When the Cincinnati Reds placed All-Star outfielder Jesse Winker (intercostal strain) on the injured list on Monday, the team wanted to replace him on the roster with the best player they could.
So even though he isn’t expected to be in the lineup every day, the Reds promoted their top position player prospect, shortstop Jose Barrero.
Barrero, who started for the Reds down the stretch last season, was hitting .303 in the Minors this year with a .910 OPS.
“We’ll find a way to get him enough playing time to keep him sharp and keep him going,” Reds manager David Bell said. “Right now where we are, we want to have the best team we possibly can here, and it’s great to have Jose here.”
Unlike most of their other recent top prospects, including Barrero last season, Barrero was called up to come off the bench.
Last season, Barrero immediately became the Reds starting shortstop when he reached the big leagues in the middle of the 2020 season. Nick Senzel immediately became the Reds starting center fielder when he was called up in 2019. In 2017, Winker started most games his rookie season.
