Predicting when Reds prospect Luis Mey will make his major league debut in 2025

MLB's Spring Breakout was wildly successful and gave baseball fans a behind-the-scenes peek at some their favorite team's top prospects. For Reds Country, it gave fans an opportunity to get an up-close and personal look at the likes of top prospects such as Sal Stewart, Edwin Arroyo, and Chase Petty.

But it was the Reds' relievers who made some noise during the event. Both Zach Maxwell and Luis Mey were raring back, throwing some heat, and inducing some strikeouts. The pair combined for four punch outs over two innings of work and neither pitcher allowed a run.

Both Maxwell and Mey were reassigned to minor-league camp shortly before MLB's Spring Breakout, but the hard-throwing right-handers both have what it takes to make it in The Show. Maxwell is on the cusp of his major league debut and could be called up as early as April. But what about Mey?

Predicting when Reds prospect Luis Mey will make his major league debut in 2025

Maxwell's climb through the Reds farm system has been rather typical. After being drafted out of college in 2022, Maxwell was deployed at Low-A Daytona, and by the middle of last season, the flamethrower was at Triple-A. Maxwell made 53 appearances for the Louisville Bats, and while he still has command issues, the 24-year-old was able to get a boatload of swings and misses.

Mey is bit further behind. An international signee in 2018, Mey came stateside in 2019 with 13 appearances in the Arizona Complex League, but then the 2020 season was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. That, coupled with an elbow injury, stalled Mey's development, and he spent three minor-league seasons at Low-A Daytona.

But last season saw Mey finally begin to show the type of maturity the Reds development staff had been seeking. The right-hander, while erratic, struck out 28.1% of the batters he faced at High-A Dayton. He then received a promotion to Double-A Chattanooga where he recorded 27 strikeouts in 26 innings of work to end his 2024 campaign.

While the number of strikeouts and the high velocity are both impressive, the high volume of walks is not. Last season, Mey issued 43 total walks in 55 innings pitched. You're not going to get to the big leagues if you walk 18% of the batters you face.

Mey has been assigned to Triple-A Louisville and the Reds minor-league coaching staff will be looking for the 23-year-old to increase his command and control while likely working at the backend of the Bats' bullpen.

As far as a timeline is concerned, Mey has consistently shown the need to spend a prolonged period of time at each level of the minor leagues, and his stop at Triple-A should be no different. That fastball is electric, but it won't amount to a hill of beans if he can't control it. Look for Mey to refine his mechanics this season and Reds fans could potentially see a September call-up.

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