Cincinnati Reds Promote Former First Round Pick in Busy Day of Minor League Moves

A former first-round pick will make his Triple-A debut on Tuesday.

Apr 11, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; A view of an official Cincinnati Reds hat on the dugout steps during the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

The Cincinnati Reds have announced several roster transactions involving multiple prospects, with some promoted and others assigned to rehab assignments.

Austin Hendrick Will Make His Triple-A Debut

Austin Hendrick's career trajectory hasn't gone exactly the way he and the Reds had hoped it would go when he was selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft. With the COVID-19 pandemic, there was no minor league season that year, and he actually was forced to miss his senior season of high school baseball for the same reason. He made his professional debut in 2021 in Low-A with the Daytona Tortugas and slashed .211/.380/.388 with seven home runs and 16 doubles. He was promoted to High-A the next season and was promoted to Double-A in 2024. He remained in Chattanooga for the next two seasons and the start of 2026, most likely due to the amount of outfield depth the Reds added over the offseason. This season, he is having a career year and is being rewarded for it. 

In 37 games in Double-A, the 24-year-old is slashing .271/.331/.436 with 12 extra-base hits, and his strikeout rate is a career best 29 percent. He showed flashes of this in 2025, posting a wRC+ of 113, a career best. With Rece Hinds recently being designated for assignment, this opened the door for Hendrick to move up and receive significant playing time, and he is in the lineup on Tuesday for his Triple-A debut.

Julian Aguiar Assigned to Dayton on a Rehab Assignment

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Julian Aguiar (39) delivers a pitch in the fifth inning of a Cactus League game between the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, at Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, Ariz. | Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Aguiar was placed on the seven-day injured list on April 9 and is being sent on a rehab assignment to High-A Dayton, according to the Reds' transactions log. Aguiar has made three starts this season; he's 0-1 with a 9.28 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 10 2/3 innings pitched. He did not allow a run in his season debut over 3 2/3 innings with two walks and five strikeouts. His next two starts, he allowed four home runs, 11 earned runs, and walked six in seven innings, and was shut down. Aguiar reached the Reds’ active roster in 2024 but suffered a torn UCL and required Tommy John surgery.  In 22 minor league starts in 2024, he had a 3.79 ERA with 95 strikeouts and 29 walks. He made seven starts with the Reds and posted a 6.25 ERA with 19 strikeouts and 12 walks in 31 2/3 innings. He is currently the Reds' 18th-ranked prospect in the organization.

Around the Minors

Johnny Ascanio has been promoted from High-A to Double-A Chattanooga. The 22-year-old is batting just .194 with a .575 OPS in 62 games.

The Dayton Dragons have released first baseman Jack Moss. Moss has appeared in just 12 games this season and had six hits in 30 at-bats.

2025 fifth-round pick Eli Pitts made his professional debut with the ACL Reds. Pitts is the Reds' 29th-ranked prospect. 

"A right-handed hitter and thrower, Pitts’ carrying tool is the speed he wasn’t able to showcase much his senior year, getting 70 grades from some evaluators when he’s healthy." MLB Pipeline wrote about Pitts. "He’s shown off solid raw power at times and a decent feel for hitting that gives some hope he can tap into that pop consistently in the future.”

Pitcher Ty Floyd made his second rehab start with the ACL Reds on Monday. He struckout eight in four innings. He has not walked a batter in two starts across seven innings of work.