Top Prospect Edwin Arroyo Promoted by the Cincinnati Reds

The picture on the top is from spring training 2025, while the bottom picture is from this year. You can see that Arroyo is starting his hands higher this season, his bat angle is closer to his swing plane, more weight is on his back leg, and his lead leg is less bent.

The 2026 stance allows for more weight distribution into his swing, and the bat path allows for less barrel movement during the swinging motion. I’m not a swing expert or hitting coach, but this is what I have noticed.

I believe this change has helped Arroyo pull the ball in the air more (25.1% pull-air rate) and helped him add power to his game. A hitter-friendly ballpark in Cincinnati can help him sneak a few balls into the first few rows and help his home run output.

Although pulling the ball will help, Arroyo can drive the gaps as well. We have seen him hit home runs to deeper parts of the ballpark along with roping doubles where his plus speed helps him on the basepaths. The Reds could use a few more stolen bases, and Arroyo can help in that department as well.

A switch-hitter usually has a side of the plate they are less comfortable with. Usually it is as a righty batter simply because of the fewer reps you see as a young player not facing lefties as often. While Arroyo’s .688 OPS off lefties and 1.086 OPS off righties implies a weakness, it should be noted he was exactly a .715 OPS off both righties and lefties last season.

Defense is where Arroyo really made a name for himself as a younger prospect. Many considered him to be an elite defender at short, and while I struggle to call him elite, I do think he is a quality, above-average defender at the very least.

In Louisville, he played 33 games at short, 18 at second, and more recently sprinkled in four games at third. I wouldn’t be surprised if manager Terry Francona leans on a more experienced Matt McLain, initially, to take short with Arroyo at second.

An Audition for A Larger Role

If all goes well, Elly De La Cruz will be back in about two weeks. We really cannot say with a hamstring injury, as how he progresses will only be known with time. However, even when De La Cruz returns, Arroyo very well could stick around and help this team.

Let’s look at the De La Cruz injury as an audition for Arroyo. Clearly he has shown an ability to hit Triple-A pitching and knows the test gets harder. If Arroyo can hold his own and show Francona he belongs, there’s an easy path for Arroyo to stick: taking over second base.

Matt McLain has been the starting second baseman almost everyday since returning from injury ahead of the 2025 season. In that time, he has logged 799 plate appearances while slashing .213/.298/.337 good for a 76 wRC+. You could argue that is not even good enough for a bench player.

I was glad the Reds gave McLain an opportunity to show his value this season, but by now we all know the turnaround is not going to happen if nothing changes. Maybe he needs time in Triple-A or the Reds have to commit to making him more of a utility piece/short-side platoon.

If Arroyo looks the part, what’s stopping them from making him the everyday second baseman? Surely, they cannot gaslight themselves into thinking McLain will suddenly turn it around. Doing this swap would allow Cincinnati to get Arroyo through what could be a learning curve and having a better understanding of what they have in the player for the 2026 season.

If Arroyo’s small sample size of struggling against lefties continue, then the Reds can use him as a platoon with McLain (when Elly is healthy). He then can be a late-game defensive replacement at third, a pinch-hitter, or a speedy option to utilize on the basepaths when the game is close and late.

The avenues for Arroyo to carve out a bigger role are there. Now, the opportunity is there, too. The only thing left to do is prove to the Reds and Terry Francona that he can be better than Matt McLain, which has been a low bar to clear.