Reds may have found their next pitching gem if they stay patient

The Cincinnati Reds appear to have run out of patience with Chase Petty, and have already made the decision to transform him from a starter into a reliever. It's imperative, however, that the Reds don't rush to judgment and instead take their time with fellow rookie hurler Jose Franco.

Franco's already been up three times this season, and each time has worked out of the bullpen. After Caleb Ferguson landed on the injured list to begin the year, Franco found his way onto the Reds Opening Day roster, and has made two brief fill-in appearances since.

In total, Franco's made nine Major League appearances and has logged just under 17 innings on the season. He has a 5.40 ERA with 14 walks and 13 strikeouts, but has been back in Triple-A since May 23. Since his return to the minor leagues, he's slowly been building up his pitch count, and has started the last two games in which he's pitched.

Franco has a pristine 1.40 ERA since returning to Triple-A Louisville, but walks have still been an issue for the young right-hander. He's walked 11.8% of the batters he's faced since his return to the Derby City, but he's limiting home runs and has struck out just over 22% of opposing hitters over his last five outings.

The 25-year-old righty has been yo-yo'd up and down I-71 all season out of necessity, but with the Reds' rotation (and bullpen) on the verge of returning to full strength, Cincinnati should have little need for Franco to return to the big league roster anytime soon.

Hunter Greene is currently on a rehab assignment, and if that goes off without a hitch, he's likely to return to the rotation early next month. Both Pierce Johnson and Emilio Pagán are also nearing a return from the IL, and Brandon Williamson is expected back at some point later this season.

Throw in the hard-throwing minor-league duo of Connor Phillips and Luis Mey on the 40-man roster, and all of the sudden, Franco could be shoved all the way to the bottom of the depth chart. But that could be a good thing for a young pitcher who's still trying to figure things out.

The Reds shouldn't waste Jose Fraco's talents coming out of the bullpen

In terms of raw stuff, Franco's got it. He's a high velocity starter who can hit 98-plus on the radar gun. He typically gets a lot of swing and miss with his hard-breaking slider and has been developing a changeup, but still needs some seasoning in the minor leagues to turn that into a plus-offering.

The Reds are set to lose Brady Singer to free agency this coming offseason. Nick Lodolo is always a question mark, and will enter free agency after the 2027 season. Williamson is a lottery ticket who's dealt with various injuries over the years. And, as the old adage goes, you can never enough starting pitching.

The Reds have plenty of time to allow Franco to develop, and bases on his recent outings, they could be sitting on an arm with a lot of upside.

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