Cincinnati Reds prospects report: Lyon Richardson's impressive outings earn promotion

The Louisville Bats won 4-of-6 games this week and Matt McLain continues to pummel the baseball. Brandon Williamson pitched twice this past week, but the lefty continues to struggle with command. The Chattanooga Lookouts saw Christian Roa strikeout 12 batters in two starts, but also walked an alarming eight batters.

The Dayton Dragons and Daytona Tortugas have identical 6-9 records. Austin Callahan had a great week as did Reds outfield prospect Malvin Valdez. Lyon Richardson and Chris McElvain had strong starts for Low-A Daytona this week as well. Let's look at how some of the top Cincinnati Reds prospects played this past week.

Reds prospects at Triple-A Louisville

Elly De La Cruz and Christian Encarnacion-Strand returned from the IL this week, but those two top Reds prospects were not the story. While Matt McLain continued his torrid pace with the Louisville Bats, it was TJ Hopkins who had a terrific week going 7-for-17 with three doubles.

Brandon Williamson did not have a good week. The left-hander started two games for the Louisville Bats and allowed four earned runs on 13 hits over 9.2 innings of work. The walks continue to be a problem for the southpaw as he issued five free passes, but struck out five as well.

Reds prospects at Double-A Chattanooga

How cool would it be to see Jacob Hurtubise make it the big leagues this season? The outfielder knocked two out of the park while going 7-for-21, walked four times, and swiped three bags for Double-A Chattanooga.

Joe Boyle shoved during his lone start this past week. The right-hander struck out 12 batters over 5.2 innings of work and allowed just three hits. As is the case with the aforementioned Brandon Williamson, Boyle issues too many walks. It's likely Boyle ends up in the bullpen, but the Reds continue to offer him opportunities as a starter.

Reds prospects at High-A Dayton

A name not many Reds fans have heard is Austin Callahan. The third base prospect was Cincinnati's 18th-round selection in the 2021 MLB Draft. This past week, Callahan went 9-for-21 with three doubles and six RBIs.

Jose Acuña continues to pitch well for the Dayton Dragons. During his start this past week, the right-hander went five innings while allowing just two hits and struck out five.

Reds prospects at Low-A Daytona

Lyon Richardson had an impressive outing this past week. The former second-round pick appeared in just three innings, but still struck out five batters and didn't issue a walk. Richardson has logged nine innings and struck out 18 batters this season while walking just one. After spending the first couple of weeks in Florida, Richardson is now headed to Double-A Chattanooga.

Last year's eighth-round draft pick Chris McElvain had an impressive outing last week as well. The right-hander went five innings, allowed just two hits, and struck out nine. On top of that, McElvain walked just two batters.