Sal Stewart keeps stacking up the kind of numbers that force people to pay attention, and the Cincinnati Reds rookie is starting to look like the front-runner in the NL Rookie of the Year race.
Before Friday’s games on Aug. 7, Stewart was tied for 12th in the majors in home runs and sat second in the league with 87 RBI. He has also climbed to the top of the Reds’ leaderboards in most major statistical categories, and he’s on a path that would put him in some rare company: he’s trying to become just the fourth Major League rookie since 1920 to lead his team in home runs, RBI, walks and hits.
“I’m just doing my job,” Stewart said.
That job has made him one of the most watched players on the Reds’ roster. His at-bats have become must-see moments, the kind that can change the feel of a game in a hurry.
On Thursday, Aug. 6, in the top of the fourth inning, Terry Francona saw a chance to give his pitcher a little breathing room after a long half-inning. Stewart was leading off, and the manager had a specific idea in mind.
“Sal was leading off,” Reds manager Terry Francona said. “It was after a long inning.
He asked if he should take one because a lot of times after a long inning you don’t want to have a quick inning. I said I want you to hit one into the right-field stands.”
Stewart homered to left field.
Francona joked, “He never listens.”
The production has been impossible to ignore, especially for a rookie who was in Triple-A at this point last year. Back then, Stewart was still getting comfortable at first base, sharpening his approach at the plate and hoping he could help the Reds late in the 2025 season. Instead, he has become a central reason the season is still alive.
At this stage, the Reds would not have much hope left without what Stewart has given them.
“Sal is showing a lot of glimpses of greatness,” reliever Pierce Johnson said. “He’s young.
He’s talented. He’s thirsty for knowledge.
He wants to get better every day. He wants to play every day.
It’s really, really cool for a young guy to have those aspirations.”
Stewart is also tracking toward a Reds rookie record with 123 RBI, which would break the mark of 100 set by Jim Greengrass in 1953. That total would also be the most RBI by any Reds player since Dave Parker had 125 in 1985.
Francona said Stewart has a knack for coming through when the moment gets bigger.
“He certainly looks forward to those situations, and he certainly thrives in them,” Francona said.
His value goes beyond the bat, too. Stewart’s ability to move around the field has mattered for Cincinnati.
He had barely played first base a year ago, and now he’s the only first baseman on the big league roster. When Ke’Bryan Hayes landed on the injured list during the summer, Stewart handled third base well.
He also opened the season as the Reds’ backup second baseman.
The versatility has fit neatly with the confidence he carries every time he steps in.
“With the confidence he has in himself and the confidence we have knowing he’s going to give a good at-bat every time, that stuff matters,” Abbott said. “You have that confidence in him.
We know he has the confidence in himself. There’s no doubt.
He’ll fight the best he can. And if you beat him, he’ll get you the next time.”
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