This Reds player could follow Noelvi Marte's path to redemption in 2026

Noelvi Marte didn’t just bounce back in 2025, he reset the whole conversation around him. A year earlier, it was easy to look at the mess and wonder if that was just who he was going to be. Then in 2025, he reminded everyone that prospects don’t develop in straight lines and that one rough season doesn’t have to stick to you forever.

After a bumpy 2024 slashing .210/.248/.301, Marte settled in as a real contributor. He hit .263/.300/.448 with 14 homers, 51 RBI, and 10 steals in 90 games in 2025.

What makes it work is that it didn’t feel like a random hot streak. He didn’t turn into a different hitter overnight. He got back on the field after losing time to a left oblique strain, found a rhythm, and the Reds let things breathe by moving him around defensively. The right field reps helped, even if the defense wasn’t suddenly flawless. It was more about getting him into spots where he could stack good days again.

Reds’ Chase Petty is staring at the exact kind of season that flips a narrative

So who’s the next “Marte” story in 2026? You can make a case for Christian Encarnacion-Strand. You can make a case for Blake Dunn. But the stake-heavy answer is Chase Petty — because his 2026 isn’t just about feeling better. It’s about whether he still fits the plan.

Petty’s big-league introduction in 2025 was brutal: three games, 0–3, 19.50 ERA, and a WHIP that screams “traffic jam.” And in Triple-A Louisville, the volume was there, but the run prevention wasn’t, with a 6.39 ERA over 112⅔ innings and a walk total that kept turning promising counts into problem counts. 

The Reds don’t need Petty to be a perfect prospect this spring. They need him to be useful in a way that scales by the time summer comes. Cincinnati is walking into 2026 with a real rotation picture: the top four is largely spoken for, and the fifth spot has enough candidates to qualify as a genuine spring storyline, with Petty trying to force his way into the conversation. 

The path to redemption is pretty clear, even if it’s not glamorous. Petty has to throw more strikes that actually mean something. The raw ingredients are still enticing, yet the margin for error disappears at Triple-A and gets vaporized in the majors. And if the Reds decide the starter version isn’t coming fast enough, the bullpen route isn’t an insult. Plenty of power arms become weapons when you simplify the menu and let them attack for an inning at a time.

That’s the Marte parallel. Marte didn’t win 2025 by pretending 2024 never happened. He won it by adjusting, staying in the fight, and becoming playable every day. Petty’s 2026 redemption looks the same. Not a hype campaign. A usefulness campaign. And the Reds could really use one.