Reds Prospects: Rhett Lowder rehab, Edwin Arroyo injury, Sal Stewart, Alfredo Duno

The Major League Baseball season always gets top billing, but the minor league season is underway as well, and several of the Cincinnati Reds top prospects are off to hot starts. The Triple-A season began shortly after the major leaguers took the field almost two weeks ago, but with the calendar having flipped to April, all levels of minor league baseball are now off an running.

The Reds have long relied on their farm system to funnel top-level talent to the major league roster. Players like Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain, and Nick Lodolo all came up through the Reds pipeline, and are now top contributors on Cincinnati's big-league roster.

The next wave of talented, young Reds prospects have their sights set on making it to The Show in short order. How did Cincy's youngster's fare during the first week-plus of the minor league season?

Reds Prospects: Rhett Lowder throwing off mound in Arizona

Rhett Lowder opened the 2025 season on the IL. Lowder never set foot on the mound during Cactus League games while the team was stationed in Goodyear, Arizona after being diagnosed with an elbow injury early during camp.

Lowder stayed behind in Goodyear after the rest of the team departed for Cincinnati shortly before Opening Day, and is now throwing off a mound. The rest of Cincinnati's pitching staff essentially had a 45-day head-start, and Lowder will likely be sent on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Louisville once he's cleared a number of hurdles at the Reds training complex in Arizona.

Reds Prospects: Edwin Arroyo prematurely exits minor league game

Edwin Arroyo, who missed an entire season in 2024 after undergoing shoulder surgery, has started off his 2025 campaign on the wrong foot. Arroyo was lifted from Saturday's Chattanooga Lookouts' game after trying to stretch a single into a double against the Rocket City Trash Pandas.

Arroyo was not in the Lookouts' starting lineup on Sunday, signaling that the Reds' shortstop prospect may have suffered an injury that could require a stint on the IL. Reds fans are hopeful that his absence on Sunday was little more than precautionary.

Reds Prospects: Sal Stewart and Alfredo Duno smash first HRs of the season

Sal Stewart opened up his 2025 season with a bang. The Reds' top infield prospect walloped his first home run of the season on Saturday with a rocket over the left-center field wall. The Reds kept Stewart in camp a little longer than most other prospects, and are expecting big things from the 21-year-old this season.

Joining Stewart with his first round-tripper of the 2025 season was fellow top prospect Alfredo Duno. Injuries have slowed Duno's development, but Cincinnati's top talent evaluators are hoping to see him remain healthy this season and keep crushing balls like he did over the weekend for the Dayton Dragons.

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