The Cincinnati Reds are heading into an offseason with plenty to sort out, and one name already floating back into the conversation is Luis Robert Jr.
MLB Trade Rumors included Robert Jr. among the club’s possible free-agent targets, and the fit comes with all the baggage that has followed him for a while now. He has been tied to the Reds since the 2025 trade deadline, when Cincinnati ultimately passed on a White Sox deal that had been rumored to involve prospects Cam Collier, Sal Stewart, Chase Petty, and a big-league-ready pitcher such as Brandon Williamson or Rhett Lowder. That decision looks a lot better in hindsight, especially with Stewart now the leading candidate for the National League Rookie of the Year after launching more than 30 home runs and driving in over 110 runs batted in.
Robert Jr. still has the kind of upside that keeps teams interested, but the warning signs are impossible to ignore. Since 2023, he has been a below-league-average hitter with an 88 OPS+, posting 39 home runs, 114 RBI and 58 stolen bases in 271 games.
His .669 OPS over that stretch tells the story, and the injuries have piled up around him. Hip flexor issues have cost him significant time, and he has also dealt with hamstring, MCL, groin and lower herniated disk problems in his back.
The latest chapter came with the Baltimore Orioles, who claimed him in September. He played just three games there before a hamstring injury shut him down, and Baltimore declined his $20 million option, buying out his contract and sending him back into free agency.
If the Reds are thinking about Robert Jr., the shape of the deal matters. A long-term commitment would be hard to justify, while a shorter prove-it arrangement with incentives would at least make more sense.
Even then, the risk is obvious. If he can stay on the field, Great American Ball Park could give his bat a chance to wake back up.
Another Reds storyline also came into focus as first-round pick in 2020 Christian Hendrick elected free agency after spending the early part of his career in Cincinnati’s system. Hendrick’s path never really got rolling, and the pandemic played a major role in that.
He was drafted in the middle of COVID-19, after not playing a senior season of high school and being selected largely on the strength of his junior-year numbers. His first year of pro ball was then wiped out when minor league baseball was shut down in 2020.
There were signs of life in 2025, when he put together his best offensive season to date in his second Double-A year, hitting .246 with a .744 OPS and 14 home runs. But 2026 did not bring the same progress. Hendrick reached Triple-A for the first time, played only 58 games before being sent back to Double-A, and finished with a .180/.264/.302 line, seven home runs and a stint with the Louisville Bats.
That likely closes the book on his Reds run. The Pittsburgh native is now a free agent and can look for a new opportunity elsewhere, though a return to Cincinnati is still possible.
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