The Cincinnati Reds don’t have a game today, but Thursday still brought a little big-league buzz around one of the organization’s faster-rising names.
Outfielder Carlos Jorge started reposting congratulatory messages on Instagram from friends, teammates and other Reds employees Thursday morning, all of them celebrating what appeared to be a call-up to the majors. Later in the day, Mike Rodriguez, formerly one of the Spanish language broadcasters with the Chicago Cubs, reported that “according to my sources” Jorge had indeed been called up. The move, however, was still unofficial as of now.
Jorge’s value has been built first and foremost on his glove and his legs. He began his career as an infielder before shifting from second base to center field in the middle of the 2023 season.
The transition was bumpy at first, as you’d expect, but when he came back in 2024 he looked excellent in center and has since developed into an above-average to plus defender there. His speed plays all over the field, and while he’s seen time in the corners, center has been his home.
At the plate, Jorge’s track record has been a little more complicated. He flashed early as one of the better hitters in both the Dominican Summer League and the Arizona Complex League during his first two pro seasons.
He stayed on that track for much of his third year, ranking near the top of the Florida State League leaderboard with Daytona for the first four months. But after a late-season move to High-A Dayton, he hit a wall in the final month, something he had not run into before.
The bat took another step back when he returned to Dayton in 2024, and in 2025 the picture changed some. He made more contact, which helped his batting average, and he walked more often. The tradeoff was that his power backed up.
This year began in Double-A Chattanooga, where he hit .330/.402/.452 in the first half and swiped 23 bases in 59 games. A promotion to Triple-A came next, and the first two weeks were rough: in his first 12 games, he hit just .167/.231/.271.
But he settled in after that. In a doubleheader in games 13 and 14 with the Bats, he went 3-for-7 with two doubles.
Then an injury sidelined him for more than three weeks in August, and since returning he has played only 17 games. Even so, he’s hit .333/.389/.455 in that stretch with five extra-base hits, five walks, six steals and just nine strikeouts.
Speed is Jorge’s calling card. He uses it to cover ground in the outfield and to create havoc on the bases. He is arguably the fastest player in the organization, and the stolen-base numbers back that up: 33 this year in 88 games, 40 in 2025, and 187 for his career with only 34 times caught in 491 games.
The power is more modest. Pitchers can’t simply groove fastballs to him, because he does have enough pop to leave the yard. Still, he’s more of a gap hitter than a true home run threat, and when he finds room in the alleys, he can turn singles into extra bases in a hurry.
If Jorge is going to be added, the Reds will need to make room on both the 40-man roster and the 26-man roster. That could mean an injured player we haven’t heard about yet, or it could mean a DFA to clear the necessary space. For now, the move remains unannounced, but the signs around Jorge point to something happening soon.
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Reds Outfield Suddenly Has A Roster Crunch Fans Wont Ignore
Carlos Jorge is on his way to the majors after a season that has forced the Reds to take a longer look at a player whose bat has come a long way across Double-A and Triple-A. For a club always trying to balance development with the need to win now, his promotion adds another layer to an outfield picture that was already worth watching.
The roster move creates an immediate question about where everyone fits, and TJ Friedl is now part of that conversation as Cincinnati clears space for Jorge. Friedl has been a familiar piece for the Reds, which is why the possibility of a designation for assignment stands out so sharply, and it leaves the organization facing a decision that could reshape the outfield in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]