On January 16, 2012 Ludwick agreed to terms with the Cincinnati Reds on a one-year contract worth $2.5M with an option for a second year in 2013. After initially splitting the left field duties with Chris Heisey, Ludwick eventually got most of the starts, often batting cleanup in the lineup as a right-handed hitter between lefties Joey Votto and Jay Bruce. In 125 games, he hit .275/.346/.531 with 26 HR and 80 RBI. Ludwick started all 5 postseason games in the NLDS against the Giants, going 6–18 with 3 HR and 4 RBI.