The Arizona Fall League has become a useful next step for Reds prospects who need a little more runway once the regular season ends, and Cincinnati has a handful of candidates who could fit that mold this year.
Last season, the Reds sent Alfredo Duno, Cam Collier and Trevor Kuncl to Arizona. Duno arrived after winning the 2025 Florida State League MVP award, and the organization used the AFL to keep building on what was already a strong year for its top catching prospect. He made the most of the assignment and picked up a couple more awards along the way.
The Fall League can also be a lifeline for players who lost valuable time to injury. Collier is a good example.
He was hurt in Spring Training in March 2025 and didn’t appear in affiliate ball until June. He still managed to get 22 games in the AFL, where he hit .221/ .368 with an OPS of .693.
This year, Carter Graham looks like one of the clearest Reds fits for Arizona. The eighth-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft has broken out in a big way, putting up 28 home runs and 90 RBIs between High-A Dayton and Double-A Chattanooga.
He’s also slashing .297/ .417 with an OPS of .979. If the Reds want him ready for a Triple-A assignment in 2027, the Fall League would be a logical place to keep the momentum rolling.
Moon is a different kind of case. He’s in his second full season in Low-A Daytona and had the kind of start that suggested a promotion might be coming.
In April, he hit .274 with 4 home runs and 22 RBIs. Since then, things have leveled off, and he’s now back at the Complex in Goodyear, Arizona.
A strong showing in the AFL could put him in position for a High-A Dayton assignment in 2027.
Kien Vu has climbed quickly through the system. The 2025 ninth-round pick out of Arizona State began in Low-A in 2025, moved to High-A this year, and then reached Double-A in June. The adjustment has been tougher at that level, so Arizona could give him a chance to work through some needed improvements before next season.
Spiers is another name to watch. He was activated from the 60-Day IL at the end of August after missing nearly all of last season with a shoulder injury and then undergoing Tommy John surgery.
The 28-year-old made his major league debut for the Reds in 2024 and is currently on a minor league deal. A trip to Arizona could help him keep pushing his comeback toward the majors.
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Instead, the move has become another reminder of how tricky that corner of the diamond has been for Cincinnati. The veteran has struggled at the plate and dealt with health issues, and the club recently sent him to Arizona for swing work in an effort to get him back on track. It also fits an unfortunate pattern for the Reds, who have had more than one veteran third base addition fail to deliver, leaving them to keep searching for answers in a spot that has long been tied to their postseason frustrations. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Face A Tough Eugenio Surez Call After His Late Surge
Eugenio Surez has given the Reds plenty to think about as the winter picture starts to come into focus. His recent offensive numbers have been down, with a low batting average and slugging percentage in the more recent stretches, but he did show some improvement in the second half of the 2026 season and still has a track record of coming through in big spots.
The contract wrinkle is what makes the conversation more interesting for Cincinnati. The club holds a mutual option for 2027 that it can turn down without paying a buyout, and while there is some belief the Reds could try to bring him back at a lower price because the free-agent market looks thin, Surez has also kept showing the kind of clutch bat and clubhouse presence that make a clean break harder to justify. [Read more 🡒]