Prospect Heat Check: Cincinnati Reds
With the minor league season in full swing, let's take another look at who's hot and who's not within the Reds' farm system.
As the calendar has flipped to May, we are back with another Prospect Heat Check for the Cincinnati Reds.
At this point in the season, guys have knocked the rust off and are really starting to get going at the plate and on the mound. It is fun to see. The last Prospect Heat Check ran on April 16. So, we will take all stats from that date until the time of writing this article before play on May 7.
A prospect heat check is a chance to check in on the “who’s hot and who’s not” of Reds prospects. We will look at some hot hitters and pitchers and see if there are any notable prospects who have been particularly cold during this stretch.
If you are in search of more prospect talk, check out Aram Leighton and Jack McMullen on The Call Up.
Without further ado, let’s get to it.
All stats taken prior to play on May 7.
Hot Hitters
Rece Hinds – OF – Louisville Bats (AAA)
After a hot Major League debut in 2024, Hinds has found his stride in Louisville once again. Over his last 17 games, Hinds is slashing .304/.360/.623 good for a .983 OPS. Of his 11 extra-base hits during that span, five have been home runs, including three straight games with a homer.
The 24-year-old still struck out over 27% of the time in this stretch, which is what has held him back from a regular role in Cincinnati.
Hinds will get another shot, though, as he got the call to the big leagues on May 7 with Noelvi Marte heading to the IL. Let’s hope this hot streak continues in Cincinnati.
Hector Rodriguez – OF – Chattanooga Lookouts (AA)
Rodriguez just turned 21 before the season began, and he is really starting to mature as a hitter. Acquired from the New York Mets in the Tyler Naquin trade back in 2022, he is slashing .338/.384/.529 with a 160 wRC+. He has gone deep three times.
A big knock on the young outfielder has been the fact that he just does not walk and is swinging constantly. However, his bat-to-ball skills are great, as he has not had a strikeout rate above 19% since the start of the 2023 season. While he is still not walking a ton, we are seeing Rodriguez maturing in the box.
In 2023, Rodriguez was swinging at over 72% of pitches. The MLB average in 2025 is 43.5%. But that number has been coming down each year, and so far in 2025, the 21-year-old is swinging at a 49.8% clip, a huge improvement.
Rodriguez is incredibly hot right now, and with these adjustments he is making at the plate, we could see him get the bump to Triple-A in the near future.
Carlos Sanchez – IF – Daytona Tortugas (A)
Sanchez, a 20-year-old infielder in Single-A, has been on an absolute tear over his last 16 games. He has put up 202 wRC+ while slashing .382/.485/.600 and walking over 16% of the time.
Sanchez has eight extra-base hits while swiping three bags as well. At just 20 years old, he could be a guy to keep an eye on throughout this season as a breakout player in the system.
Sammy Stafura – SS – Daytona Tortugas (A)
The second-round pick for the Reds in 2023 has been on a heater over his last 16 games, as he has slashed .286/.397/.536. Stafura has as many extra-base hits in that span as he does singles while also swiping three bags, showing a great combination of power and speed.
The Walter Panas product is repeating Single-A, however, and needed to show something here in the early parts of the season. He is doing that, and should this continue for a couple of weeks, he could get that bump to Dayton.
Hot Pitchers
Chase Petty – SP – Louisville Bats (AAA)
Petty got the call to Cincinnati to make his MLB debut on April 30, and it was a rough one. He gave up nine earned runs and did not make it out of the third inning. So why is he a “hot pitcher”? Well, in his three minor league starts since April 16, Petty has an ERA of just 1.08 in over 16 innings of work.
The main point to highlight is the mental fortitude that Petty showed going back down to Louisville after getting destroyed in his big league debut. It would be easy for any pitcher to question whether or not they’ve got what it takes to really make it in baseball after the brutal debut that Petty had.
So, how did he follow it up? By tossing six innings of no-hit baseball. Yes, it was back in Triple-A, but it shows the mental toughness that Petty has and why he will eventually make it as a big leaguer.
Jose Acuna – SP – Chattanooga Lookouts (AA)
Acuna, a repeat “hot pitcher,” has thrown to a 2.37 ERA over his last four starts. Most impressively, in the 19 innings pitched across those four starts, he has struck out 29 batters. That is almost 14 strikeouts per nine innings of work.
The 22-year-old looked great in Double-A last year as well. It may be time for him to get that bump from Chattanooga to Louisville.
Chase Burns – SP – Chattanooga Lookouts (AA)
Another repeat on this list, Chase Burns did get that bump from High-A Dayton to Double-A Chattanooga, and he has looked awesome. A 3.46 ERA over his final three starts is a little skewed from his final start in Dayton, where he gave up three earned runs in the first inning before finishing with three scoreless innings from there.
That in-game bounce-back earned Burns the bump to Chattanooga, and he has looked awesome in two starts, allowing just two earned runs over nine innings of work while striking out 13 batters in those two starts. There is a real possibility that the number two overall pick from the 2024 draft could be heading to Louisville before the All-Star break.
Ty Floyd – SP – Daytona Tortugas (A)
Hello, Ty Floyd. The LSU product was the 38th overall pick to the Reds in the 2023 draft, but we had not gotten to see him pitch professionally until the beginning of the 2025 season.
Floyd has been awesome. Over his last four starts, the 23-year-old has allowed just two earned runs (zero in his last two starts) and has struck out 18 batters in those 16 innings of work.
Seeing Floyd healthy is a positive in itself, but seeing him healthy and dominating (albeit against a low level of competition) is fantastic. Floyd should not spend another start in Daytona. He’s got the stuff and college pedigree to move as quickly as one can reasonably expect coming off of a missed season.
Notable Cold Prospects
Zach Maxwell – RP – Louisville Bats (AAA)
Maxwell came into the season with some real hype as a guy who could quickly get the call to Cincinnati and help out this Reds bullpen. Unfortunately, he just hasn’t shown he is ready.
On the year, Maxwell has an ERA over eight, and that number almost doubles when only going back to April 16. Now, a lot of that is skewed by an outing in which he did not record an out and gave up five earned runs.
The problem is the swing-and-miss just isn’t there right now. Maxwell has always walked a ton of guys, and that is continuing and a problem as well. But, he was able to mitigate the damage of those walks by striking out over 14 batters per nine innings in 2024. So far in 2025, that K/9 number has been just about cut in half. That is not going to cut it for a reliever with some control issues.
Alfredo Duno – C – Daytona Tortugas (A)
Duno, a big-money international free agent from the 2023 class, is getting another taste of Single-A after spending 25 games there in 2024. But the results just haven’t been there for the young prospect.
Now, Duno is still putting up an OPS over .750 in his last 16 games. So, he is not necessarily cold. But, he is only hitting .211 and slugging .404. His respectable OPS is being carried by his 17.4% walk rate in that span, which is certainly a great sign of his plate discipline. Still, it would be nice if we could see the average and power tick up for the 19-year-old.
Again, if you are like me and love all things prospects related, check out The Call Up with Aram Leighton and Jack McMullen. You can listen to the two of them break down everything you need to know regarding prospects, including a breakdown of the Reds’ top 15 prospects, on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Reds Prospect Heat Check: April 16
Hot Hitters
Ivan Johnson – OF – Louisville Bats (AAA)
Johnson is off to a hot start in 2025. The 2019 fourth-round selection is slashing .400/.467/.675, good enough for a 1.142 OPS. The 26-year-old has already hit three home runs and drove in 11 runs through the first 12 games of the season.
Johnson has appeared in all three outfield spots in this young season, though he is primarily going to play a corner. With the rough start to the season for the outfielders on the big-league club, Johnson could certainly get a shot this year to make his big-league debut.
Tyler Callihan – 2B/OF – Louisville Bats (AAA)
Taken just one round before Johnson in the 2019 draft, Callihan appears to be in a similar spot to Johnson when discussing Reds minor league bats who could make their big-league debut this season.
Through 15 games this season, Callihan is slashing .328/.406/.557, giving him a 164 wRC+. With three home runs, three doubles, and a triple, the 24-year-old has been an extra base-hit machine to begin the year.
Sal Stewart – IF – Chattanooga Lookouts (AA)
Just Baseball’s No. 4 prospect in the Reds organization, Stewart has been a stud to open 2025. Slashing .343/.425/.629, the Westminster Christian product is raising the possibility that he makes his way to Cincinnati late in the year.
Through nine games, Stewart already has 12 total hits with six of those being for extra bases. After splitting time between second and third base in 2024, Stewart has strictly been playing the hot corner, which is his path to playing time at the big-league level.
Hot Pitchers
Luis Mey – RP – Louisville Bats (AAA)
The young flamethrower has been off to a solid start out of the bullpen for the Bats this season, as he has thrown to a 1.93 ERA across his first five appearances. Across those five appearances, Mey has struck out six and allowed an opponent batting average of just .125.
Mey has the chance to be an important piece for the big-league club, as the bullpen we see here in April could certainly look different come August and September. If Mey can keep the walks down, he certainly could be a factor.
José Acuña – SP – Chattanooga Lookouts (AA)
Acuña was one of two pieces acquired from the Mets in the Tyler Naquin trade back in 2022. The righty so far this season has thrown 10 innings across two starts. In those two starts, he has allowed just one earned run.
Acuña was great in Double-A in 2024 before a rough ending to the season in Triple-A. If he continues with this level of production, we should see him back in Louisville relatively quickly.
Arij Fransen – RP – Chattanooga Lookouts (AA)
Fransen, a 2019 signee out of the Netherlands, was a multi-inning relief guy in 2024 and is continuing that role in 2025. Fransen has made three appearances so far, throwing 8.2 innings while allowing just one earned run and striking out 13 batters.
As the multi-inning relief role becomes more and more important for major league teams, Fransen is establishing himself as a guy within the organization who can excel in that role.
Adam Serwinowski – SP – Dayton Dragons (A+)
Serwinowski is a deceptive and funky lefty who, coming off of a solid 2024, looks great to begin to the 2025 season. Coming into the year as the 14th-best prospect in the Reds’ system, Serwinowski has yet to allow a single run across two starts.
Along with giving up just four hits in seven innings, Serwinowski has struck out nine batters. He’s a guy I am really intrigued by, and things are certainly going well for the 20-year-old out of the gate.
Chase Burns – SP – Dayton Dragons (A+)
The second-overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft, Burns has certainly looked the part to begin his pro career.
The No. 1 prospect in the organization to begin the year and the No. 35 overall prospect in all of baseball, Burns has been striking out everybody through two starts. In just under eight innings of work, Burns has struck out 13 batters while only walking three. Having allowed just one earned run and with opponents hitting just .115 against him to open the year, Burns could be on the move to Chattanooga quickly.
Luke Holman – SP – Daytona Tortugas (A)
The 2024 Competitive Balance Round-B selection for the Cincinnati Reds, Holman is hitting the ground running in 2025.
The No. 11 prospect in the Reds’ system has made two starts and has allowed just one run and two hits across nine total innings of work. Being a high draft pick out of college, Holman and his 1.00 ERA should not be in Daytona much longer.
Notable Cold Prospects
Chase Petty – SP – Louisville Bats (AAA)
The former first-round pick had a good end to 2024 and was looking to build off of that in 2025. It looked like that was going to be the case after Petty put together a really good spring training, but the No. 68 overall prospect has struggled out of the gate.
Petty has made three starts and has a 5.11 ERA. But, looking deeper, Petty should be fine. His current numbers are skewed from a bad first start that resulted in him giving up six earned runs in less than four innings of work.
In the two starts since then, Petty has allowed just one earned run. All in all, Petty has already shaken off the cold start, I just wanted to provide some context to his numbers. If injuries start to plague the starting rotation in Cincinnati, Petty will be ready to jump in.
Cole Schoenwetter – SP – Daytona Tortugas (A)
A fourth-round pick out of high school in 2023, the Reds gave Schoenwetter second-round money to pry him away from his UC Santa Barbara commitment. Unfortunately, the results have been a bit disappointing so far for Schoenwetter.
It normally isn’t wise to raise questions after just two outings (one start), as the 20-year-old has a 4.91 ERA. But, Schoenwetter is coming off of a year where he threw to a 6.54 ERA across just over 52 innings of work. Six walks in 7.1 innings to open the 2025 season is not what the Reds were hoping for.
Hopefully we will look back and be able to call it first game jitters. Schoenwetter will need to clean up the control if he wants to live up to the hype coming out of the draft.
I understand these are small samples, but that is going to be the norm when doing a heat check. So far to start the season, the Reds are probably pretty happy with the performances of their top prospects.
Again, if you are like me and love all things prospects related, checkout The Call Up with Aram Leighton and Jack McMullen. You will be able to find the two of them breaking down everything you need to know in regard to prospects, including a breakdown of the Reds’ top 15 prospects on Spotify and Apple Podcast.
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