The Reds have run out of excuses to keep this player buried in the minor leagues

The Reds have run out of excuses to keep this player buried in the minor leagues

The Cincinnati Reds will soon have to make a pivotal decision concerning former second-round pick Rece Hinds. While Hinds’ big-league production has been volatile in a small sample size, he has dominated in the minors in 2025, leading many to believe that he deserves another chance in the majors.

Hinds has continued to hone his craft with Triple-A Louisville, but if you’re the Reds front office, what more do you need to see in order to get his bat into the lineup with regularity? Hinds is in the unfortunate position of being too good for Triple-A while playing for an organization that doesn’t have room for him at the big-league level right now.

Hinds has had an excellent season at Triple-A Louisville, hitting .306/ .364/.571 with 24 homers and 21 steals in 105 games. Notably, Hinds in 2025 has mitigated one of his weaknesses: he’s lowered his strikeout rate to just above 25.6% in 2025.

The Reds have run out of excuses to keep Rece Hinds buried in the minor leagues
When Hinds exploded onto the Major League scene in 2024 (before rapidly falling off and being sent back down to Triple-A), he looked like a pure power hitter. In his first 22 at-bats with the Reds, Hinds blasted five homers and drove in 11 RBI. The difference with Hinds in 2025 is that he’s now hitting for average and striking out far less. He’s becoming a more complete hitter and better overall baseball player, and this hasn’t been lost on Francona.

Francona told C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic (subscription required). “He’s hitting for average, he’s playing defense. We’ve talked about it a bunch. He’s going to be a guy who has to play, and the way we were situated, that wasn’t going to happen…When you put him in a bench role, he’s not suited to that. We kind of know that, and when you’re trying to contend, it’s hard to put somebody out there and let them sink or swim.”

Francona’s comments were altogether honest, logical, and appreciated (from a fan’s perspective). Indeed, the Reds are trying to contend, and the pressure is rising with 11 games remaining. It’s about to be a crucial two weeks of baseball for Cincinnati, and for Hinds, it could be the last time he has to watch the Reds compete in high-stakes games without being able to contribute.

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