Teams across Major League Baseball had until 4pm ET to add eligible minor league players to the 40-man roster in order to protect them in next month’s Rule 5 Draft. The Cincinnati Reds began the day with 38 men on the 40-man roster, leaving them with two spots to use if they chose. And they did. They also used a third spot after clearing it. The team has added shortstops Edwin Arroyo and Leo Balcazar, as well as outfielder Hector Rodriguez to the 40-man roster and at least for the time being, the roster is full. That will likely change soon as the non-tender date is in three days and it’s probable that Cincinnati will have a few guys they don’t tender 2026 contracts to.
Edwin Arroyo (pictured above), the Reds #6 prospect was a 2nd round draft pick of the Seattle Mariners back n 2021. The Puerto Rican native was traded just over a year later. Arroyo was a part of the deal with Seattle that saw Luis Castillo go to the Mariners in July of 2022. He underwent shoulder surgery in 2024 after injuring himself diving back to first base in spring training. The injury would cost him the entire regular season, though he did return in time to play 18 games in the Arizona Fall League following the year.
In 2025 Arroyo spent the entire season in Double-A Chattanooga. He played almost the full year as a 21-year-old. The infielder hit for a high average, with his .284 average ranking 6th in the league among players who had at least 225 plate appearances. He walked 40 times and had 88 strikeouts in 521 plate appearances, showing a good contact rate. Where he struggled at the plate was in the power department. He hit just three home runs and slugged just .371 on the season. That’s not terribly surprising given that he was coming off of shoulder surgery. But it is an area where he’s going to have to recover some if he’s going to become an every day caliber player in the big leagues.
Defensively is what Arroyo is more known for. Not that his bat has projection issues, just that his defense is expected to be good at a premium position on the field. He’s got good range, a good arm, and good hands. But he also had a .954 fielding percentage this season. And I want to be sure to note that is lower than that of the guy half of the fanbase wants to move off of the position for Arroyo/anyone else.
You can see the career stats for Edwin Arroyo here.
Outfielder Hector Rodriguez, the Reds #8 ranked prospect is now on the 40-man roster. The 21-year-old split his season between Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Louisville in 2025. During the year he set a career high with 19 home runs, 65 RBI, 92 runs scored, 149 hits, and 40 walks. He did that while also hitting .283/.336/.450 on the season. The left fielder also had 23 doubles and 15 steals on the season.
Rodriguez has some potential to hit for both a high average and a solid amount of power. The left-handed hitter is only 5′ 10″ tall, but don’t be fooled by his height. He’s got a quick bat and he can hit the ball quite hard. While he’s played some center in the past with the Reds and even this past month in winter ball, he’s more of a left fielder than anything and if he’s going to be an every day player that’s where you’re going to see him.
You can see the career stats for Hector Rodriguez here.
Cincinnati’s third addition was Leo Balcazar. The Venezuelan native is the team’s #12 ranked prospect and he split his 2025 regular season between High-A Dayton and Double-A Chattanooga. He struggled in 2024 after returning from ACL surgery, but picked things up in the final month. That carried over into 2025 where he drastically cut down on his strikeout rate. Between the two levels he hit .263/.339/.381 with a career high 12 home runs, he drew 52 walks, and struck out just 75 times in 560 plate appearances.
Balcazar won’t turn 22 until the middle of June next season. Despite missing nearly all of 2023 (he tore his ACL on the last day of April), he’s progressed quickly up the ladder of the farm system. After the regular season in 2025 the Reds sent him to the Arizona Fall League where he played in 24 games for Peoria and showed off impressive exit velocities as he closed out his season. While he did play mostly second base after arriving in Chattanooga so that he and Arroyo could both be on the field at the same time, Balcazar is capable of playing shortstop at the big league level while also having some experience at second base throughout his career. While in Arizona this fall he also played in 11 games at third base.
You can see the career starts for Leo Balcazar here.
Cincinnati needed to create one spot on the 40-man roster in order to add one of the minor leaguers. To do that they designated right-handed pitcher Carson Spiers for assignment. He missed much of the year with a right shoulder impingement and then elbow surgery.
The Reds will have several players that other teams may now consider selecting in the Rule 5 draft. We covered those guys yesterday in our write up, though none of them feel like more of a coin flip and most have far lower odds than that. You can read about those players here.
Pretty much what you noted we should expect, Doug.
Would have rather had Spiers than Banfield or Rortvedt.
I agree.
Surprised they DFA’d Spiers rather than one of the unnecessary catchers. But glad to see they added the three they did.
Good for Balcazar – he was the possible candidate to not add. The next few weeks will be interesting for possible trades and further designations if they’re looking to grab a Rule 5 of their own.
Very unlikely Spiers is lost to a Rule 5 pick – there are several Reds MiLB arms at greater chance of being taken, and those are very unlikely to even last a season on a roster if they are.
I’m not too surprised Balcazar snd pleased he stuck. He’s the type of kid that grows on you the more you watch him. He just makes plays, if that makes sense. Probably more importantly, his play has been trending upward since he got farther from his ACL injury, the big thing having shown he can stick at short. Though he scuffled a bit offensively in his 2nd and 3rd month at AA (not unheard of), he hit well at Hi-A and his 1st AA month, then did his thing out in AZ. I think a team like Boston, with holes at 2B and 3B and a poor defender at SS, and those bats in the OF, could have carried him. Seattle, too. Besides Arroyo, there isn’t anyone else in the high minors who can cover SS. I say it all the time, for all of the consternation about too many short stops, we still only have two prospects at Hi-A, AA and AAA. And our guy at Lo-A (Lewis) is a long way away while Hall is just 18 and hasn’t played a pro game. One injury to Elly (or McLain), Arroyo or Balcazar and we are much thinner.
Balcazar was the only mildly surprising add here. He’d have had a very slim chance of sticking on someone’s 26 man roster all next season.
I look for Spiers to clear waivers and end up back in the Reds minors system rehabbing from his Tommy John surgery all next season.
If the Reds could carry Santiago Espinal all year, someone could carry a 21/22-year-old Balcazar all year.
Oh yeah, someone could. I was just mildly surprised since I thought they’d roll the dice on betting he’d be returned if left unprotected and then selected. Here’s hoping he rakes at AA for a few months and finishes the season in Louisville.
Especially with 26 man rosters.
Absolutely Doug.
I think he just finally got 100% for his 2024 knee surgery in July and looked good in Arizona.
Maybe, but Balcazar over the long run would be hurt by being the 26th man on an MLB roster, instead of playing every day in the high minors, notwithstanding the extra money he would make on an MLB roster in 2026.
I don’t think any team would have taken him, but the Reds did the right thing for both Balcazar and the team by putting him on the 40-man.
Put Hector Rodriguez in LF and let’s go win our division!
Athletic’s designated former #4 over all draft pick J.J Bleday for assignment. If he has options he might be a guy to take a chance on. Miami rushed him to big leagues and A’s kept him there when he probably needed more seasoning. If he could be acquired, sent to AA, and allowed to work his way back it could be a big win. Krall loves to acquire other teams under achieving first round picks.Maybe a swap for Hendrick could help them both.
He has one option remaining per Fangraphs.
I think next year is his age 28 season? Doesn’t seem rushed to me but I admittedly don’t know that much about him.
Three players available in the Rule 5 draft stand out to me:
1. Catcher Daniel Susac (A’s). 275/349/483 with 18 HRs in AAA.
2. LHP Hayden Mullens (Red Sox). 2.21 ERA as a starter, including 18 AA starts. Good strikeout rates, multiple average or better pitches. Could he stick as a swingman in the pen?
3. RHP Blake Burkhalter (Braves). 3.77 ERA at AAA with three average pitches and excellent control before hitting AAA. Profiles as a multi-inning reliever.
I like the idea of Mullins. He is 25; he grew up in the same town near Nashville as Chase Burns; and he went to Auburn, although it looks like he was a Tuesday-game pitcher there. His arm, though, is pretty fresh, having not thrown a ton of pitches from 18-21. Derek Johnson, also a Nashville guy, likely has some insight on him.
Mullins still walks too many guys, but he might work as an opener or long man. And they could always cheat by saying he has a strained ear lobe, and give him a few weeks of rehab at AAA as a starter.
Agree on Susac. That is an interesting player. Was great at UA
We have Williamson coming back, but do need other lefties
Taylor Ward is off the board as he’s traded to Baltimore for a starting pitching. He was someone I thought might be a good trade candidate for the Reds to look into. Things are moving quickly this early offseason. That’s two names I’d singled out as possible additions that are already off the board.
Trade values has it as a lopsided win for LAA in dollar terms. I agree it’s an overpay by the Orioles, but maybe they know something about the health of Rodriguez and wanted an out. You gotta think one year of Ward might’ve cost the Reds Lowder. That would be a no from me. The Reds can find a trade for a bat, but my strong preference would be to deal from the prospects not named Duno or Stewart.
Rodriguez has a lot of talent but has yet to stay relatively healthy. Injuries the past two seasons in 24 and 25 (shoulder). He has value because of his stuff and years of control, but the risk is he’s been sidelined with multiple shoulder and other injuries.
Disappointing. I thought the Reds best chance of acquiring a bat was either Josh Naylor or Turner Ward. Ward is a local guy too, born in Dayton. Looks like the affordable options are coming off the board quickly. It may be a long winter.
I hope the overpay by Baltimore does not set the market for power hitting outfielders. Unless someone like Greene or Abbott is traded the Reds were a long shot for any significant needle movers as it was.
He wasn’t on the “clearance isle”. 😉
So, orioles mess up my plan to get Odell now that they traded Ward, would anyone consider trading Lowder and Dunn for i think its 2 or 3 years of Buxton? I know, he has a no trade.
I think they are angling for a LH bat. Adell kills LHP, but struggles against fastballs, especially from RH pitchers.
I highly doubt Adell is available after this trade.
That’s two targets the Reds have struck out with so far. Both seemed to be somewhat of an option for the Reds but, there is going to be a lot more disappointment coming for us Reds fans to come.
No Steve, I would not with Buxton propensity of getting hurt. IMO if Reds are going to trade significant pitching and want significant bats back they need to knock on Bostons door.
If we follow the “same budget” pattern of last year, we might expect 2-3 free agent pitching signings and 2-3 free agent pitching signings. We might also expect 2 pitchers acquired via trade and 2 hitters acquired via trade. We traded a core hitter and a somewhat core reliever.
I still expect us to acquire a power bat – either via free agency or via a trade. I also expect us to acquire an OF.
I also expect us to acquire 2-3 relievers. Not sure we need to acquire an SP, but it could happen if we deal one.
The Nick Martinez signing was 11/19/24 and the Brady Singer trade was 11/22/24, so we could see some action very soon.
Of course, the Martinez signing was the acceptance of the QO.
Seen a couple of articles about how aggressive Pittsburgh plans to be this off season. They supposedly offered Naylor a big contract and are going to be in the Schwarber sweepstakes. Paul Skenes is having the Joe Burrow effect on the franchise possibly. Never thought Id be jealous of Pirates fans (if this is true) but here we are. Definitely singing a different tune in Cincinnati as we go through others team’s trash this offseason.
‘Big contract’ by ML standards or Pittsburgh standards? lol That’s how I feel reading articles indicating the Reds interest in a player.
Unconfirmed lol. At least they are selling a little bit of hope. One of the articles I seen said the organization brought in roughly $100 million in revenue sharing in 2023. That’s before tickets and concessions. Their total payroll that year was roughly $75 million. I do not care about Pittsburgh or the Pirates but their market and stadium is similar to ours here in Cincinnati.