But Steer is more than a fill-in type player. It’s not just that he has played six positions this season — all three outfield spots as well as first, second and third base. Last year, Steer was a Gold Glove finalist at first base, his first season with extended playing time at the position. He has mostly been in the outfield this season, but he has been able to mix in at the three infield spots.“If you look at most of the good teams in our league, they have a guy that they shuffle around and feel pretty good about it,” Francona said. “It can be a really important piece because if somebody gets hurt and they can play a position for two weeks and you don’t lose much, great. And then when you are healthy, you can move them around and get the platoon advantage as often as you can.”Steer is in his fourth full season in the big leagues and has 16 home runs this season. He had at least 20 home runs in each of his first three seasons. Steer’s versatility and league-average OPS make him a more valuable player to managers than his stats (.238/.319/.421) would suggest. It’s also why Steer’s name was one of the more popular ones in trade rumors surrounding the Reds. Steer is under team control through the 2028 season.The injury, though, takes him out of the trade market. Steer will be in a brace for the next two weeks and then will be reevaluated. Surgery is still a possibility, and if it is required, he would miss the rest of the season.“It’s a bummer, but I don’t think now is really a time to sulk or pout. It’s over with,” Steer said. “The best thing I can do is believe that my body’s going to heal itself, stay positive, be a good person, be a good teammate, and I’ll be back when I’m back.”After he was acquired from the Minnesota Twins at the 2022 trade deadline, Steer made an immediate impact with the Reds, starting with his big-league debut that September, doubling and scoring the walk-off run in his first game — a game in which he also hit his first big-league homer. Since then, he has played every position other than pitcher and catcher and started a game in each spot in the order other than ninth.Francona also noted that Steer has played through several injuries. He was expected to start last season on the IL, but when outfielder Austin Hays suffered an injury in an exhibition game the week of Opening Day, Steer volunteered to go on the active roster even though he hadn’t been cleared to throw from the outfield. He served as a designated hitter and then the first baseman as his shoulder improved. Although his numbers suffered, Steer was available.Last week he got hit in the ribs by a pitch in Seattle and missed a day, and then he left Sunday’s game in St. Louis early. Steer said his wrist felt funny after a swing in the third inning, and he exited in the fifth.“Believe me when I say he plays through a lot,” Francona said. “That’s why when I went out to see him the other day and he wasn’t fighting me, I got nervous in a hurry.”Until Steer can take the field again, the Reds will have to continue without one of their most important players.