After starting the list on Monday we are back today to move on to the next part of the 2026 Cincinnati Reds Top 25 Prospects list. Each day this week we will unveil five new spots on the list, working our way through the best 25 prospects in the organization. If you were supporting the site on Patreon then you would have already been able to see the entire Top 25 list last week and had early access to this and plenty of other benefits throughout the year. Click here to see what all you can get for helping keep the site alive and kicking via support through Patreon.
These write ups are not full scouting reports. Those will be included with the Season Reviews, which will start next week – first working my way through the Top 25 prospects before then branching out into another group of 20-25 prospects that are outside of that top 25 through the remainder of the offseason.
*To be eligible for the list a player must have 2026 Rookie of the Year eligibility (Fewer than 130 at bats in the big leagues, fewer than 50 innings pitched, or less than 45 days on the active MLB roster)*
All ages listed are as of April 1st, 2026
16. Mason Morris | RHP | Age: 22
2025 Teams: Daytona Tortugas | Acquired: 3rd Round, 2025 Draft | Height: 6′ 4″ | Weight: 225 lbs | B/T: R/R
What to like:Â He throws his fastball as hard as 99 MPH. He has three secondary pitches that are above-average to plus. After having some struggles in his first two years in college he took a big step forward in 2025 as a junior.
What he needs to improve on: He’s going to have to throw more strikes than he historically has, though that did improve in 2025. Cincinnati is going to give him a chance to be a starting pitcher. He’s never really started before, though. He’s going to have to build up his workload and adapt to a new role as a professional.
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2025 Stats
17. Sheng-En Lin | RHP | Age: 20
2025 Teams: ACL Reds/Daytona | Acquired: International FA, 2022 | Height: 5′ 11″ | Weight: 185 lbs | B/T: L/R
What to like: After not pitching for two years he returned to the mound after spending time as a position player and he found success as he posted a 3.06 ERA while limiting hits and racking up strikeouts and during his time in Arizona he was still serving as the ACL Reds designated hitter before moving into a pitching only role when he joined Daytona. He’s quite athletic, throws multiple pitches, and knows how to mix-and-match all of his stuff.
What he needs to work on: Getting back on the mound after such a long layoff the Reds eased him into pitching and he threw just 47.0 innings in 15 games. He’s going to have to build back up in terms of both his pitch count in his individual starts and his workload for the year. His velocity isn’t where it was when he originally signed. The time off likely has a little to do with that, but he likely needs to find a bit more velocity.
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2025 Stats
18. Jose Franco | RHP | Age: 25
2025 Teams: Chattanooga/Louisville | Acquired: International FA, 2018 | Height: 6′ 2″ | Weight: 257 lbs | B/T: R/R
What to like:Â Just added to the 40-man roster in early November, Franco was arguably the top performing pitcher in the farm system in 2025. He found success in both Double-A and Triple-A this season. His fastball has good velocity and he touched 98. Franco also mixes in a pair of solid secondary pitches.
What he needs to work on: Adjusting to more advanced hitters. Once he got to Triple-A this season he got worse in just about every category. His home run rate tripled, his walk rate went up to a rate that is going to have to come down if he’ll remain a starter, and his strikeout rate dropped off.
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2025 Stats
19. Tyler Callihan | 2B/OF | Age: 25
2025 Teams: Louisville/Cincinnati | Acquired: 3rd Round, 2019 Draft | Height: 5′ 11″ | Weight: 205 lbs | B/T: L/R
What to like:Â He is essentially big league ready assuming his arm injury, surgery, and recovery allow him to return to the player he was before the injury suffered back in May. None of his tools really stand out, but all five of them are solid.
What he needs to work on: The biggest thing is just the unknown on how he’ll recover from his injury where he collided with the wall in left field and broke both bones in his forearm. That resulted in surgery that will leave him with a plate in his arm for the rest of his life. Staying healthy has been an issue for Callihan throughout his career.
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2025 Stats
20. Ricky Cabrera | 3B | Age: 21
2025 Team: Dayton | Acquired: International FA, 2022 | Height: 6′ 0″ | Weight: 201 lbs | B/T: R/R
What to like: Prior to 2025 he’s been an above-average hitter everywhere he’d been in his career. He’s shown a good hit tool and some power potential at the plate and has had good contact rates in the past.
What he needs to work on: He really struggled in his month of play in Dayton this past season before he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first game of May. His body has thickened up since signing so he’s going to need to stay on top of that if he’s going to remain at third base, on top of just improving his defense overall at the position where he’s struggled to avoid errors.
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2025 Stats
Click here to see the other parts of this series.