After injury-plagued '25, Reed using Arizona Fall League to get back on track

Carlson Reed first felt the pinches in his back when he started to build up for Spring Training last winter. He had never experienced anything like that before, so he hoped there would be a quick fix by the time he got to Pirate City. That wasn’t the case, and after some trial and error, the inevitable happened: a trip to the 60-day injured list.

It was a letdown for the 2023 fourth-round pick who had taken a massive leap in 2024. After being a reliever at West Virginia University, Reed got a chance to start in the Pirates’ system and showed that his four-pitch mix could play in either role. The four-seamer played up, the sinker low, the slider had frisbee action and he killed spin on his changeup to create dive. People took notice, and he entered 2025 as the organization’s No. 20 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.

Reed was eventually able to throw 70 2/3 innings to pretty good results (4.08 ERA, 65 strikeouts and a 1.43 WHIP), but it wasn’t the encore that could have cemented him as one of the best pitching prospects in the system. He finished the regular season in High-A Greensboro instead of Double-A Altoona. His strikeout and walk rates went in the wrong directions. Perhaps most telling, he fell off the top 30 prospects list.

It would be understandable to be bitter after an injury like that. For Reed, it had the opposite effect.

“I think I gained more love for the game, purely from being away from it,” Reed said over the phone Thursday. “Just understanding what we do, it’s a privilege to be out here.”

Reed’s season isn’t quite over yet, as the 22-year-old right-hander is taking part in the Arizona Fall League with the Salt River Rafters. It’s a chance to get more innings, but more importantly, get back to what he missed doing this season: competing. While he didn’t make that leap to Altoona this year, he’s going to see Double-A and Triple-A players in the desert, giving him some runway of what to expect in 2026.

“I get a little bit of insight if there’s a difference between the levels,” Reed said. “Whether that’s the adjustability of the hitter or coach or whatever it might be, I get to trial and error here. Obviously everyone cares about how they perform, but these don’t go as season stats, so they don’t quite matter as much. It’s just getting reps and competing for fun.”

It’s also another opportunity to get his mechanics where he wants them to be. The back is such a vital part of a delivery and he unknowingly made some tweaks to compensate for the injury.

He feels he’s trending towards being 100% again, both health-wise and with his mechanics, and there were some highlights to support that, like a 10-strikeout game on Aug. 27. When he’s 100%, he’s using his lanky limbs to create extra extension and have his mid-90s fastball play up. He’s his best self when he pitches free, and he’s getting closer to that.

“It’s more reinforcing good movement patterns and behaviors,” Reed explained. “Trying to psych myself subconsciously. Like, ‘yo, you’re not hurt anymore. We’re good.’ That’s kind of the challenge of overcoming that, because once you make muscle memories, it’s harder to destroy it than it is to build it.”

These next couple weeks in Arizona are a chance to further cement that growth, plus maybe learn a thing or two along the way.

“There’s a lot of perspectives I can get now from teammates, different coaches, trainers even,” Reed said. “A lot of different people I haven’t been around that think about the game differently. Being able to pick everyone else’s brain could ultimately help me.”

PIRATES IN THE FALL LEAGUE
• Outfielder/first baseman Esmerlyn Valdez (No. 15 prospect) has homered four times in his first five games, the most in the league thus far. He has also drawn a league-high 10 walks.

• Lefty reliever Jaden Woods has tossed three scoreless innings to start his Arizona stint, striking out four along the way. He also has one save under his belt.

• Lefty Dominic Perachi got the win in his first Fall League game, tossing three innings of one-run ball. He allowed two hits with a walk and a hit batter, and struck out one.