3 Reds prospects who are forcing a call-up the front office can’t delay much longer

Several Major League teams have begun to call up some of their top prospects from the minor leagues. The Kansas City Royals couldn't wait any longer and promoted former first-round pick Jac Caglianone this past week. The Chicago White Sox are doing the same with top prospect Kyle Teel.

The Cincinnati Reds, however, have stood pat thus far. There are handful of Reds prospects, however, who could force Nick Krall's hand, and Cincinnati's front office may not be able to hold out much longer.

The Reds called up players like Matt McLain, Andrew Abbott, and Elly De La Cruz in 2023 after the three of them put up staggering numbers in the minor leagues. Cincinnati even promoted former first-round pick Rhett Lowder last September (barely a year after he was drafted). Which top Reds prospects are forcing a call-up the front office can't delay much longer?

3 Reds prospects who are forcing a call-up the front office can’t delay much longer

Chase Burns, Reds prospect

The most obvious candidate to be called up to the big leagues at the moment is former first-round draft pick Chase Burns. The fireballer has utterly dominated the competition in the minor leagues this season, and after watching Hunter Greene hit the IL with a groin injury, a number of Reds fans are already advocating for Burns to make his MLB debut.

The numbers speak for themselves. Burns is 5-3 in 10 starts split between High-A Dayton and Double-A Chattanooga. He has a 1.93 ERA, 2.21 FIP, and 69 punch outs over 46 ⅔ innings pitched. At the very least, Cincinnati should push Burns up to Triple-A. If he continues to dominate against the competition in the upper-minor leagues, then the Reds will have no choice but to call him up to the majors.

Sal Stewart, Reds prospect

Sal Stewart may not be ready for The Show just yet, but he's got little left to prove in Double-A. In 50 games for the Chattanooga Lookouts this season, Stewart is hitting .312/.372/.444 with 16 doubles, three home runs, and 24 RBI.

Stewart has seen a slight downturn in his walk rate, but he's still keeping his strikeout rate below 20%. In fact, he's striking out a lower rate this season than he did at High-A in 2024. Stewart is sitting on 207 plate appearances in Double-A — the same number of PAs Elly De La Cruz had before being bumped up to Triple-A. Given the Reds' lack of offensive firepower, getting Stewart one step closer to the big leagues would seem like a good idea.

Zach Maxwell, Reds prospect

Zach Maxwell got off to a rough start at Triple-A Louisville this season, but since May 1, Big Sugar has been sitting down opposing batters with regularity. Over his last 10 appearances out of the Louisville Bats' bullpen, Maxwell owns a sparkling 1.80 ERA with 11 strikeouts over 10 innings pitched.

Maxwell has not surrendered a home run since the end of April and opponents are only hitting .171 since the start of May. Maxwell still has some command issues, which is common among young flamethrowers. If he can gain consistent command of his heater, the backend of the Reds bullpen will fit Maxwell like a glove.

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