Edwin Arroyo entered 2026 with a real opening in front of him, but the door appears to be closing fast.
The Reds’ middle infield looked ripe for the taking after Matt McLain’s rough 2025 and with Elly De La Cruz splitting time on the injured list and at designated hitter. Instead, Arroyo’s chance to seize the job has been undercut by his own uneven major league results and by a wave of new competition in Cincinnati.
Arroyo did produce a career-best .891 OPS at Triple-A this season, but that success never really carried over to the majors. In 50 games, he has hit .223/.266/.264, a line that would put him in the mix for the worst OPS in baseball over a full season. Even so, he still carries some appeal because of his defensive reputation and a plate approach that keeps trending in the right direction.
The bigger problem for Arroyo is how crowded the picture has become around him. Juan Brito and Oswaldo Cabrera have joined the Reds’ roster, adding more names to a group that already includes McLain and De La Cruz. Cincinnati clearly valued both additions enough to bring them in at the end of a season that didn’t go the way the club wanted.
That squeeze gets even tighter if Arroyo is trying to work his way into the mix at third base. Even there, he would still have to hit enough to challenge Ke’Bryan Hayes for playing time, which is no small task.
And Arroyo isn’t just dealing with big-league competition. Louisville teammate Leo Balcazar is closing in on him as the system’s top middle infield prospect, and Tyson Lewis, Justin Lebron, and Steele Hall are also moving up behind him. There’s no shortage of younger players pushing into his lane.
With that kind of pressure building, the Reds may be better off listening on Arroyo once the offseason trade window opens. Cincinnati will need bullpen help to replace Brock Burke and Pierce Johnson in 2027, and a reliable shortstop like Arroyo could help bring that return back in a deal.
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