The Dayton Dragons have done something they had never done in 26 years: win a playoff series.
Now the Cincinnati Reds’ High-A affiliate is headed to the Midwest League Championship series after beating the Great Lakes Loons 5-0 in Game 3 of the best-of-three set on Friday night. Dayton will open the next round against the Quad Cities River Bandits on Sunday in Game 1 of another best-of-three series.
Mason Morris set the tone on the mound for the Dragons, tossing four shutout innings while allowing three hits, four walks and striking out six. Jimmy Romano followed with two scoreless innings in relief, giving up no hits, one walk and one strikeout to pick up the win.
The offense got a big lift from catcher Ryan McCrystal, who finished 3-for-4 and capped the scoring with a solo homer in the bottom of the sixth to push the lead to 5-0. Damian Ruiz, the Reds’ ninth-round pick in this year’s draft, added a strong night of his own, going 1-for-3 with a double and three RBI. Tyson Lewis went 1-for-2 with a walk and a run scored, while Justin Lebron finished 0-for-4.
Dayton’s roster is loaded with young talent, and several names stand out. Lebron, the Reds’ first-round pick in this year’s draft and the organization’s third-ranked prospect, has started his pro career on a high note, slashing .292/.346/.594 with eight home runs, five doubles and 16 RBI in 23 games. Lewis, the Reds’ fifth-ranked prospect, has also settled in after moving up to High-A, hitting .274 with a .743 OPS and 18 extra-base hits.
The Dragons also feature other highly regarded prospects in Eric Becker, Mason Morris, Edgar Colon and Deivi Villafana. Becker is ranked seventh in the system and was taken in the second round in 2026 out of Virginia.
Morris, ranked 25th, was a third-round pick in 2025 out of Ole Miss. Colon and Villafana were both signed as international free agents in 2024.
While Dayton keeps rolling, the Reds’ Low-A affiliate, the Daytona Tortugas, saw its season end with a 12-2 loss as Jupiter completed a sweep in their best-of-three series. The Tortugas were outscored 19-3 over the two games, with the offense unable to get much going and the pitching staff struggling, walking seven batters between the two contests.
Arnaldo Lantigua was one of the few bright spots for Daytona, going 4-for-7 with a home run in the series. Steele Hall, the Reds’ second-ranked prospect, went 1-for-2 in Game 1 and did not play in Game 2. Hall had been one of the organization’s most productive bats across all levels in his first pro season, hitting .288/.387/.518 with 30 extra-base hits and 24 stolen bases in the Arizona Complex League before running into more trouble against Low-A pitching.
The Tortugas’ roster also included Aaron Watson, Jirvin Morillo, Mulivai Levu, Sheng-En Lin, Adolfo Sanchez, Arnaldo Lantigua, Ethan Norby, Luke Holman and Tyner Horn. Their trip to the playoffs came after a huge second half, one that erased a rough start. Daytona went 21-45 in the first half and sat in last place in the Florida State League, then surged to a 37-28 finish in the second half, the second-best mark in the league.
In Other News...
Reds Have A New Reason To Lock Up Sal Stewart Fast
Elly De La Cruzs future has become a reminder of how quickly the window can shift for a team that builds around young stars. Scott Boras said De La Cruz intends to reach free agency after the 2029 season and is not expected to sign a long-term extension with Cincinnati anytime soon, a stance that pushes the Reds toward a familiar front-office reality: if a cornerstone player is going to play out the clock, the next priority is making sure the next one does not.
Sal Stewart is suddenly the obvious candidate for that kind of commitment. After a strong rookie season, he has already given the Reds something more concrete to build around, and the club has watched other teams move early to lock up young talent before the price climbs higher. If Cincinnati wants to keep its roster from becoming a revolving door of short-term value and eventual departures, Stewart looks like the player worth acting on before the market forces the issue. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Already Have A 2027 Problem Fans Can See Coming
The Reds farm system took a notable hit in MLB Pipelines latest update, sliding from No. 12 to No. 23 as top names like Sal Stewart and Edwin Arroyo moved up to the majors. It is the kind of drop that comes with success at the big league level, but it also changes the shape of the organizations future depth chart in a hurry. Cincinnati still has plenty of position-player talent in the pipeline, with an especially crowded group of shortstops, so the system is not empty by any means.
The bigger issue is on the mound, where the Reds do not have the same cushion if they need to build out a rotation for 2027. Aaron Watson has some promise, but the young pitching group is still more projection than certainty, which is where the concern starts to sharpen for a club trying to stay ahead of its own timeline. If those arms do not come together quickly enough, the Reds may have to turn to veteran pitching in free agency to plug the gap. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Have A Crucial Extension Window Before Things Get Complicated
With the next labor fight looming in the 2026-27 offseason, the Reds have a window right now to do some business before everything around Major League Baseball gets more complicated. A lockout would freeze the market and make roster planning harder, which is why Cincinnati is being urged to get ahead of the curve with multi-year extensions for players who already look important to the clubs present and future.
The list of possible candidates is a useful one because it mixes established names with younger pieces the Reds would like to keep around. Elly De La Cruz is the obvious centerpiece, but Sal Stewart also fits the long-range picture, and Tyler Stephenson remains a key part of the roster when healthy. On the pitching side, Brady Singer and Brock Burke bring value, while Eugenio Surez adds another veteran option if the Reds decide the timing is right to try to lock someone in before the calendar turns and the bargaining landscape shifts. [Read more 🡒]