Rodríguez (4 RBIs), Petty (6 K's) star for Reds on Spring Breakout stage

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Héctor Rodríguez came to the Reds in a less-heralded deal during a Trade Deadline selloff for prospects, but the rising left-handed-hitting outfielder has shown why even those transactions shouldn't be overlooked.

Rodríguez (Cincinnati's No. 6 prospect) didn't take long to dazzle in Thursday night's 10-1 Spring Breakout win over the Giants. Batting second in the top of the first inning, the 21-year-old Rodríguez clobbered a two-run home run to right-center field to begin the scoring. He went 2-for-3 with one run scored and four RBIs after adding a two-run single in the fourth inning.

“I’ve been working a lot," Rodríguez said via third-base coach and interpreter Peterson Plaz. “It meant a lot to me, even if it's just one game. But I’m just trying to help the team to win.”

Cincinnati acquired Rodríguez and pitcher Jose Acuña from the Mets in exchange for outfielder Tyler Naquin and lefty reliever Phillip Diehl on July 28, 2022.

Rodríguez impressed at Double-A Chattanooga and then Triple-A Louisville last season while batting .283 with a .786 OPS, 19 homers, 65 RBIs and 15 stolen bases in 135 games. Then, he added another 31 games in Dominican winter ball and hit four more homers with an .879 OPS. Rodríguez gained a reputation for taking healthy cuts and letting the ball fly.

“There’s no doubt that Hector can hit," said Chattanooga manager Jose Moreno, who helmed the dugout for Thursday's game. "That was really good. We got those two runs in the first inning to set the tone. That’s something we know he can do so hopefully he can carry it into the season.”

The Reds added Rodríguez to their 40-man roster after the 2025 season. He can play all three outfield spots, but mostly profiles in the corners. While the club is deep in the big leagues with outfielders, another strong summer could force his way to a Major League promotion at some point.

“I’m very happy to be on the 40-man roster. Hopefully, the Reds give me a shot. That’s my goal for this year," Rodríguez said. “Keep working hard. I’m just going to show the team I can play in the big leagues for sure.”

Very smooth night for Petty

Reds right-hander Chase Petty already debuted in the Major Leagues last season and he very much wants another crack at it after he struggled. But the organization's No. 9 prospect didn't minimize the importance of getting the assignment to start the Spring Breakout game and pitched spectacularly over four scoreless innings, while allowing one hit and no walks to go with six strikeouts.

Petty threw 40 pitches (30 strikes), while retiring 12 of his 13 batters.

"I think the big thing for today’s start was just trying to stay calm through it all," Petty said. "We’re under the lights, you know we’re going to get a big crowd, you know there’s going to be scouts behind home plate. We’ve got a lot of good players, some of the best prospects from the Giants’ organization over there, so it was just staying calm, staying intentful with every single pitch and staying through my routine on every single pitch. I’m taking steps in the right direction for sure.”

Petty, who turns 23 on April 4, wasn't sure he would even get the start on Thursday, because he needed to build up to four innings of work. But a conversation with the pitching coordinators gave him the green light.

"I knew that you usually don’t do four innings in this kind of outing," said Petty, who was on the 2025 Breakout roster but didn't pitch. “They were like, ‘Hey, let’s get you in that Spring Breakout game, get you under the lights, get you used to that starting routine and see what you can do.’ It felt so good being on my routine and doing what I did. Keep that rolling.”

Petty was 0-3 with a 19.50 ERA in three games (two starts) -- including giving up nine runs over 2 1/3 innings during his April 30 debut vs. the Cardinals. Showing the organization his improvements since last year was important to Petty.

“This is a lot," he said. "It was really everything for me just working on my breaking balls, executing, getting ahead early, making sure I’m getting to two strikes before I get to two balls. I think I did that great tonight. As long as I can keep doing that, keep getting ahead and execute with two strikes, I’m going to be great.”