When the Reds talk about climbing from last place in 2026 to the playoffs in 2027, Sal Stewart is a big part of why that sounds more believable than bold.
Stewart just locked up Rookie of the Year honors after a season that looked like a full-blown arrival: 32 home runs, 112 RBIs and an All-Star nod to go with it. That made him the ninth Reds player to win the award, and the fifth to do it in an All-Star season, alongside names like Johnny Bench in 1968 and Frank Robinson in 1956.
He beat out finalists JJ Wetherholt of the St. Louis Cardinals and Carson Benge of the New York Mets for the Nov. 9 announcement.
For Cincinnati, the award does more than decorate a trophy case. It adds another loud piece of evidence that the young core is real.
That matters in a winter when people are already asking whether the Reds would ever consider moving Elly De La Cruz with three years of club control left, or ripping up the group that came up in 2023 and starting over again. After what Stewart just showed, that kind of teardown gets a lot harder to sell.
The Reds have already seen enough from the next wave to keep believing. Stewart and starter Chase Burns, both 2026 All-Stars, gave the organization a high-end look at what’s coming next. Burns won 15 games with a 2.65 ERA for a team that finished with 75 wins.
Reds CEO Phil Castellini pointed to that group when he defended the club’s push to stay competitive.
“Specifically, I think you’ve got some really standout performers in the year,” Castellini said in the immediate aftermath of the bitter 2026 season. “You’ve got Sal, who’s got a pretty good shot at Rookie of the year.
Elly’s had a fantastic year, a 30-30 year. Burns.
… There’s a lot of things to highlight. There’s a great core here.”
Stewart’s rise also gave Manny Machado a chance to look sharp. The Padres star had predicted during spring training that Stewart would win the award, and the reasoning was simple.
“Just knowing how he studies his game, that he got a little taste of what it takes from last year. Now he knows what to expect up there," Machado said, explaining the rationale for his prediction.
The Miami-raised first baseman, who was taken 32nd overall in the 2022 draft, had already flashed in 2025. He led the Reds with five homers in September during his debut, which ended with a 2-for-4 playoff performance.
He carried that momentum straight into this season, winning National League Player of the Week in the opening week and then stacking up more hardware with Rookie of the Month honors in April and August. In between, he earned a players-ballot All-Star selection.
His April was the kind of stretch that can carry a lineup. It accounted for most of Cincinnati’s offense during a fast start that put the Reds in first place before May brought the slide.
And through the adjustments, the bumps and the wear and tear, Stewart kept showing up. He was one of only seven players in the majors to appear in all 162 games, and the only rookie on that list, which also included Pete Crow-Armstrong, Bryce Harper and Junior Caminero.
When he was asked after the final game of the season about what he’d accomplished, Stewart didn’t dwell on the home runs or RBIs. He went straight to the grind.
“I played every game. People outside the game kind of take that for granted,” he said.
“But sick, tired, hurt, sore, rough patch, no matter what, I stayed in there grinding. And that’s the most important thing.
“That’s also thanks to Tito as well,” he said, referring to manager Terry Francona, “because (a manager can) maybe give a break or this and that, but he rode with me the whole way. Playing 162’s a huge, huge, huge thing. And I’m proud of that.”
In Other News...
Jonathan Stewart Just Delivered A Reds Rookie Season Fans Wont Forget
Jonathan Stewarts first full season in Cincinnati ended with the kind of recognition that usually follows a breakout year, not just a promising one. The Baseball Writers Association of America named him National League Rookie of the Year after a campaign in which he played all 162 games, hit .263 and powered the Reds lineup with 32 home runs and 112 RBIs.
For a club that spent the season leaning on his bat, Stewarts production stood out not only across the league but in franchise history, where he reset the rookie standard for power and run production. He led NL rookies in several offensive categories and gave the Reds a middle-of-the-order presence they could count on every day, even as the bigger question now is what comes next after a season like this. [Read more 🡒]
Reds May Need An Unusual Offseason Move To Fix Their Pitching
The Reds are heading into an offseason where the pitching staff could look different, and that kind of uncertainty tends to push a front office toward less familiar avenues. One possibility that has surfaced is Japan, where Cincinnati could consider adding a starter with a track record of durability and enough versatility to help stabilize a rotation that may need reinforcements.
The fit is not straightforward, though. Cincinnati does not have the kind of long-standing ties to Nippon Professional Baseball that make these moves feel routine, so any pursuit would require real conviction and a willingness to step outside the usual market. For a club trying to protect itself against possible departures on the mound, the appeal is obvious, even if the path to getting there is still unclear. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Fans Have Every Reason To Push Back On This Award Race
Sal Stewart gave the Reds plenty to feel good about in his rookie season, and the bat alone made him one of the most productive first-year players in the National League. He finished third in the league in RBIs and added 32 home runs, the kind of power output that can carry a lineup and shape an award race all by itself.
Still, Rookie of the Year is rarely decided on offense alone, and this one has a few layers for anyone looking beyond the counting stats. The finalists include Stewart, Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt and Mets right fielder Carson Benge, and the broader numbers paint a different picture, with Wetherholt and Benge bringing more complete value across the board. For Reds fans, the case for Stewart is obvious, but so is the argument that the race may be tighter than his home run total suggests. [Read more 🡒]