The deadline for Major League Baseball clubs to add players to their 40-man rosters to prevent them being exposed during December’s Rule 5 Draft was on Tuesday at 4 PM ET. The Cincinnati Reds did not let it pass without protecting a trio of their best and brightest prospects, officially adding shortstop Edwin Arroyo, shortstop Leo Balcazar, and outfielder Hector Rodriguez.
MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon relayed the news on Bluesky, noting that right-hander Carson Spiers was designated for assignment to free
up a 40-man roster spot that was subsequently used as part of the transactions.
Arroyo was one of the centerpieces of the deal that sent Luis Castillo to the Seattle Mariners, with Noelvi Marte – now Cincinnati’s resident RF – also in that deal. He overcame a lost 2024 to shoulder surgery to return to his typical brand of elite defense and high contact with AA Chattanooga in 2025, and despite his lack of power that glovework makes him pretty much a ready-made big league shortstop.
Balcazar, meanwhile, is now fully recovered from an ACL tear from a few years ago and hit his way up to Chattanooga in 2025, too. He also is fresh off a solid overall performance in the Arizona Fall League that certainly did nothing to dent his prospect status (.277 AVG, .340 OBP).
Rodriguez blasted his way through Southern League pitching while with Chattanooga (.298/.357/.481 in 345 PA) before getting his first call up to AAA in 2025, and he held his own there through season’s end while being just 21 years of age (.260/.304/.405 in 230 PA). The lefty swinger is firmly in the mix for PA in the Cincinnati outfield at some point in 2026, and is a key part of the team’s overall outfield outlook.
One guy who apparently is not part of the team’s overall outlook is Carson Spiers, who lost his roster spot in these promotions. He was thoroughly banged up durin g the 2025 season, of course, but the departures of so many bullpen options in free agency meant many thought he’d at least hang around and be in the mix for one of those positions in 2026. There’s always the chance he clears waivers and sticks around on a minors deal, however, and that’s likely what the Reds were hoping here.
The Rule 5 Draft is set for December 10th during the Winter Meetings.
