Everything you need to know about the Rule 5 Draft and 3 Reds prospects to protect

Reds prospect Rece Hinds must be protected from the Rule 5 Draft

The most obvious Reds prospect who needs to be added to the team's 40-man roster before the 6 PM ET deadline on Tuesday is outfielder Rece Hinds. The slugger has elite-power and can change the complexity of the game with one swing of the bat.

Hinds might have the most raw power of any prospect in the Reds farm system. If you were impressed by what you saw from the likes of Elly De La Cruz and Christian Encarnacion-Strand, then you're going to love Hinds.

However, there is a lot of swing-and-miss that comes with Hinds' game. The former second-round pick had the fifth-most strikeouts in the Southern League last season with 151 whiffs. But, among qualified batters, Hinds led the Chattanooga Lookouts with 23 homers and an OPS of .866.

Hinds made an adjustment to his swing midway through the season and it paid off. After spending the entire year down in Double-A, the assumption would be that the 23-year-old will begin the 2024 season at Triple-A Louisville.

Rece Hinds, more than any other prospect in the Cincinnati Reds farm system, has the chance to be a boom-or-bust prospect. Hopefully, the Reds have no intention of rushing the outfielder to the big leagues, as a full-season in Triple-A would do wonders for his development.

Look for Hinds to be among the handful of Reds prospects added to Cincinnati's 40-man roster before Tuesday's deadline.