Forgotten Reds slugger desperately deserves another look before it’s too late
The Cincinnati Reds have no shortage of young talent. Their farm system might feel criminally underrated to fans who’ve followed the pipeline closely. The names are exciting, the tools are loud, and the future looks bright. Buried beneath the next wave of rising stars is a name that once flashed just as brightly, and still has thunder left in the bat if the Reds are willing to listen.
Rece Hinds is quietly having one of the most productive offensive seasons in the entire organization. And yet, the 25-year-old outfielder can’t seem to find a way back onto the major league roster. If the Reds don’t act soon, they risk repeating a pattern that’s already sunk other promising bats.
Let’s start with the production. Through early September, Hinds is slashing .303/.364/.578 with 23 home runs and 80 RBI for Triple-A Louisville. A home run total that outpaces every single Reds hitter at the major league level this season.
The Reds are running out of time to figure out what they have in Rece Hinds
One more time for the people in the back: Rece Hinds, stuck in the minors, has more homers than anyone on the Reds’ active roster. And it’s not like this power is anything new. Across six minor-league seasons, Hinds has mashed 84 homers and driven in 288 runs. So what’s the holdup?
There’s no denying the swing-and-miss is a concern. Hinds carries a career 27.7% strikeout rate this season, and his brief MLB stint (39 games between 2024 and 2025) has resulted in a .191 average and 37 strikeouts. But are the Reds holding him to a standard they aren’t applying elsewhere?
After all, this is the same team that has already soured on Will Benson, another tools-heavy outfielder with swing-and-miss issues. Benson, despite showing flashes of plate discipline and defensive versatility, has been jerked between Triple-A and the bench all year. And the Reds have already cut bait on Jake Fraley, a fan favorite with an OPS over .800 back in 2022.
If the front office has already moved on from two lefty-hitting outfielders with slug upside… shouldn’t that open the door for Hinds?
Hinds isn’t a 21-year-old blue-chipper anymore. At 25, he’s entering the part of his career where untapped potential starts to look more like forgotten promise. But he’s also more physically mature, more consistent, and more dialed in than ever before. The adjustments are showing up in the numbers.
The Reds have nothing to lose and more power to gain. In a league increasingly dominated by elite pitching and still reliant on the home run ball, there’s still a place for a guy like Rece Hinds, especially on a roster that currently ranks 21st in team slugging percentage.
They don’t need him to be perfect. They just need to find out if the lightning in his bat translates to the major leagues before they let another potential difference-maker slip through the cracks.
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