Chase Petty’s spring debut gives Reds a glimmer of hope after nightmare year

Chase Petty made his spring debut for the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday afternoon against the San Diego Padres. Coming on in relief during the fourth inning, the 22-year-old walked one batter and struck out another before being lifted after two innings of work having thrown 33 pitches. Most importantly, Petty didn't allow a run or a hit, which is something he struggled with immensely last season.

No one has really mentioned Petty's among the group of pitchers looking to secure the final spot in the Reds rotation, and there's a good reason for that. His Major League debut in 2025 was one to forget, and after that, his entire season unravelled.

Petty was the Reds starter for Game 2 of a doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals on April 30. As one of the most highly-touted prospects in the Reds farm system, there were major expectations attached to Petty's big-league debut. Unfortunately, his debut turned sour before the first inning was over.

Chase Petty’s spring debut gives Reds a glimmer of hope

Petty walked the first batter he faced, then after a single and a line drive out, the right-hander surrendered a three-run home run to Cardinals slugger Willson Contreras. Petty watched another ball leave the yard in the second inning, and was pulled midway through the third after recording just one out. In total, he allowed nine runs on seven hits over 2⅓ innings pitched.

Petty managed to receive two more bites at the apple last season, but it was more of the same for the New Jersey native. In total, Petty logged just six innings of work, struck out seven batters, and was tagged with three losses — one of which came in relief during an extra-inning game against the Cardinals in late-June.

Petty isn't the first young pitcher to flounder during his MLB debut. What was unnerving, however, was how those struggles bled over into his Minor League performance. Petty spent most of his 2025 campaign at Triple-A Louisville, but went 6-13 with a 6.39 ERA, 1.607 WHIP, and 58 walks over 26 starts.

His 2026 season will be about how well he responds to adversity. A former top-100 prospect, Petty has fallen out of favor with a number of talent evaluators, but he still has Major League caliber stuff. The young hurler spent years perfecting his craft down in the minors, and turned himself from a thrower who could touch 100 mph into a five-pitch pitcher whose four-seamer sits in the mid-to-upper 90s.

Petty will surely be ticketed to open the year at Triple-A, and with so many highly-regarded arms in the Reds rotation, he's unlikely to get the call early on. But as the season wanes, during the dog days of summer, Petty could prove to be a valuable member of the Reds pitching staff — either as a spot-starter or injury replacement.

Though Petty may be No. 8 or 9 on the Reds' depth chart at the moment, a lot can happen over the course of 162 games. Thursday's performance was a good start, and hopefully the beginning of a redemption story for the promising young prospect.