Reds must resist the temptation to fast track this breakout prospect

Last week, Cincinnati Reds prospect Héctor Rodríguez showcased his talent when he put together a minor league week for the ages in Double-A. And while that was a great sign in regard to his ability to help the Reds at the major league level, the team’s front office needs to avoid the temptation of fast-tracking him to major leagues.

Last week, Rodríguez hit .567 with three home runs and seven extra-base hits across six games for the Chattanooga Lookouts, which helped him earn his second Player of the Week honors this year. 

Rodríguez currently sits as the Reds’ No. 11 prospect per MLB Pipeline, and has spent the first half of this year’s minor league season showcasing his skillset. After his strong week, Rodríguez is now hitting .316 on the year with 10 home runs and 37 RBI in 65 games at Double-A.

Reds must resist temptation to fast track breakout prospect Héctor Rodríguez

This breakout season has been a long time coming for Rodríguez, who joined the Reds organization in 2022 as a part of the return for Tyler Naquin, and has been a bit of an underrated prospect since then. Those days of being an underrated prospect seem to have gone by wayside, however.

But the Reds should do everything in their power to make sure that strong season finishes in the minor leagues. While there’s no denying that they need help in the outfield, it shouldn’t come at the sake of Rodríguez’s development. He’s still only 21 and hasn’t played above Double-A, and the Reds have a variety of depth outfield options on the 40-man roster. 

While it’s clear that the Reds need to upgrade their outfield, it looks like there’s going to be a lot of talented outfielders available at the trade deadline. The Reds don’t have a history of adding at the trade deadline, but they might not have a choice this year. Their offense has been 3% better than league average this year by wRC+ despite running out some… uninspiring options in their corner outfield spots. 

Going after a veteran outfielder with some team control like Adolis García or Luis Robert Jr. would help the team in both the short-and-long-term, and would also be the best thing for Rodríguez’s development.

Yes, the Reds just jumpstarted Chase Burns’ MLB journey by calling him up, but you can only go so far when you’re filling holes on the roster with rookies. Although Rodríguez’s has shown that he doesn’t have anything left to prove in Double-A, that should result in a call-up to Tripe-A, not MLB. Not yet, at least. 

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