Another Cincinnati Reds Top Prospect on Verge of Call-Up?

The Cincinnati Reds have promoted left-handed pitcher Andrew Abbott to their taxi squad, signaling that a call-up to the majors could be imminent.

Another Cincinnati Reds youngster could be about to get the call to the majors.

Top pitching prospect Andrew Abbott was recently added to the team's taxi squad. That doesn't mean he's on the roster yet, but he's certainly one step away and could be instantly called upon should someone be injured or a roster move be needed.

If and when he gets the call, he'll join other young players like Brandon Williamson and Matt McLain, who have debuted for the Reds in the last few weeks.

The #Reds today added LHP Andrew Abbott to the taxi squad. pic.twitter.com/DmYjVzfyQf

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) June 4, 2023

He is the No. 6 overall prospect in the organization and the highest-rated pitcher.

A second-round pick out of Virginia in 2021, here's a portion of his prospect profile from MLB.com:

He made quick work of the High-A Midwest League to kick off his first full season in 2022 and spent most of the year, with a trip to the Futures Game mixed in, with Double-A Chattanooga.

It was clear pretty quickly Abbott wasn’t being challenged enough in Dayton, so the Reds promoted him so he could face a better level of hitters, feeling that the learning experience was worth the struggles the southpaw faced at the level. While his fastball sits mostly in the low 90s, it can play up thanks to deception in his delivery and the cutting action to the pitch, though he needs to trust it and come in on right-handed hitters more frequently. He always has had a plus curve that he manipulates well in terms of velocity and shape, but in 2022, he added a distinct slider with more sweep. It's thrown a tad harder than his curve, which still has good depth, and might be a tick better at this point. His changeup could be a very effective pitch, but he needs to throw it more.

Abbott struggled with his command in Double-A, though he did finish off with three impressively efficient outings in September. He gets high marks for his IQ and competitiveness on the mound, giving confidence he’ll learn from the bumps in the road to keep developing as a future big league starter.

The Reds are currently 26-32 and in third place in the National League Central. They'll take on the Brewers on Sunday at 1:40 p.m. ET.

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