Reds prospect undergoes season-ending shoulder surgery
The Reds informed reporters Wednesday that infield prospect Edwin Arroyo underwent surgery to repair a labrum tear in his left shoulder (via C. Trent Rosecrans of the Athletic). He’ll miss the entire 2024 season. Arroyo suffered the injury when he dove back to a base on a pickoff attempt while playing in Spring Training as a non-roster invitee.
Cincinnati acquired Arroyo as the secondary piece in the 2022 deadline blockbuster that sent Luis Castillo to Seattle. The package was built around Noelvi Marte, but Arroyo was viewed as a borderline Top 100 caliber prospect in his own right. He spent most of last season at High-A Dayton, where he hit .248/.321/.427 with 13 home runs and 28 stolen bases. While not an overwhelming showing, that was respectable production for a 19-year-old.
Arroyo ranked among Cincinnati’s five to seven best prospects at Baseball America, ESPN and The Athletic. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel and The Athletic’s Keith Law each slotted him at the back half of the sport’s Top 100 minor league talents, calling him a potential regular as a switch-hitter with some power and a chance to stick at shortstop. While he’s certainly young enough to get to that point, the surgery deals a hit to his prospect stock and costs him a year of development reps. Arroyo had barely reached Double-A and was unlikely to impact the major league team this season, but he could’ve played his way to the upper levels with an eye toward a 2025 debut.
Instead, he’ll be faced with an extended rehab process before hopefully starting the ’25 season healthy in Double-A. Cincinnati will need to decide at the end of the 2025 campaign whether to add him to the 40-man roster or expose him to the Rule 5 draft.
Baseball America, ESPN, and The Athletic regarded Arroyo as one of Cincinnati’s top five to seven prospects. He was ranked in the back half of the sport’s Top 100 minor league players by ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel and The Athletic’s Keith Law, who both described him as a potential regular who may stick at shortstop and is a switch-hitter with moderate power. He is undoubtedly young enough to reach that stage, but the operation hurts his prospect value and will lose him a year of development reps. Arroyo was unlikely to have an influence on the major league squad this season as he had barely made it to Double-A, but he may have worked his way up to the top levels in anticipation of making his debut in 2025.
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