Reds prospect's early-exit will give fans Nick Senzel flashbacks

Cincinnati Reds prospect Carlos Jorge made an early-exit from Sunday's Dayton Dragons' game. The centerfielder made a tremendous over the shoulder catch during the top of the sixth inning, but unfortunately sacrificed his body to do it.

After securing the ball in his mitt, Jorge turned and threw it back into the infield, but fell to the ground in pain immediately afterward. The outfielder was carted off the field and replaced in the lineup by fast-rising prospect Yerlin Confidan.

Jorge is a top-25 prospect in the Reds farm system according to MLB Pipeline, but he's not always been an outfielder. Jorge came up through the organization as a second baseman, and made the switch to center field in 2023 — though 76 of his 94 starts that year came at second base. Last season, however, Jorge played almost exclusively on the outfield grass with 82 of his 85 starts split between all three spots.

Reds prospect's early-exit will give fans Nick Senzel flashbacks

The hope is that Jorge is okay, and his early-exit from Sunday's contest doesn't mandate a trip to the injured list — something that another former infield prospect turned outfielder was unable to do throughout his Reds tenure.

Much like Jorge, former No. 2 overall pick Nick Senzel came up through the Reds farm system as an infielder. But a glut of infielders on the active roster forced Cincinnati to think outside the box. The Reds decided during the 2018-19 offseason to move Senzel from third base to center field. While athletic enough to field the position, Senzel was plagued by injuries, prompting many Reds fans to call the move into question.

Senzel suffered numerous injuries while tracking down fly balls in the Reds outfield, including a torn labrum and a fractured toe. Eventually the Reds relented and gave their former top prospect an opportunity to showcase his talents on the infield dirt, but Senzel never really found a home there either.

The Reds released Senzel after the 2023 season, and he's since played for both the Washington Nationals and Chicago White Sox — as an infielder. Senzel was unable to latch on with a big league team this past offseason and signed with Tecolotes De Los Dos Laredos of the Mexican League.

Maybe instead of trying to transform some of their most talented infielders, the Reds should put some added emphasis on drafting and developing actual outfielders. Cincinnati holds the No. 9 overall pick in this year's MLB Draft, and many Reds fans are hopeful to see Nick Krall and Co. add an outfielder to their already stacked of stable of minor league infielders.

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