Sal Stewart is on Pace to Make Cincinnati Reds History in his Rookie Year

The Reds are watching their rookie sensation, Sal Stewart, dominate early in the year.

Apr 15, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds third baseman Sal Stewart walks off the field after his team’s win against the San Francisco Giants at Great American Ball Park. Players and coaches will wear No. 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day around the league. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

The Cincinnati Reds are off to one of their best starts to a season in modern history. They're 16-8 after 24 games and currently ride a five-game winning streak going into Wednesday's contest against the Tampa Bay Rays.

While this has been a big surprise, the biggest surprise of the season for the Reds has been how quickly rookie infielder Sal Stewart has turned into a superstar at the big-league level. He's been one of the best players in the league through the first month of the season, and he hasn't shown any signs of slowing down.

Sal Stewart is Off to a Very Hot Start

Apr 18, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Cincinnati Reds second baseman Sal Stewart (27) loses his helmet as he runs to third base against the Minnesota Twins in the second inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images | Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Through 24 games, Stewart is slashing .299/.394/.632 with eight home runs, six stolen bases, five doubles, and 24 RBI. He ranks near the top of the league in each category. He also ranks near the top of the league in barrel rate, wOBA, walk rate, launch angle sweet spot percentage, hard hit percentage, and average exit velocity.

This is a fancy way of saying he's hitting the ball very hard, while walking a lot. That's a recipe for a lot of production and a very high OPS.

Stewart is also above average in zone swing percentage and out-of-zone swing percentage. He's swinging at the good pitches to hit while laying off the bad pitches to hit. This is why he has a 17 percent strikeout rate, which ranks in the 64th percentile in the league.

As a result, he's on pace to make Reds history.

Sal Stewart is on Pace to Make Reds History

Apr 20, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sal Stewart (27) slides into third base in the seventh inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

Stewart is on pace to hit 54 home runs in a complete 162-game season. He's on pace to steal 40 bases in a full 162 games, too. Remember, Stewart is 6-for-6 on stolen base attempts this year.

While it would be very shocking if he posted these numbers across the entire year, it wouldn't be surprising to see him steal 20 bases and hit 30 home runs. The Reds have never had a rookie join the 20/20 club (20 home runs and 20 stolen bases). This feat has only been accomplished 17 times in baseball history. Of those 17 times, eight of them won the Rookie of the Year award. The most recent players to do it were Nolan Jones, Corbin Carroll, and Anthony Volpe in 2023.

The Reds have a star on their hands with Stewart. He could make team history in more than one way this season.

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