Reds reassign top prospect Burns, 6 others to Minors camp

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The Reds trimmed their roster for the first time this spring on Wednesday, reassigning seven players to Minor League camp. The list included MLB Pipeline Top 100 prospects Chase Burns (No. 26), Cam Collier (No. 90) and Edwin Arroyo (No. 91). The club is now down to 54 players in its Major League camp.

In addition to Collier and Arroyo, right-hander Jose Acuna, catcher Michael Trautwein, outfielder Hector Rodriguez and infielder/outfielder Ivan Johnson were all moved to Minor League camp.

Burns was reassigned after pitching a scoreless inning in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Rangers. He tallied three strikeouts and a walk on 18 pitches. Last season, the 22-year-old was drafted the No. 2 overall pick by the Reds after playing college ball at Wake Forest.

Collier played 119 games at High-A Dayton last season, slashing .248/.355/.443 with a .798 OPS, hitting 20 home runs and tallying 74 RBIs. The corner infielder jammed his finger on a tag play at first base earlier in the week and will see a medical expert on Thursday, Terry Francona said.

The Reds acquired Arroyo and prospects Noelvi Marte, Andrew Moore and Levi Stoudt from the Mariners at the 2022 Trade Deadline in exchange for Luis Castillo. Arroyo was sidelined for the 2024 season with a torn labrum but has already left an impression on Francona.

“Arroyo, he missed a lot of baseball too, but you put a glove on that kid, and it’s amazing how comfortable he looks, how athletic he gets and how easy it is for him,” Francona said. “He’s a switch-hitter and one of the first guys to always be at the ballpark. I think his future is really bright. I just reminded him, and I said, ‘Hey, enjoy being 21 years old and seeing how good you can get,’ because I think sometimes kids lose sight of the fact. They’re trying to get here so bad, they miss the fun of the journey, and they should enjoy it. They all want to get here, but they should enjoy playing and seeing how good they can get.”

Though he did not appear in a Minor League game during the regular season, Arroyo played 18 games in the Arizona Fall League, slashing .253/.309/.333 with a .642 OPS for the Glendale Desert Dogs. Arroyo shared the Fall League experience with Reds big leaguers Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Matt McLain, both of whom were also rehabbing injuries.

Acuna participated in the AFL last year, too. He appeared in four games, accumulating 13 IP and logging a 2.77 ERA and 1.000 WHIP. His impressive showing earned him a spot in the Arizona Fall Stars Game, along with Arroyo. Acuna reached Triple-A last season but struggled, posting a 9.95 ERA in only four games.

Rodriguez (No. 11 prospect) slashed .274/.309/.420 with a .729 OPS in 125 games at High-A Dayton last season. Johnson dazzled in Triple-A a season ago, slashing .289/.359/.537 with a .896 in 47 games, playing second base and corner outfield. Trautwein reached Triple-A, too, where he slashed .192/.270/.365 with a .635 OPS over 77 games.

The Reds have 54 players remaining in big league camp, but only 26 will make the club’s Opening Day roster. Francona says this early round of down-sizing wasn’t too difficult.

"It's the nature of what we do, and for the most part, these are easier because these kids, they were sent down or sent over to the other side [of camp]" Francona said. "They're not being cut. They need to go prepare for what we hope is a good, long season of baseball. The really hard ones are as you get closer to the end of camp. Those guys are competing and the longer they stay, the more they become a part of our culture and our team, and those get really hard. That's when it kind of hits home."

Francona does not have an estimate as to when any of the seven minor leaguers sent down on Wednesday will see a big-league promotion, but he's very optimistic about each player's future.

"I don't think I'd ever put a timetable on any player," Francona said. "Their ball-playing will dictate [it]. What you want them to do is not just open the door but knock the door down. I know there's some times [when there are] needs and things like that, but you would love it for the players to like I said, knock the door down and force your hand. That's a really good way."