Cincinnati Reds: Tyler Stephenson breaks out in spring game

The Cincinnati Reds walloped the Arizona Diamondbacks during Thursday’s Cactus League game. Tyler Stephenson starred, hitting his first homer of the spring.

Trevor Bauer took the hill for his first start of the spring, going two scoreless innings. While the Cincinnati Reds starter was impressive, top catching prospect Tyler Stephenson showcased some power with his first home run of the spring.

The Reds, as a whole, were homer-happy in their game against the D-Backs. Derek Dietrich went yard in the second inning after Arizona’s Madison Bumgarner struck out four of the first five batters. Alex Blandino sent a 1-0 pitch over the left-center field wall, making it 4-0. Finally, Stephenson hit his first homer of the spring in the eighth inning, putting the Reds up 6-0.

Stephenson went 2-for-2 in the game with a double, a home run and four RBIs. The 23-year-old put together some nice stats in the Arizona Fall League, and he’s hoping to parlay that into a major league debut in 2020.

Tyler Stephenson is highly unlikely to break camp with the Reds. Tucker Barnhart, Curt Casali and even Kyle Farmer are all ahead of Stephenson on the depth chart. The former first-round pick has yet to play above Double-A either, making it highly probable that Stephenson begins the 2020 season at Triple-A Louisville.

Stephenson struggled to stay healthy earlier in his professional career, but a breakout season at Double-A Chattanooga last year got the attention of the Reds fanbase. His .347/.418/.490 slash line during 13 games for the Glendale Desert Dogs during the Arizona Fall League only excited Reds Country further.

A lot of fans are hopeful to see Stephenson make his major league debut this season. I’d caution against such ambitious thinking, as anything other than a September call-up for Stephenson likely means that the trio of Barnhart, Casali and Farmer are struggling mightily. Considering the lofty goals for Cincinnati this season, plugging a rookie catcher in behind the dish is not ideal.

Both Tyler Stephenson and Jose Garcia have been the talk of camp so far. Both are highly-touted prospects, likely to find a home in the big leagues within the next year or so. Hopefully fellow prospect Jonathan India joins the party, as the former first-round pick has been held hitless thus far in Cactus League action.