Could a Rising Red Hot Prospect Make His Debut Against the Cardinals on Wednesday?

Table of Contents

On Tuesday, the Cincinnati Reds’ match with the St. Louis Cardinals got canceled because of bad weather conditions. Consequently, they plan to hold a doubleheader on Wednesday, April 30. The team has an option to expand their active roster temporarily by including one more player as the 27th man to bolster their lineup for the twin bill. It seems likely that this additional spot might go to Chase Petty, who ranks sixth among the organization’s prospects, based on reports from MLB Pipeline.

In the 2021 draft, Petty was selected as a first-round pick by the Minnesota Twins. Following his debut season within the Twins organization, he was traded to the Reds in return for Sonny Gray.

In 2022, he played 18 games at the Single-A level before moving up to the High-A Dayton Dragons for the remainder of the season. The following year, in 2023, he began with Dayton and, after completing 16 starts there, was advanced to Double-A Chattanooga where he made two additional appearances.

The previous year, he predominantly played at the Double-A level for Chattanooga and was promoted to Triple-A Louisville following his 26th start. To conclude that season, he made two appearances before starting this year with five games. Soon after, he received the opportunity to join the major league team.

According to his MLB Pipeline profile :

When Petty excelled as a star athlete at a New Jersey high school, he showcased an impressive throwing ability, consistently hitting speeds above 100 mph despite his smaller stature. The Twins selected him with their 26th pick due to this powerful arm, yet they didn't hold onto him for very long. Shortly after joining them during his initial spring training, he moved to the Reds as part of the Sonny Gray trade. Throughout his first three years in professional baseball, including managing a cautious pitch count in 2023 because of a minor elbow problem, he has advanced through ranks every season. In 2024, however, he truly stepped into prominence, surpassing 130 innings pitched and capping off the year with two solid performances in Triple-A.

The progression and refinement of Petty from merely a power pitcher to a well-rounded one continues, even as he maintains his ability to deliver fast pitches effectively. His four-seam fastball often serves more as a set-up pitch leading up to his off-speed options; however, it consistently clocks between 95-96 mph with occasional spikes reaching the top end of 97 mph. Additionally, his two-seamer exhibits impressive downward movement, inducing ground balls efficiently. Occasionally, he throws an upper-80s slider alongside a 91-92 mph cutters which sometimes overlap slightly in style. These pitches generate swings-and-misses frequently regardless of their specific form. Furthermore, he possesses a sturdy upper-80s changeup that hasn’t reached peak effectiveness yet, but this pitch has shown potential to neutralize spin rates and provide sinking action along with lateral break.

Petty delivers pitches with athleticism and consistently commands the strike zone effectively; however, his walk rate increased when playing at the Double-A level in 2024. Despite being quite young for his developmental phase—having played all of 2025 at just 22 years old—he entered Spring Training in better shape than before. His performance suggests he is nearing major-league readiness, potentially as a middle-of-the-rotation starter.

During his five appearances in Louisville, Petty maintained a 3.52 Earned Run Average across 23.0 innings pitched. Over this period, he conceded four home runs and issued nine walks. Known for his superior fastball, Petty confidently throws strikes all around the strikezone. To maintain batters' uncertainty, he also utilizes a slider along with a changeup.

Petty is anticipated to open the second game of the doubleheader since Brady Singer, who was set to take the mound on Tuesday, will likely get the ball for the first game instead.