This highly-touted Reds prospect isn't quite ready for the jump to Double-A

Elly De La Cruz's major league debut a couple weeks ago opened the door for top Cincinnati Reds prospect Noelvi Marte to make the jump to Triple-A.

Marte, along with fellow prospect Connor Phillips, have graduated to Triple-A and are now part of the Louisville Bats roster. But what about shortstop prospect Edwin Arroyo? Is it time for the infielder to fill Marte's shoes at Double-A Chattanooga?

Let's hit the pause button on that for moment, shall we. Arroyo doesn't look quite ready for that jump to Double-A. The Reds have plenty of depth throughout the minor leagues to be patient with the former Seattle Mariners farmhand.

Highly-touted Reds prospect Edwin Arroyo isn't quite ready for the jump to Double-A.

Edwin Arroyo has been much better at High-A Dayton recently. He's slashing .333/.402/.568 with 11 extra base hits over his last 21 games. This kind of production could result in Reds fans wanting to push him up through the farm system, but the Reds should remain patient.

There are a couple reasons that the Cincinnati Reds should leave Arroyo in High-A for the time being. First, he is incredibly young. The Reds No. 3 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, is just 19 years old, and has plenty of time to develop and grow into his frame before continuing to climb the minor league ladder.

Furthermore, the Southern League, in which the Reds Double-A affiliate is a member, has been experimenting with a new "enhanced grip" baseball. This baseball has a built in tackiness and it has seen an increase in strikeouts and movement. According to Baseball America, the ball is more difficult for pitchers to control and harder for hitters to hit.

The Reds have plenty of infielders ahead of Edwin Arroyo in their pipeline, including current Double-A shortstop Jose Torres. Not to mention Elly De La Cruz, Noelvi Marte, and Matt McLain all of whom share the same position.

Edwin Arroyo is going to continue to improve, but it's going to take time. The biggest mistake the Cincinnati Reds can make at this time is to rush him up the ladder. The Reds fanbase and front office need to maintain patience.