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Arroyo simply didn’t do enough to justify sticking around over someone like Juan Brito in a bench role with defensive standout Ke’Bryan Hayes back from the injured list. The 23-year-old top prospect has hit just .223 (33-for-148) with zero homers, five RBI and one steal in 50 games at the highest level this season.

The 23-year-old had started every other game during the week — either at third base or second base — but he’ll get a breather in this one with right-hander Dustin May on the bump for the Brewers. Matt McLain will start at second base and will bat ninth for the Reds.

Arroyo’s strikeout rate was 18.3 percent in Triple-A, but it’s up to 24.5 percent in the majors. Meanwhile, his walk rate has plunged from 8.5 percent to 3.3 percent. He’s also managed just four extra-base hits in 151 plate appearances, so he’s not making any sort of case for the Reds to commit to him for 2027.

He’s not in today’s lineup — Matt McLain is at second base — but he could get major at-bats down the stretch as the Reds see what they have in the 23-year-old. He starts off the fantasy radar after a .244/.286/.282 start with one stolen base and zero homers in 142 plate appearances.

The Reds pull the plug on Arroyo after a .244/.286/.282 start in 142 plate appearances in which he had one stolen base and zero homers. The 22-year-old will likely get more chances in the future, but his hitting line simply didn’t give him much room for error here despite the Reds being out of the playoff picture.

It’s challenging to read too much into a single lineup decision, but it qualifies as noteworthy that Arroyo is at the keystone during Elly De La Cruz’s first contest back from the injured list with Matt McLain on the bench. It’s also an extremely encouraging sign that Cincinnati chose to keep him around instead of shipping him back to the minors. It’ won’t be easy for Arroyo to carve out enough playing to make an impact in shallow fantasy leagues, but he’s clearly a significant part of Cincinnati’s future at second base.

Arroyo doubled for his first extra-base hit as a major leaguer last night, but he’s batting just .205/.273/.231 through 44 plate appearances. There might have been a path for him to stick around in the majors following Elly De La Cruz’s return, but it involved him hitting better than this.

Arroyo moves up to the leadoff spot with Noelvi Marte taking over in center field with Blake Dunn receiving an off day in this one. The 22-year-old top prospect has hit just .227 (5-for-22) with one RBI in 10 games since being called up from Triple-A Louisville earlier this month. His opportunity to carve out a permanent spot on Cincinnati’s roster, likely as their primary second base option, is fading quickly with Elly De La Cruz (hamstring) progressing towards a minor league rehab assignment.

Arroyo has gotten an opportunity at the keystone in four of seven contests since being called up from Triple-A Louisville last week. The 22-year-old top prospect is just 3-for-14 at the dish so far. He has a real chance to push Matt McLain for the everyday role at second base once Elly De La Cruz (hamstring) is back from the injured list later this month.

Arroyo has started just three of five games since being called up from Triple-A Louisville earlier this week, going 2-for-10 with one run scored during that span. The 22-year-old top prospect’s path to regular at-bats is partially obstructed by Cincinnati’s overflow of veteran infielders, but he should see enough time at second base to make an impact in deeper mixed leagues. Matt McLain is at shortstop with Spencer Steer getting into the lineup at second base on Saturday afternoon at Busch Stadium.

This was a bit of a concern for fantasy purposes when Arroyo was called up on Monday. The Reds simply have a glut of position players who need at-bats. Spencer Steer will start at second base on Wednesday with Sal Stewart at first base, Nathaniel Lowe at designated hitter, and Matt McLain at shortstop.

Arroyo singled to right field in his final at-bat of the contest after striking out his first three times up. The 22-year-old top prospect’s signature moment during his highly-anticipate debut came during the second inning when he made an extremely athletic play at second base, ranging to his left into shallow right field to make a sliding stop before firing accurately to get the runner at first base. He figures to take over as Cincinnati’s starting second baseman, with Matt McLain handling shortstop, for at least a few weeks while Elly De La Cruz (hamstring) is on the injured list. He’s at least worthy of a speculative roster spot in deeper mixed leagues given his combination of fantasy-relevant tools and path to regular at-bats.

There was an argument for giving the 22-year-old Arroyo a try before Elly De La Cruz got hurt, and now he will get a look with De La Cruz sidelined for at least 10 days. He will be making his major league debut after hitting .323/.383/.562 with 11 homers and nine steals in 53 games for Louisville. If he thrives, then he could stick around and play second base after De La Cruz returns (maybe Matt McLain will finally get that crash course in center). That makes him worth a speculative pickup in a great situation for hitters in Cincinnati.

Arroyo is now up to 10 home runs and 33 RBI on the season to go along with a .348/.408/.604 slash line and eight steals. He seems ready for his shot at the big leagues. The only issue is that Eugenio Suarez (oblique) is also at Triple-A on a rehab assignment, and Arroyo has stopped playing third base. That could cloud his possible chance at a spot on the big league roster.

Arroyo took Jose Urquidy deep in the first inning for his ninth home run of the season. It also gives him 30 RBI to go along with a .348 batting average and a 1.025 OPS. Oh, and those two steals also give him seven on the season. It may seem like Edwin Arroyo has been around a while because he was a major part of the Luis Castillo trade four years ago, but Arroyo is just 22 years old. His time in Cincinnati is coming very soon.

Arroyo gets forgotten about a bit in Cincinnati, but he was a top 50 prospect in baseball, according to Baseball America, when he was traded, along with Noelvi Marte and Levi Stoudt, as part of the Luis Castillo trade in 2022. Arroyo, who is only 22 years old, is slashing .322/.398/.524 this season in 35 games at Triple-A with five home runs, 23 RBI, and five steals. What’s potentially more interesting is that the shortstop has recently played two games at third base, a position he has never played in the minors before. This could be a bit of a sign that the Reds are looking to find another option besides Ke’Bryan Hayes.

Arroyo is 10-for-32 with four doubles and a triple so far, giving him a nice .853 OPS in a league in which has just a .617 OPS overall. The 22-year-old should be ready to move up to Triple-A next season after hitting .264/.345/.371 in Double-A in 2025. He’s not a particularly exciting fantasy prospect, since he lacks exceptional power or steal ability, but he might be the Reds’ shortstop in 2027 if the team wants to shift Elly De La Cruz elsewhere.

The trio will be protected from selection in next month’s Rule 5 Draft. Arroyo is the most prominent inclusion here as one of the better prospect in Cincinnati’s system. The 22-year-old hit .284/.345/.371 with three homers and 12 steals in 120 games last season for Double-A Chattanooga. Rodríguez is one of the more electric talents in the organization, and his long-term fantasy stock surged after he slashed .283/.336/.450 with 19 homers and 15 steals across 135 games between two levels, finishing the year at Triple-A. Balcazar also earns a spot on the 40-man roster after a strong showing recently in the Arizona Fall League.