Cincinnati

Reds

Rodríguez is the notable name here for fantasy managers, especially in dynasty formats after slashing .283/.336/.450 with 19 homers and 15 steals across 135 games between two levels to finish last year at Triple-A. The 21-year-old will require some additional seasoning on the doorstep of the majors but he’s a power/speed combo talent worth watching throughout the season. Arroyo is one of Cincinnati’s top prospects entering the year after batting .284/.345/.371 with three homers and 12 steals in 120 games last season for Double-A Chattanooga.

The 27-year-old outfielder was able to walk off the field under his own power on Friday after suffering the injury and the Reds are hopeful that he was able to avoid any serious injury. He’ll be re-evaluated on Saturday.

Abbott gave up flies with projected distances of 454, 448 and 444 feet today, though only one turned into a homer. His spring ERA is sitting at 12.27 after three outings, but that still doesn’t seem like any reason for concern. He should, however, give up more homers this year and prove worse for fantasy purposes.

McLain singled in the opening inning and scored on Elly De La Cruz’s gargantuan two-run blast. He then clobbered a two-run shot of his own in the second inning — a 380-foot (104.2 mph EV) blast off of Cole Irvin that made it a 6-1 ballgame. He also singled in the fifth and scored on Nathaniel Lowe’s three-run shot. McLain is doing everything that he can to make fantasy managers buy back in after his disappointing 2025 season — slashing an insane .647/.700/1.412 with four homers and 11 RBI in his first six Cactus League contests.

The dynamic 24-year-old superstar did his damage in the opening inning of this one, following a Matt McLain single with a majestic 438-foot (114.5 mph EV) two-run blast off of Cole Irvin that gave the Reds a 2-1 advantage. He also singled in the fifth inning and rode home on Nathaniel Lowe’s three-run blast. De La Cruz is off to a blistering start this spring, hitting .444 (8-for-18) with a pair of homers and seven RBI — though he has yet to steal a base.

The 25-year-old right-hander struck out one batter on the afternoon. The Dodgers opened the top half of the first against him with a pair of singles, then used a ground ball and a sacrifice fly to move the runners around. Franco got three swings and misses on 49 pitches on the afternoon, registering an underwhelming CSW of only 18 percent. He’s expected to open the season in the rotation at Triple-A Louisville, but could be an option out of the bullpen at some point for the Reds.

It’s an extremely rare intra-divisional trade between longtime rivals. Callihan ascended to the big leagues early last season before suffering a gruesome fractured left forearm on a sliding collision with the left-field wall in just his fourth big-league game. He batted .303/.410/.528 with four homers and six steals in 24 games at the Triple-A level prior to his major-league debut. The 25-year-old’s defensive versatility gives him some appeal for the Pirates in a reserve role.

Nicolas fortifies Cincinnati’s middle relief depth in exchange for Callihan, a utility specialist coming off a major injury without a spot on the club’s big-league roster heading into the regular season. The hard-throwing 27-year-old righty is consistently in the upper-90’s with his fastball and has struck out 22 percent of the batters he’s faced in the big leagues since 2023. He posted a pedestrian 4.74 ERA — 4.14 xERA — 1.37 WHIP and 34/18 K/BB ratio across 38 innings over 31 appearances for the Pirates last year.

It won’t count towards his spring training stats but Stewart delivered another impressive showing, walloping a no-doubter to right field that gave Cincinnati a commanding nine-run advantage in the fourth inning. The 22-year-old slugging prospect ostensibly learned how to pull the ball more consistently to start tapping into his big-time power upside last year in the minors, finishing with 25 big flies in 136 games, including five in 18 big-league contests. He’s a strong contact hitter for a burgeoning slugger, which insulates against a total collapse at the highest level, and if the power spike sticks, he projects as a consistent 25-plus homer threat. He’s a strong late-round sleeper candidate in fantasy drafts this spring.

Lowder drew the starting assignment in this one and needed just 43 pitches (29 strikes) to navigate three frames, scattering two hits in the process. The soon-to-be 24-year-old missed all of last year due to an avalanche of injuries including a forearm strain and oblique issues that kept him on the shelf. He remains one of the better pitching prospects in Cincinnati’s system and should be ready to step into their rotation at some point in the regular season.