Cincinnati Reds Calling Up Another Top Prospect

The Cincinnati Reds lost against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday, 4-3.

With the loss, the Reds fell to 50-44 and were swept by the division rivals. As a result, the Reds trail the Brewers by two games now in the National League Central.

After the game though, the Reds received some exciting news as they are calling up another one of their vaunted top prospects: Infielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand.

"CES" will join Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain, Andrew Abbott, Brandon Williamson, Spencer Steer and Will Benson as prospects already up with the big club.

Jon Heyman had the information on Twitter:

Reds slugging prospect Christian Encarnacion-Strand being called up tomorrow by Reds, whose roster is filled with talented rookies @ByRobertMurray on it

Reds slugging prospect Christian Encarnacion-Strand being called up tomorrow by Reds, whose roster is filled with talented rookies @ByRobertMurray on it
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 17, 2023

He's currently the No. 5 prospect in the organization but will move up once De La Cruz and Abbott exhaust their eligibility.

The 23-year-old was drafted in the fourth round of the 2021 draft by the Minnesota Twins. He was acquired by the Reds in the deal that sent Tyler Mahle to Minnesota.

For more on Strand, here's more from his MLB.com prospect profile:

The Reds knew they were getting someone with very impressive raw power who was already tapping into it, with Encarnacion-Strand finishing his 2022 breakout with 32 homers, a .587 slugging percentage and 114 RBIs to boot. What impressed them even more was a better feel to hit than many expected when he entered pro ball. Sure, he swings and misses some, with a K rate of 25.5 percent in 2022 and he can cut down on his chasing of soft stuff out of the zone, but there’s an advanced approach here. He uses all fields and can hit the ball out everywhere, showing a willingness to go the other way with two strikes.

The Reds will host the San Francisco Giants on Monday night. First pitch is 7:10 p.m. ET.

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