The Reds selected Rodriguez's contract from Double-A Chattanooga on Tuesday, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
Acquired in a rather inconspicuous trade with the Mets in 2022, Rodriguez has emerged as a legitimate major-league prospect thanks largely to his hitting ability. He advanced to the Triple-A level this past season, and while most of his numbers fell off compared to what he was doing at Double-A Chattanooga, he still hit seven homers and stole nine bags in 53 games with Louisville. Now protected from the Rule 5 Draft, Rodriguez will have a chance to debut late in 2026.
Rodriguez is slashing .283/.331/.447 with five home runs, six steals, a 6.1 percent walk rate and a 15.3 percent strikeout rate in 36 games for Triple-A Louisville.
Rodriguez was promoted to Louisville on July 18 after he slashed .298/.357/.481 with 12 home runs, six steals and a 13.9 percent strikeout rate in 82 games for Double-A Chattanooga. A bat-first player who will likely end up in left field or at designated hitter, Rodriguez will have a high offensive bar to clear, but he has premium bat speed and contact ability. He is a very aggressive hitter (58.8 percent swing rate at Triple-A) who is still working on getting the ball in the air a bit more (flyball rates below 30 percent at Double-A and Triple-A). Still, Rodriguez won't turn 22 until March, so he's ahead of schedule. He will be added to the 40-man roster this offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.
Rodriguez is hitting .299/.366/.429 for High-A Dayton, leading the team in hitting for average after turning 20 in March, Dave Clark of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Rodriguez came over to the Reds' organization at the 2022 trade deadline for Tyler Naquin and is more than holding his own despite being one of the younger players in the league. His power has dropped off some, albeit in a tough hitters' park, but he's displayed a great grasp of the strike zone, striking out only 10.1 percent so far this season.
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Reds' Hector Rodriguez: Promoted to High-A
Rotowire
Rodriguez was promoted to High-A Dayton on Wednesday.
Rodriguez was traded from the Mets to the Reds at last year's trade deadline as part of a package that sent Tyler Naquin and Phillip Diehl to New York. The 19-year-old lefty hitter slashed .293/.347/.510 with 16 home runs, 18 steals and an 18.9 percent strikeout rate at Single-A Daytona while seeing time in center field and left field.
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Reds' Hector Rodriguez: Showcasing power for Daytona
Rotowire
Rodriguez is slashing .302/.354/.565 with 14 home runs and 11 steals in 70 games for Single-A Daytona.
The 19-year-old center fielder has stood out on a Tortugas roster loaded with young, talented position players. Rodriguez has been 44 percent better than the average Florida State League hitter and won't turn 20 until spring training. He is listed at 5-foot-10, but Rodriguez's power could be his top tool down the road.
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