Reds may have already tipped their hand regarding Edwin Arroyo's future

The Cincinnati Reds called up Edwin Arroyo earlier this month, but his opportunities have been somewhat limited. The Reds top infield prospect made his big-league debut on June 1 against the Kansas City Royals, and though he's seen playing time in all 10 games, he's started in just six.

Friday night's series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks saw Arroyo riding the pine for the second straight game while Matt McLain and Spencer Steer were slotted up the middle of the Reds' infield. Heading into play on Friday, Arroyo was 5-for-22 with all his base hits going for singles. In total, he owns a .227 batting average and a .280 on-base percentage.

Typically, when a top prospect like Arroyo makes his big-league debut, he becomes a fixture in the starting lineup. Obviously the pitching matchups can play a role, and the opposing team has sent a left-handed pitcher to the mound in two of the four games in which Arroyo was left out of the starting lineup.

But Arroyo's strange absence from the lineup could have more to do with the Reds' upcoming trade deadline strategy than fans may realize. Are the Reds "shopping" Arroyo?

Reds confounding handling of Edwin Arroyo could signal a future trade

First, let's look at the reality of the situation. Arroyo's debut, while warranted, only came about after Elly De La Cruz landed on the injured list with a hamstring strain. All signs point to De La Cruz coming off the IL sometime later this weekend, and it's highly likely that Arroyo will be sent back to the minor leagues when the Reds superstar returns.

There was a thought among the Reds fanbase that Arroyo could supplant a struggling McLain at second base. But since the the prospect's promotion, McLain has been on fire at the dish. He's appeared in nine of 10 games since Arroyo was elevated to active roster and owns a .267/.371/.633 slash line with five extra-base hits, including three home runs. It'll be hard to justify sending McLain back to the minors with numbers like that.

Sending Arroyo back to Triple-A and leaving him there would allow the 22-year-old to feast off Triple-A pitching (as he has all season long with the Louisville Bats), while building up his trade value. If the Reds chose to put Arroyo on the trade block later this summer, he could possibly bring back something of merit at the August 3 deadline.

The Reds middle infield of De La Cruz, McLain, and Steer is under team control for at least another three seasons, and Cincinnati has several talented shortstop prospects — Steele Hall, Liberts Aponte, Leo Balcazar, and Tyson Lewis — slowly ascending through in the farm system. Arroyo is certainly big league-ready, but he may bring more value to the Reds as a trade chip than he could as a contributor.

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