Forgettable Reds prospect barely clinging to MLB relevance after deal with Orioles

It wasn't long ago that José Barrero was one of the Cincinnati Reds' top prospects, seen as a key piece of the future in the middle infield. According to Baseball America, Barrero was a Top 100 prospect in both 2021 and 2022, reaching as high as No. 33 in the latter season.

Barrero exploded as a 23-year-old in 2021, climbing from Double-A to the major leagues while posting a .919 OPS, 19 home runs, and 16 stolen bases in just 85 games in the minors that season.

Unfortunately, he never lived up to the hype in the big leagues. He received chances in all of 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 with the Reds, though he simply couldn't translate his minor league success to the highest level. In 447 plate appearances in Cincinnati, Barrero slashed .186/.242/.255 while accruing -2.7 WAR.

Eventually, the Reds determined they had seen enough, and Barrero was released. He received opportunities with the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals before resurfacing with the Baltimore Orioles earlier this year.

Jose Barrero receives another MLB lifeline with Orioles after years of struggling with Reds

It seems Barrero did enough during his time in the Orioles' organization to earn another chance to climb his way back to the big leagues, as he signed a new contract with Baltimore for the 2026 season. Barrero actually got some more MLB run with the Cardinals in 2025, though he was even worse than he was with the Reds.

In 22 games (31 plate appearances), he hit .138/.194/.276. In a continuation of an unfortunate trend he displayed in Cincinnati, he struck out nine times while working just one walk. Thus, he was released, and Baltimore scooped him up.

He was sort of a disaster after joining the Orioles' Triple-A affiliate -- he recorded a .605 OPS in 218 trips to the plate -- but he did have a .913 OPS with Triple-A Memphis while with the Cardinals. His overall production was still a far cry from what he did during his top prospect days with the Reds, but perhaps the Orioles saw something they really liked in the utility man.

For what it's worth, the Reds haven't missed Barrero too much since his departure. Even though he was capable of playing everywhere -- he's played every position besides catcher, first base and left field in his career -- Cincinnati's offense has found plenty of contributors at each of his primary positions, from Elly De La Cruz at shortstop to TJ Friedl in center field.

Barrero, now 27 years old, may not have lived up to the hype just yet, but he's got at least one more chance to make good on his promise in 2026.