Reds should challenge this surging prospect before another team gets the chance

Diminutive Cincinnati Reds outfield prospect Carlos Jorge entered 2026 as one of the team's key youngsters staring down a make-or-break season. Not only had the converted infielder fallen down the rankings due to stagnating at High-A for over two seasons, but he will be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft come December.

Given all of that, it might be easy to just write Jorge off and call it a day. Never mind the fact that the Reds have very few intriguing outfielders in their system; a lost cause is a lost cause, and you take it on the chin and move on. However, the 22-year-old had shown electric ability earlier in his career, hitting for the cycle in 2023, and had demonstrated impressive power-speed potential.

And fortunately, he's had another opportunity, this time down in Double-A Chattanooga. It might seem strange to have him start the year there since he had struggled so much to conquer High-A. The jump to Double-A is often considered the most difficult in the minors and can prove to be a stalling ground for even the most highly-touted of prospects.

Despite this, Jorge has excelled. He was named by Baseball America (subscription required) as one of the Reds' farm system's biggest risers alongside Edwin Arroyo. Jorge is hitting .338/.413/.465 for the Lookouts, adding six homers and 22 steals.

Reds must promote Carlos Jorge to evaluate his future with the organization

At one point in time, Jorge was a top-10 prospect in Cincinnati's system per MLB Pipeline, but after last year's disappointing campaign in which he hit .251/.342/.355, he'd fallen out of the top 30 entirely. Now, he's rising there again, ranking 16th and sure to shoot up even higher if he keeps this up.

The uptick in performance this season doesn't seem to be a random fluctuation, either. The experts at Baseball America note that he's made a concerted effort to change his approach, writing, "Jorge is sacrificing some home run output in favor of a more up-the-middle approach. The result has been improved contact rates and the best batting average and on-base percentage of his full-season career."

The odd part is that his power output is actually better this year since he's stopped trying to swing for the fences on every pitch, which, at 5-foot-9, 160 pounds, was a poor strategy to begin with.

Jorge hit six homers last year over 110 games. He's already matched that total this season in half the time. His career high is 12 coming in 2024, which was paired with a .220/.291/.394 line and a 31.1% strikeout rate. His ISO that season was .175, so while it's fallen to .127 this year, his strikeouts have improved dramatically, coming in at an 18.8% clip, raising his production as a whole.

Now isn't the time to sit back and watch his continued domination at Double-A, though. The urgency to figure out whether or not he can be a piece for the future still exists. Therefore, it would behoove the Reds to send him to Louisville and see if he can keep up.

If he can, it will be clear that his future is bright and that the club must add him to the 40-man roster. From there, it would make sense to make plans as to how he can eventually fit into the big league equation in 2027.

If he falls flat, though, the Reds will have to make a tough decision. It shouldn't be an immediate death knell, but if he really struggles, that might be all the team needs to know to leave him unprotected come Rule 5 draft time.

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