Reds Rookie Sal Stewart Locked Into Heated NL Rookie of the Year Battle

The Reds might have the rookie of the year on their roster this season.

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sal Stewart (27) smiles to a teammate in the dugout in the seventh inning of the MLB Interleague game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Athletics at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026 The Reds won the second game of the series, 3-2. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Cincinnati Reds have one of the best young players in the league on their roster right now with rookie sensation Sal Stewart. Stewart has consistently been one of the best young sluggers in baseball since he was called up to the big leagues late last season.

Stewart has been in the middle of the National League Rookie of the Year race all season. He has formed quite a dominant one-two punch with Reds superstar Elly De La Cruz. These two have led the Reds lineup throughout the year.

Brian Murphy of MLB.com recently listed Stewart and St. Louis Cardinals rookie JJ Wetherholt as tied for the top spot in the National League rookie rankings with just over a month to go in the season.

Sal Stewart Leads JJ Wetherholt in Most Offensive Categories

Aug 6, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sal Stewart takes his lead from second base against the Athletics in the fifth inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"Look at that -- 144 to 144. Wetherholt gets top billing because of his edge in first-place votes, but after placing second in this poll in each of the past two months, Stewart has knotted things up thanks to a strong July (seven home runs, .510 slugging percentage)," Murphy wrote. "He leads all NL rookies -- and is up among the MLB leaders -- in several offensive categories, including RBIs (85, tied for first) homers (24, tied for sixth), and extra-base hits (47, 12th)."

The race between Stewart and Wetherholt is going to be quite an intriguing one to watch this year. Stewart leads Wetherholt in practically every offensive statistic. He ranks first in home runs among National League rookies while Wetherholt is in second. Stewart ranks first in RBI by almost 30, while also leading the Cardinals rookie in hits, doubles, extra-base hits, and slugging percentage. On offense, the gap is wide between the two.

But Wetherholt makes up for it with his defense. He's one of the best defensive second basemen in the game right now, which boosts his WAR and puts him well above Stewart in that category.

Still, WAR isn't going to be the only determining factor for the NL Rookie of the Year award. This race is likely going to come down to the wire. If one of these two young stars can go on a hot run down the stretch, they could steal the award before our very eyes.

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