Reds prospect Chase Petty sparks excitement then quickly raises red flags

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Chase Petty's has put his ugly 2025 season is in the rearview mirror, though the up-and-down nature of his career has continued into 2026.

In his first start of the season for the Louisville Bats, Petty lived up to his top-prospect pedigree, cruising through 4⅔ scoreless frames while striking out eight batters.

Unfortunately, his second start of the 2026 campaign was anything but smooth. After coaxing three consecutive groundouts from Iowa Cubs hitters in the first inning, Petty was rocked in the second, surrendering seven runs on five hits, including two home runs. He didn't make it out of the frame. It's hard to think of a better microcosm of his career than that.

Reds prospect Chase Petty still can't clear the final hurdle

Inconsistency has haunted every corner of Petty's track record. His control is, at best, unreliable. His raw stuff, while electric, gets hit hard by good hitters who can lay off his out-of-the-zone breakers.

Take his new-and-improved changeup, for instance. During his first start, Petty threw the pitch 21 times and got eight whiffs on 12 swings. There was nothing the Omaha Storm Chasers could down with the offering.

Then, in his very next outing, the pitch wasn't tailing quite as firmly. Petty left a changeup up in the zone to B.J. Murray, who proceeded to deposit it in over the left-center field wall. From that point forward, the right-hander crumbled and allowed six more runs in the inning.

This is exactly why, despite injuries to both Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo, Petty hasn't been seriously considered for a jump back to Cincinnati. He made his highly-anticipated MLB debut in 2025, but it could not have gone worse.

In three appearances last season, he surrendered 14 runs in just six innings, good for a 19.50 ERA. His 11.80 FIP and 3.67 WHIP were equally as calamitous. And, just for good measure, he allowed three home runs and walked more batters (8) than he struck out (7).

It's just maddening how unreliable his results are. Prior to Opening Day, Petty looked untouchable in the Spring Breakout Game, running the radar gun up to 102 miles per hour while throwing first-pitch strikes to nearly everyone he faced. Where was that same pitcher last week?

For now, expect Petty to get a long look in Louisville as the Reds navigate the opening portion of the season without two of their best pitchers. Petty's going to have to string together a number of quality starts in a row before he's given another chance in the big leagues.