The Cincinnati Reds are set to miss out on one of the more interesting local names in their 2026 draft class.
Moeller High School product Matt Ponatoski, who is also committed to Kentucky for football and baseball, is expected to enroll at Kentucky instead of jumping straight into pro ball, according to Drew Franklin of KSR. Cincinnati took Ponatoski in the 18th round with the No. 542 overall pick, even though MLB Pipeline had him ranked No. 208 on its draft board. The Reds had a path to try to pull him away from college with an above-slot bonus, but that no longer appears to be in play.
The organization had pegged Ponatoski’s future mainly on the mound. Reds director of amateur scouting Joe Katuska said the club believed narrowing his focus to pitching would give the two-sport standout the best shot at reaching his ceiling.
"We think that his projection moving forward is as a pitcher," Katuska said. "In his situation, because it has been limited innings in the past, it has been football, it has been hitting, there has been so many things on his plate.
We think the best path for him is picking one lane and sticking with that. From our perspective, it would be to sign him and develop him as a pitcher primarily."
The expectation has now become official, with the news confirmed Wednesday afternoon.
While Ponatoski’s decision closes one door for the Reds, another prospect is making noise in the system. Carter Graham picked up both Midwest League Player of the Month and Reds Minor League Player of the Month honors after a huge June at High-A Dayton.
Graham hit .354 in the month with 11 home runs, 27 RBI, a .829 slugging percentage and a 1.319 OPS. He also went deep once in his only game with Double-A Chattanooga during June.
Those 11 homers were the second-most in a single month in Dayton Dragons history, behind only Austin Kearns’ 14 in July 2000. Graham also became the first Dayton player to win Midwest League Player of the Month since Blake Dunn in April 2023.
The Reds selected Graham in the eighth round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Stanford, and he has spent time all over the field this season, including first base, third base and left field. Over his last 78 games, he has hit .330/.452/.616, a stretch that keeps him firmly on the radar as the season rolls on.
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It is the kind of arrangement that invites a closer look, especially with Greene still being managed carefully after skipping the All-Star Game because of a tight hamstring and working under an innings limit. The Reds want at least two wins in Colorado to get the break off on the right foot, and with Ke'Bryan Hayes back in the lineup and talking up his offensive progress, the first series out of the gate already feels like an early test of how much stability this roster really has. [Read more 🡒]
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