Reds: 4 prospects who could make an impact in September

The Cincinnati Reds are in the thick of the NL playoff race and will be getting some reinforcements very soon. September call-ups are just around the corner, but rather than looking to develop young talent, this season, the Redlegs are more likely to promote some young prospects who could help Cincinnati win the division or find their way into the Wild Card Game.

We’ve seen several young prospects make their major league debut in 2021. Obviously, Jonathan India comes to mind. Rookie catcher Tyler Stephenson has made an impact as well, but the Reds’ backstop did log a few games in the big leagues last season.

The September call-up rules are a bit different than they’ve been in the past. Previously, you’d see the dugout lined with several young players, but recent changes now limit the number of players a team can call-up during the final month of the season.

Last season, the 25-man roster added an additional man to the squad, and active rosters are now set at 26 players. But, rather than allowing rosters to expand up to 40 as previous seasons have allowed, roster size is limited to just 28 players during the month of September. So, who might the Cincinnati Reds add for their stretch run?

1. Alejo Lopez, Reds infielder

Fans were advocating for Alejo Lopez to be added to the Cincinnati Reds roster well before the team finally made the decision to activate the 25-year-old on June 28th. Lopez notched a base hit in his very first major league at-bat.

In just 19 at-bats, Lopez hit .316 and scored three runs. A native of Mexico, the former 26th-round pick was sent back to Triple-A Louisville near the end of July. Since returning to the Louisville Bats, Lopez’s numbers haven’t been as good as they were prior to his promotion. However, the versatile infielder just seems to have a knack for putting the ball in play.

Alejo Lopez doesn’t do any one thing great, but he’s a very good, all-around ballplayer. Given the new restrictions of the expanded rosters in September, it’s possible that Lopez finds his way onto the Reds’ roster, but there are a few more practical options that may keep the infielder off the active roster.