The team finished in a tie for last place in the National League with the Pittsburgh Pirates with a record of 56–81, 30.5 games behind the Boston Beaneaters.
Latham had some big seasons with the St. Louis Browns of the American Association in the 1880s, leading the league in runs (152) in 1886, and stolen bases (109) in 1888.
Tony Mullane led the pitching staff with 23 victories, while Billy Rhines finished the year 17–24 with a team best 2.87 ERA and 138 strikeouts.
The Reds started the season off losing four games in a row to their Ohio rivals, the Cleveland Spiders, which included a 23–4 loss.
The Reds battled back, finishing off the season with a seven-game winning streak to move into a virtual tie with the Pittsburgh Pirates for seventh place.