Reds’ best-kept secret might be heading to the 40-man roster soon

The Cincinnati Reds will soon be making some crucial decisions about the future of the organization. While most Reds fans are already focused on potential trades and free agency, one of the first items on Nick Krall's offseason list will be to protect a number of prospects from the upcoming Rule 5 Draft.

For those who are unaware, the Rule 5 Draft is held every December and it allows teams to select certain non-40-man roster players from opposing organizations. In order to protect those players, teams must add them to the 40-man roster before next month's deadline.

Among those players who'll need to be protected are shortstop Edwin Arroyo and outfielder Hector Rodriguez. Leo Balcazar is another name to watch, and also Jose Acuña. But one such prospect has flown under the radar, and Reds fans should become more familiar with him because he's likely to have a 40-man roster spot very soon.

Jose Franco, the Reds’ best-kept secret, might be heading to the 40-man roster soon

Jose Franco is a bit of an unknown in most Reds circles. The same held true for former pitching prospect Adam Serwinowski before he was dealt as part of the Reds' trade for Tampa Bay Rays starter Zack Littell last July.

Franco split his 2025 season between Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Louisville. In total, the right-hander logged 110 innings of work with 26 starts. Franco ended the season on the Louisville Bats roster and totaled 118 punch outs.

Franco's performance this past season helped him earn a spot among the Reds' top-25 prospects according to MLB Pipeline. While his command and control took a step back in 2025, the hope among the coaching staff is that a full season at the upper-minor league level will aid in his development.

Franco has the prototypical size for a starting pitcher and his fastball sits in the mid 90s. Unfortunately, is walk rate jumped from 8.3% in 2024 to 11.5% this past season. If he's able to recapture his command from a year ago, Franco could find his way, not only onto the 40-man roster, but also onto a Major League mound, in 2026.