The Cincinnati Reds in 2025 reached the MLB postseason in a full, 162-game campaign for the first time since 2013, and General Manager Brad Meador called that a step in the right direction.
There’s no guarantee the next is forward, though. The Reds can’t assume their growth will be linear, and they aren’t based on Oct. 6 comments from Meador and President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall during an end-of-year media session.
That philosophy stretches into each corner of the team including the case of Sal Stewart, the September call-up who excited for parts of five weeks in the big leagues but still has plenty to prove to the organization. There’s no question Stewart, 21, impressed at every level in 2025 but his place on the big-league roster won’t be guaranteed at the outset of 2026 based on five noticeable weeks at the MLB level.
“He (Stewart) spent a month in the big leagues. I think he spent a month and change in Triple-A,” Krall said. “There’s a lot of development there. It’s continuing to take good at-bats. Continuing to be a big-league player offensively. It’s learning how to play defense at different positions. He’s been a third baseman. He’s played some second (base). Moved him to first base and that was something that he played very sparingly in August and September. So, it’s learning how to grow his whole game.
“He’s a 21-year-old kid that kind of rocketed through the system and dominated in Double-A, Triple-A and got this call-up but he’s gonna have to come in and earn a spot next year just like everybody else. He needs to continue to work on both his offense and his defense.”
Sal Stewart 2025 season recap
In 2025, Stewart steamed through the Cincinnati farm system after impressing in spring training. He started the year in Double-A Chattanooga, where he hit .305 and had an .850 OPS in 80 games. Stewart found himself quickly at the Tripe-A level after being promoted following participating in the MLB’s Futures Game. With the Louisville Bats, Stewart hit .315 with a 1.023 OPS in 38 games.
When the call to join the organization’s big-league team came in September, Stewart his .255 in limited action but slugged .545. He cracked five home runs in 18 games, and then showed up on the biggest games late in the year.
Stewart drove in six runs in the final three games of 2025 − two in the penultimate game of the regular season Sept. 27 at Milwaukee, and then four over two games against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Wild Card round.
Stewart started at first base in the Reds’ Oct. 1 elimination game at Dodger Stadium. He drove in three runs that night, and his four RBI over the series were as many as all-world talent Shohei Ohtani managed for Los Angeles.
Where does Sal Stewart fit in with 2026 Reds roster?
Where do you play Stewart, though? Most of his professional experience has been at third base and he showed versatility at second and first base late in the summer through the postseason, but there’s a logjam on the infield.
Spencer Steer’s defense at first base will warrant Gold Glove consideration, second baseman Matt McLain will be highly motivated after a disappointing 2025, and Ke’Bryan Hayes is already a Gold Glover at third base.
Shortstop Elly De La Cruz led MLB in errors (26). Changing his position could theoretically ripple through the cluster of Reds infielders to Stewart’s benefit, but Krall said the Reds don’t have plans to move De La Cruz off shortstop at the moment.
There could be more flexibility at shortstop in 2026, though, as Krall said there had already been discussions about De La Cruz tiring toward the end of the season after playing in all 162 games, as well as how often the two-time All-Star plays.
Gavin Lux logged time at infield positions in 2025, and other players will be competing for spots on the infield, too. Christian Encarnacion-Strand, an option at third and first who was once considered a hot prospect in the Reds’ system, will be in that conversation after last playing an MLB game July 8.
“His biggest thing is controlling the strike zone,” Meador said of Encarnacion-Strand, who hit .208 in just 36 games with the Reds in 2025.
All of the above-mentioned players are known commodities with the Reds organization, but it’s still to-be-determined how much Cincinnati might attack their areas of need in free agency.
Krall said the club’s roster budget for 2026 hadn’t been determined and was still being worked through.
Meador said Stewart would workout at first and third base this offseason, and was considering playing in a winter ball competition, adding: “He’s gonna need to be able to play both.”
Meador also said Noelvi Marte, Rece Hinds and Encarnacion-Strand were also considering winter ball.
Cincinnati Reds offense with Sal Stewart
When Stewart provided an offensive burst for Cincinnati in September and October, some argued he should have been up with the Reds’ big-league team earlier. The formula for making that work wasn’t so simple, it turned out, and it remains difficult going into 2026.
Stewart’s case becomes stronger with a strong offseason.
“The first goal for every prospect is to get to the big leagues. Then when you get here, you hear it all the time: ‘Staying here’s a lot harder than getting here,’ ” Meador said. “I think there’s a lot of truth to that, but continuing to get better once you do get here is the big part of that, and making adjustments. It’s a different game here.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: ‘There’s a lot of development there.’ Here’s the next step for Reds infielder Sal Stewart
Reporting by Pat Brennan, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
