We are still in the first week of games in spring training, so no one has spent much time on the field at this point during games. But that doesn’t mean we can’t look at and talk about what we have been able to see so far from the Cincinnati Reds Top 25 Prospects who have gotten a chance to get on the field.
After reaching the big leagues in September of last year, Stewart is likely penciled into the opening day roster with a good chance to be the team’s 1st baseman unless he just struggles to hit all spring long. So far he’s been locked in. He’s gone 2-5 with two walks for the Reds. On Wednesday afternoon he clobbered a 440-foot home run.
The 2025 season could have gone worse for Rhett Lowder, but not a ton worse. He missed the entire year with multiple injuries, but none of those injuries led to a surgery or any long term concerns with regards to his pitching arm. It did cost him a chance to establish himself as a big leaguer, though, and that leads to him being in a battle for the 5th spot in the rotation and likely entering camp on the outside looking in at the spot. In his only outing so far this spring he allowed one run on two hits and a walk while striking out four batters in 2.0 innings.
The first half of the year in Triple-A went very well for Chase Petty in 2025. But he did struggle in his limited time with the Reds. The second half went about as poorly as it could have for the young right-hander, though. He’s looking to get things going in the right direction again this spring. He’s yet to pitch this spring, but is scheduled to take the mound later today.
There’s been plenty of playing time for Edwin Arroyo so far. While he’s not likely competing for a job out of Goodyear, he is heading to Puerto Rico next week to play in the World Baseball Classic. Because of that he’s probably getting a few extra innings in order to both get him ready for that, but to also give the big league coaching staff a little more time to see him on the field. So far he’s gone 2-8 with a double, run, and an RBI in his four games played.
After having a strong 2025 regular season, Hector Rodriguez took a month off before joining Escogido in the Dominican Winter League. He played in 31 games for them and was one of the best hitters in the league during that time, hitting .301/.375/.504 with as many walks as strikeouts. He didn’t play in the round robin playoffs but did join them for the league championship series. Like Arroyo, he’s probably not playing for a spot on the opening day roster. He’s gone 1-5 with a run scored in his three games.
The 2025 season for Cam Collier began on the injured list after a thumb injury in early March led to surgery and then plenty of recovery time. When he returned to the field he hit for a solid average but the power from the previous year didn’t return. He’s not competing for a spot on the opening day roster as he’s yet to spend any time in Triple-A and is behind multiple players at third and first base right now at the big league level. He’s gone 0-4 with two strikeouts in his three games played.
Returning from Tommy John surgery that cost him all of the 2025 season, Julian Aguiar are looking to return to the big leagues. He’s pitched in one game out in Arizona so far, allowing a run on two hits and a walk while striking out two batters in 2.0 innings. In that one game he was matching his velocity from 2024 and was showing off a new pitch – a cutter in the mid-80’s.
One of the youngest players in camp, Leo Balcazar got things back on track in 2025 after he struggled at times in 2024 as he returned from a knee injury that cost him most of the 2023 season. He was added to the 40-man roster in November as a result of his success in High-A and Double-A last year. The 21-year-old shortstop has gone 2-3 with a run scored so far in his three games played.
The 2025 RedsMinorLeagues.com pitcher of the year, Jose Franco is in camp this year looking to make the roster. He’s likely on the outside looking in for a spot but could work his way in with a strong performance. Franco made one start earlier this spring and allowed one run on three hits to go along with two strikeouts in his inning of work.
Last season for Tyler Callihan was one of a career highlight and of a career changer. The highlight came in the fact that he made his big league debut. The career changer came a few days later when he collided with the wall in foul territory and broke his arm in multiple places, resulting in surgery that would cost him the final five months of the season. Healthy and ready to go, he’s played in four games over the last week and has gone 0-4 with two strikeouts as he competes for a utility role on the bench.
Most of 2025 was spent in Triple-A for Zach Maxwell, but he was called up in late August and threw 10.0 innings with the big league club. He’s competing for a spot in the bullpen again this year and is in a battle with a dozen other guys for one or two spots. He didn’t get out to a great start as he walked four batters and allowed a run while striking out a batter and recording two outs in his only appearance so far. Maxwell is scheduled to pitch again later today.