Three Cincinnati Reds Prospects Fans Need to Know Before the 2026 Season

The Reds have a few players on their top-30 prospect rankings that could make the big league club at some point this season. Today, I want to focus on a couple of players that are currently outside of the top-30 that I believe can make a jump onto the rankings this season: Hansel Jimenez, Pablo Nunez, and Stharlin Torres.

Stharlin Torres

Torres had a great season pitching in the Arizona Complex League in 2025. The 19-year-old pitched in 10 games, starting six of them. In his first game, he pitched in relief, tossing three shutout innings with a hit, a walk, and four strikeouts. He made his first start three appearances later. He pitched four shutout innings again with two hits, two strikeouts, and a walk. He finished May with a 1.89 ERA, .179 batting average against him, 22 strikeouts, and four walks. He finished the season 0-1 with a 1.88 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 44 strikeouts, seven walks, and a .193 batting average against him.

Torres has a five-pitch mix with a fastball that can reach 95-97 MPH, a sinker that creates weak contact, a slow curveball, a slider, and a changeup that he has shown the ability to manipulate movement with. He is projected to start the season in Single-A, but with his ability, he may force his way up to High-A at some point in the season. He projects currently as a mid-rotation Major Leaguer with upside.

Hansel Jimenez

Jimenez is a shortstop that I have had my eye on since he signed with the Australian Baseball League to play winter ball this offseason. He has great range at the position with an excellent glove and a good arm. He hit .269 with five home runs in 2025 in the Dominican Summer League. He played the majority of games at shortstop, but also plays third base. In 37 games with the Sydney Blue Sox, he slashed .229/.345/.364 with eight extra-base hits.

The ABL is similar talent to Double-A, so he may have been a bit overmatched at times. He is projected to start the season in the Arizona Complex League. A good performance there may see a move to Single-A, but there is a plethora of infield talent ahead of him at that level, including 2025 first-round pick Steele Hall. Jimenez turned 19 years old in December.

Pablo Nunez

Nunez signed with the Reds in 2024, alongside Adolfo Sanchez in the international signing period. Nunez struggled in his first season, having a .714 OPS and a .257 average. He showed promise defensively and with his plate discipline. He played another year in the DSL in 2025, and he flourished. He set the record for the highest on-base percentage in DSL history. He slashed .327/.542/.413 and hit his first professional home run. He walked 41 times and struck out just six times.

He signed to play in Australia and made a name for himself there. He quickly became one of the better players on the team, leading the four-team league in hits for an extended period of time. In the ABL, he slashed .331/.446/.374 with five extra-base hits. He showed off his plus arm in the outfield, throwing out multiple runners at home and making good decisions on defense. Nunez turned 19 years old in October and is projected to start the year in the ACL, but could quickly move up if he continues to have success.