This unheralded utility minor leaguer deserves a chance to make 2025 Reds roster

The Cincinnati Reds are looking ahead to 2025 after this season fell apart due to injuries, tough luck, and a lack of leadership. But the front office can change that for next year if they act with intention once November arrives.

Levi Jordan knows what it means to be underestimated. He worked his way from a walk-on at the University of Washington to an All-PAC-12 selection in his senior year. He then climbed from a 29th-round pick in 2018 and Rule 5 cast-off in 2023 to a cup of coffee this year with the Reds. Jordan seems to be on the verge of breaking through once again as his success at Triple-A Louisville should earn him an extended look in Spring Training.

Upon joining the Reds organization, Jordan established himself as a leader on the field and off. At 28, he is older than many of his teammates and much of the Major League roster. Even with limited MLB experience he said he hoped to help younger players “blossom into a more mature baseball players.” Jordan backed up his words with his bat, turning in a 1.003 OPS and .404 average over the first month of the season.

Levi Jordan, a Rule 5 gem who is tearing up Triple-A, deserves a shot at the 2025 big league roster.

Jordan’s success – and an injury to TJ Friedl – earned him a week-long taste of the Majors in late June. He registered his first hit (a double) and first RBI (a sac fly) before turning ice cold. When he returned to Louisville in July, his Major League stat line read .100/.091/.200.

Since then, Jordan has been unstoppable, even though he went on the IL with an unspecified injury, disappearing from the Bats’ lineup from July 26 to August 21. Upon his return, he played limited innings in three games. Still, he has a .315 batting average and .533 slugging percentage since his stint in the big leagues. Jordan has been even better since his return from the IL. Six of his 13 games have been multi-hit affairs, and he has an eye-popping .472 batting average on balls in play.

Jordan’s greatest value for the Reds, though, is his versatility. This season alone he has put in time at five of the eight fielding positions – second, third, and all three outfield spots. He has committed only two errors in 301 chances.

For a team plagued by injuries, a versatile player with a hot bat could be invaluable. Jordan’s primary position is second base, and considering that Jonathan India’s future with the franchise always seems to be an open question, Jordan could find a home there. Or, he could be a better backup outfield option than Will Benson. At the very least, Jordan deserves an opportunity to work his way out of obscurity yet again.