Reds: 4 prospects who could make an impact in September

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CINCINNATI, OH – JULY 3: Alejo Lopez #28 of the Cincinnati Reds bats against the Chicago Cubs. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /

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.

Jun 24, 2021; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Tony Santillan (64) throws a pitch. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Tony Santillan, Reds pitcher

This feels like a safe bet, right? Tony Santillan was promoted to the majors earlier this season and saw several starts before being moved to the Cincinnati Reds bullpen. Given the fact that the organization is keeping Santillan in that same role despite being back at Triple-A Louisville would lead one to believe that the team is thinking of using Santillan out of the bullpen for the stretch run.

According to MLB Pipeline, Santillan was one of Cincinnati’s Top 10 prospects heading into the 2021 season. The right-hander proved himself at Triple-A during the early part of the season, and when injuries to Jeff Hoffman, Sonny Gray, Wade Miley, and Michael Lorenzen forced the ball club to dig deep this season, Cincinnati decided it was time to see what Santillan was made of.

The hulking right-handed hurler proved to be a grinder. Santillan would battle opposing batters deep into counts, consistency pound the strike zone, and more times than not found his way out of jams. However, once the Reds returned to full health, it was deemed that Santillan be shifted from starter to reliever.

This change in philosophy allowed Tony Santillan to ramp up the velocity on his heater. In six relief appearances before being sent back to Triple-A Louisville, Santillan worked 6.2 innings, struck out 10 batters and issued just one free pass. Since returning to Triple-A at the beginning of August, it’s been more of the same from Santillan. He’s only allowed one hit in six appearances out of the pen.

DENVER, CO – JULY 11: Jose Barrero #50 of National League Futures Team throws during a game.(Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

3. Jose Barrero, Reds shortstop

There might not be a hotter player in minor league baseball than Jose Barrero. Since the start of August, Barrero is hitting .318 with four home runs and nine RBIs. In Barrero’s 39 games at Triple-A Louisville, the right-handed hitting infielder is slashing .313/.398/.600, has 10 doubles, 11 homers, and 34 RBIs.

Barrero is the future at shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds. No matter how well Kyle Farmer has played this season, and he’s been very good, Barrero’s potential is enormous and fans should expect to see him starting at shortstop on Opening Day next season.

Jose Barrero, formerly Jose Garcia, was called up to the big leagues last season having not even played a game in Double-A. In 67 at-bats, Barrero gathered only 13 hits, slugging just .194 and struck out 26 times in 24 games.

Barrero began this season at Double-A Chattanooga, but quickly was promoted to Triple-A Louisville after just 40 games with the Lookouts. Barrero posted an OPS of .848 while racking up nine doubles, six round trippers, and 28 RBIs.

Barrero’s defense is also top-notch, and may actually be his best tool; think about that for a second. Heading into the season, Barrero’s defense was considered major league-ready. It was his bat that lagged behind. That seems to have been remedied, and I fully expect to see Barrero on the Reds roster in September.

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Hunter Greene (79) waits for a signal.Los Angeles Angels At Cincinnati Reds /

4. Hunter Greene, Reds pitcher

Much like Jose Barrero, Hunter Greene looks like a star in the making. The 22-year-old began the 2021 season at Double-A Chattanooga and was promoted to Triple-A Louisville after just seven starts for the Lookouts. Greene has now started nine games for the Louisville Bats, and I’ll be curious to see if the Cincinnati Reds decide bring the right-hander to the bigs in September.

This may be one of the more difficult September call-ups to predict. If Cincinnati was out of playoff contention, it’d be easy to make the case for Greene to get his feet wet. However, with the Reds rotation set, you’d have to assume that if Greene were to get the call, he’d be operating out of the Cincinnati bullpen.

That may not be such a bad thing, as the flame-throwing right-hander can touch over 100-MPH with his four-seam fastball. In 44.2 innings of work at Triple-A Louisville, Hunter Greene has 60 punch outs and a 3.63 ERA.

Considering that the Reds’ Achilles heel throughout much of the season has been the bullpen, one would assume that Greene’s fastball alone could cause enough swings and misses for the Reds’ brass to consider adding the former first-round pick to the active roster.

A corresponding move would have to take place, as Hunter Greene is currently not part of the Cincinnati Reds 40-man roster. However, one could easily see R.J. Alaniz or Cionel Perez let go in order to make room for Greene.

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