{"id":567707,"date":"2026-02-12T06:47:22","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T06:47:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/567707\/"},"modified":"2026-02-12T06:47:22","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T06:47:22","slug":"terry-franconas-message-to-sal-stewart-before-second-season-with-cincinnati-reds-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/567707\/","title":{"rendered":"Terry Francona&#8217;s Message to Sal Stewart Before Second Season With Cincinnati Reds"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As the <a href=\"https:\/\/roundtable.io\/sports\/mlb\/reds\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Cincinnati Reds;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Cincinnati Reds<\/a> prepare for the 2026 season, all eyes are on their burgeoning young talent and how the club\u2019s leadership plans to blend promising prospects with established contributors. One of the most exciting names in the organization is Sal Stewart, the top prospect whose late\u2011season debut in 2025 hinted at a potentially impactful future. Stewart\u2019s arrival gave fans a glimpse of what the lineup could look like in the years ahead.<\/p>\n<p>Stewart\u2019s performance last year in the majors was brief but meaningful. He appeared in 18 games with the Reds, posting a .255 batting average with five home runs and eight RBIs while recording an .838 OPS in 55 at\u2011bats. That small but promising sample showed his ability to hit for power and maintain an offensive presence almost immediately upon reaching the big leagues.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>The confidence within the organization about Stewart\u2019s development is evident in the message from Reds manager Terry Francona this spring. \u201cTerry Francona on Sal Stewart: Listening to the coaches talk, they say he\u2019s moving really well. That\u2019s what I care about. When you see him you can tell he put the work in. When you see him move, that\u2019s what our goal was,\u201d reported Charlie Goldsmith of FOX19.<\/p>\n<p>Francona\u2019s words highlight not just Stewart\u2019s physical preparation but also the organizational belief in his readiness to contribute at a higher level.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>Stewart\u2019s status as a hyped prospect stems from an impressive 2025 campaign in the minor leagues before his call\u2011up. Across Double\u2011A and Triple\u2011A, he slashed over .300 with significant power and on\u2011base skills, combining for 20 home runs and a .907 OPS that led to his promotion. He also earned recognition as one of Cincinnati\u2019s top prospects and appeared in the MLB Futures Game, cementing his status as a player with future impact.<\/p>\n<p>Francona\u2019s praise underscores the club\u2019s long\u2011term vision for Stewart. While his major\u2011league experience is limited, the organization clearly sees him as a building block. If he continues to progress and capitalize on his opportunities, Stewart could become one of the core pieces around which the Reds build their offense for years to come.<\/p>\n<p>As Cincinnati\u2019s roster comes into focus for the new season, integrating high\u2011ceiling prospects like Stewart with veteran leadership will be a central theme. Francona\u2019s message reflects confidence and a commitment to Stewart\u2019s development, setting the stage for a breakout sophomore season that could elevate both the player and the club\u2019s competitive outlook.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As the Cincinnati Reds prepare for the 2026 season, all eyes are on their burgeoning young talent and&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":567708,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2400],"tags":[5,10293,535,50,4259,4,536,6513,1175],"class_list":["post-567707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cincinnati-reds","tag-baseball","tag-charlie-goldsmith","tag-cincinnati","tag-cincinnati-reds","tag-cincinnatireds","tag-mlb","tag-reds","tag-sal-stewart","tag-terry-francona"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116056322667463993","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/567707","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=567707"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/567707\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/567708"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=567707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=567707"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=567707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}