The Cincinnati Reds will send the Peoria Javelinas into the Arizona Fall League this year, and while the club has not yet announced which of its top prospects will head west, there are a few names who could make real use of the opportunity.
The AFL has long served as a place for young players to sharpen their case for the majors, and the Reds have seen that pay off before. Last year, Alfredo Duno, Cam Collier and Trevor Kuncl went out to Arizona. Duno, already trending up, came back with his stock even higher and is now the top prospect in the Reds’ system and one of the best prospects in baseball.
A few other Reds prospects could use a similar springboard this fall.
Carter Graham is one of the clearest candidates. Drafted in the eighth round in 2023, the corner infielder is Rule 5 eligible in December, which puts the Reds on the clock this offseason. He backed up his case with a .297/.421/.549 line and 24 home runs, production that would draw plenty of interest if he were exposed to the draft.
Kien Vu is another name worth watching. The 22-year-old, taken in the ninth round of the 2025 MLB Draft out of Arizona State, tore through High-A before hitting a rougher patch after moving up to Double-A. A stint in Arizona could give him a chance to make some needed adjustments before the offseason gets rolling.
Jacob Friend has already shown plenty of pop. The Reds picked him in the sixth round in 2024, and he punished Low-A Daytona pitching this season.
The jump to High-A has been tougher, but the power has held. He’s got 20 home runs on the year and a 135 wRC+ overall, and his ability to handle both corner outfield spots as well as catcher gives him a useful kind of versatility.
Carlos Sanchez is the most established of the group in terms of time in the system. He signed with the Reds as a teenager out of the Dominican Republic in 2022 and reached Double-A this season.
MLB Pipeline has him in the organization’s top 15, pointing to his walk rate and contact skills as reasons for optimism. He, too, is facing an important offseason decision, and the AFL could give the Reds a better read on whether he’s ready for the next step.
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Reds Suddenly Have A Bigger Concern Than Another Pitcher Nearing Return
Graham Ashcraft took another step toward rejoining the Reds on his rehab assignment, working a scoreless inning in a minor league game as he moves back from the injured list with a UCL strain. For a pitching staff that has had to patch together innings, any progress from Ashcraft matters, especially with the rotation still dealing with the usual wear and tear of a long season.
Brady Singer, though, introduced a more immediate concern when he felt a rib injury during his start and stayed in the game before getting further evaluation. The Reds can only do so much with arms returning if the lineup keeps sputtering, and Terry Francona has already been talking about the clubs approach at the plate as Cincinnati keeps looking for answers on both sides of the ball. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Bullpen Suddenly Has Two High Leverage Arms Back
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Emilio Pagn has handled the ninth, and Tejay Antone and Brock Burke have given the club more credible high-leverage options than it had earlier in the summer. Add Meys progress to Santillans return, and the Reds suddenly have a bullpen that looks less like a nightly scramble and more like a group with real roles taking shape, even if there is still room to see how all the pieces hold up over time. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Suddenly Have A Brady Singer Concern They Can't Ignore
Brady Singer gave the Reds a brief scare after he was hurt while sliding during the game and appeared to come away with a bruise on the right side of his rib cage. He stayed in long enough to keep pitching for a stretch, but Cincinnati eventually had to pull him after two more batters, which at least turned a routine in-game moment into something worth monitoring.
Terry Francona said Singer did not seem worried about the injury, and the plan was for him to be evaluated again the next day. For a Reds club trying to keep its rotation steady, any issue involving a starter who can keep working through contact is the kind of thing that gets checked and rechecked before everyone feels better about it. [Read more 🡒]