2 reasons Jose Barrero should be the Reds starting shortstop and 1 reason he shouldn't

Reds SS Jose Barrero has struck out way too much at Triple-A this season.

When it comes to the reason why Jose Barrero should not be brought along as the Cincinnati Reds shortstop for the rest of the 2022 season, you needn't look much further than what he's done at Triple-A this season.

Barrero has struggled mightily since returning from wrist surgery. That dominant bat that carried Barrero all the way from Double-A last season to the majors has let him down in 2022. In 55 games at Triple-A Louisville this season, Barrero has hit just .209/.262/.377 with nine home runs and 24 RBIs.

The biggest concern has got to be Barrero's obscene strikeout-rate. The 24-year-old has gone down on strikes 37.6% of the time. Even worse is that it's not really offset by his walk-rate. Barrero is drawing a free pass just 4.6% of the time.

Last year at Triple-A, Barrero owned a strikeout-rate of 22.0% and a walk-rate of 10.0% according to FanGraphs. Those types of numbers will play all day long as would his wRC+ of 158 and an OPS of .986. But a wRC+ of just 66 and an OPS of .639 is not going to get it done.

There are those who have concerns about Jose Barrero's ability to adjust to the big leagues, and they're legitimate given the numbers. But until Barrero is given consistent time at the major league level, fans are never going to know whether or not he can cut it. Let's give him a chance.