The Reds optioned Balcazar to minor-league camp Friday.
Balcazar was added to the Reds' 40-man roster this winter, but he wasn't under real consideration for an Opening Day roster spot. The 21-year-old had a .677 OPS across 51 games with Double-A Chattanooga last season and will head back there to begin the 2026 campaign.
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Reds' Leo Balcazar: Shielded from Rule 5 Draft
Rotowire
The Reds added Balcazar to the 40-man roster Tuesday, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
Balcazar is now protected from next month's Rule 5 Draft, but a debut during the first half of 2026 seems unlikely given his limited experience at the upper levels of the minors. The 21-year-old reached Double-A in 2025 and largely struggled, posting a .677 OPS across 51 games. The infield prospect needs more time and seasoning on the farm.
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Reds' Leonardo Balcazar: Opens year at High-A
Rotowire
Balcazar will open the season with High-A Dayton, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.
This is a nice vote of confidence for Balcazar, as he only played 18 games at Single-A last year before tearing his right ACL and missing the rest of the season. Balcazar added 10 pounds of good weight while rehabbing his injury and started swinging a bat in October. He has logged batting averages on balls in play over .420 at Single-A and in the Arizona Complex League, so his numbers are a little inflated, but Balcazar is a quality defensive shortstop with a chance to hit for a pretty high average (career .300 hitter) while getting on base at a decent clip (career .392 OBP).
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Reds' Leonardo Balcazar: Suffers ACL tear
Rotowire
Single-A Daytona placed Balcazar on its 7-day injured list Wednesday after he suffered an ACL tear in his right knee.
Balcazar, who is considered one of the better lower-level infield prospects in the Cincinnati system, was hitting .324 with seven extra-base hits in 82 plate appearances before suffering the injury. The 19-year-old will presumably undergo surgery and will miss the rest of the 2023 season, and perhaps the start of the 2024 campaign as well.
