2 Reds prospects who deserve a promotion, and 1 who needs to stay put

There's no Elly De La Cruz or Matt McLain banging on the door down in the minor leagues with aspirations of helping the big league club this season. Most of the Cincinnati Reds top prospects are still one to two years away from making an impact in the major leagues.

But that doesn't mean that some promotions aren't in order. A few of the Reds prospects have demonstrated that their current level of competition is no longer a challenge. With that in mind, it's time for couple Reds prospects to receive a promotion to the next level.

With that said, not every Reds prospect has shown enough (yet) to receive a bump up the ladder. Which two Reds prospects need to be elevated to the next level, and who needs to stay put for now?

Reds prospect Sal Stewart should join the Chattanooga Lookouts

It's somewhat perplexing that Sal Stewart isn't considered a Top-100 prospect. All the 2022 draftee has done since arriving in the Reds organization is hit. During his first professional season, Stewart hit .292/.393/.458 in the Arizona Complex League. But last season, Stewart really took off and slashed .275/.396/.415 while splitting time at Low-A Daytona and High-A Dayton.

This season, Stewart has been stuck with Dayton Dragons for 50-plus games, and it's time for the 20-year-old to take the next step in his development. Stewart has a tremendous eye at the plate and is drawing more walks than strikeouts this season.

While his defensive home is still up in the air, if Stewart makes it to the big leagues, it'll be because of his bat, not his glove. It's time for Cincinnati to move Stewart up to Double-A Chattanooga.

Reds prospect Jay Allen II has proven enough with the Dayton Dragons

Jay Allen II was highly-touted coming out of high school, but as a three-sport athlete, it was bound to take him a bit more time to hone his craft after ditching the other two sports in order to focus on baseball.

Allen had his struggles early on with a meager .570 OPS last season. Allen fell out of favor with a number of scouts and talent evaluators. Once highly thought of in the Reds farm system, Allen was pushed out of Cincinnati's top-10, and is currently seen as the club's 25th-best prospect.

Don't tell Allen that, because the 21-year-old has been on fire this season. Allen is hitting nearly .300 with High-A Dayton and has put his injury-riddled 2023 campaign behind him. It's time for the Reds to see if Allen is ready for the next step in his development, and that would include a trip to southeastern Tennessee.

Reds prospect Cam Collier still needs some seasoning before jumping to the next level

Cam Collier has got his groove back. After struggling during his first full season in the pros, Collier has turned things around in a big (and powerful way). Collier has smashed some baseball this season, with 11 of them clearing the fence. After posting a below-average .356 slugging percentage in 2023, that number is back up over .425 this season.

But Collier is still quite young — especially compared to the competition — and he's still figuring things out at High-A Dayton. The plate discipline that Collier showed in 2023 was reflected in his .349 on-base percentage. But that number is sitting below .300 at the moment, and Collier hasn't been near as patient at the plate.

There's still some room for improvement in Collier's game, and the Reds should keep their top-100 prospect down in the lower-levels for a couple more months. Perhaps once the calendar flips to August, Collier will have proven enough to make the leap to Double-A.

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