DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Two members of the Daytona Tortugas organization have been recognized for outstanding performances, as catcher Jirvin Morillo and left-handed pitcher Ryjeteri Merite were named the Cincinnati Reds' Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Month for July.
Morillo, Cincinnati's No. 8 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, enjoyed a breakout month between the Arizona Complex League Reds and the Tortugas. The 19-year-old catcher batted .344 (22-for-64) with four doubles, three triples, seven home runs, 23 RBI and a 1.277 OPS in 18 games.
The native of Puerto Cabello, Venezuela spent the majority of the season dominating the ACL, where he hit .321/.449/.652 with a league leading 13 home runs, while adding 53 RBI and 44 walks in 54 games before earning a promotion to Daytona.
Merite also received league-wide recognition after being named Arizona Complex League Pitcher of the Month in addition to earning the Reds' organizational honor. The 20-year-old left-hander posted a 0.64 ERA over three July starts with the ACL Reds, allowing just one run on three hits across 14.0 innings while striking out 24 and walking four.
Among Arizona Complex League pitchers with at least 11 innings during the month, Merite led the league in ERA (0.64), WHIP (0.50) and opponent batting average (.070). He surrendered exactly one hit in each of his three starts and matched his career high with 11 strikeouts against the ACL Guardians on July 4 before earning a promotion to Daytona on July 29.
Merite has continued his rapid rise through the Reds' system after representing the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the 2026 World Baseball Classic earlier this year. Across 79.1 professional innings, the Curaçao-raised left-hander owns a 2.04 ERA with 121 strikeouts while averaging 13.7 strikeouts per nine innings.
Both prospects joined the Tortugas during the second half as Daytona continues its push toward a Florida State League postseason berth.