Reds Prospect Alfredo Duno Makes Bold Statement About His MLB Future

Duno played in The Futures Game over the weekend.

Jul 12, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; National League catcher Alfredo Duno (16) reacts after flying out against American League in the second inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Alfredo Duno may only be 20 years old, but he's already the Reds' top prospect and has sky-high expectations from the fanbase.

Duno was recently promoted to Double-A Chattanooga and he's continued to hit at a high level there. In nine games, the slugger is slashing .324/.425/.647 with five extra-base hits.

Over the weekend, Duno played in The Futures Game for the second consecutive season. When talking to the media, Duno made a bold claim about his future.

“I’m going to keep working on my defense. Everyone knows I can hit in the major leagues, the question is whether I can field,” he told ElExtraBase on X.

You love to see a kid with that kind of confidence. Duno is spot on. His bat has never been a question, but his skills behind the plate need to continue to improve. In 55 games at catcher in High-A Dayton, Duno made eight errors this season. He's yet to make an error in his seven games at catcher in Double-A.

“We all know that he needs to get better at framing,” Dragons manager Julio Morillo told Charlie Goldsmith last month. “He puts a lot of pressure on that. Right now, we’re focused on ‘let’s keep a strike a strike.’ That’s helped him out a lot lately. He knows he needs to get better at that. He’s putting a lot of pressure on that. Right now, he’s improved from what we saw in the beginning of the season.”

Duno said Morillo helped his defense improve in a big way.

“Julio is helping me a lot with the framing, blocking and going side-to-side,” Duno said. “We’re still working on it. The numbers are getting better. We’re working. “My numbers (defensively) are getting better. For me, the framing is the big thing I need to work on.”

Duno started behind the plate on Sunday and caught the first four innings. He went 0-2 at the plate. Duno was the only Reds player in the game.

While he's still raw, his potential is off the charts.

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