Luis Mey is known for his blazing fastball, topping out at 103 MPH last year in the minor leagues and 101.3 MPH this spring. Despite his impressive velocity, the Cincinnati Reds made the decision this morning to option the right-handed reliever to minor league camp.
This move brings the Reds’ roster down to 52 players in big league camp in Goodyear, Arizona. While other cuts have been made, this marks the first involving a player on the 40-man roster.
Mey is an intriguing talent. His fastball is one of the hardest thrown in the game, and when hitters do make contact, it tends to be weak and on the ground.
In 2024, while splitting time between High-A Dayton and Double-A Chattanooga, he didn’t allow a single home run and held opponents to a .197 batting average and a .228 slugging percentage over 55 innings.
However, his history of control issues is a major hurdle. Last season, he issued 43 walks and hit five batters in those 55 innings, averaging nearly one free trip to first base per inning.
This spring in five games with the Reds, he gave up four hits, walked five, hit another batter, allowed a home run, and struck out eight, leading to a 3.86 ERA but a concerning 1.93 WHIP.
There’s certainly upside with Mey—his triple-digit fastball and strong slider suggest he could be a dominant bullpen piece and a groundball machine. But his control problems raise concerns about his ability to consistently face big-league hitters.
For now, he’ll head to the minor leagues to work on his command and hopefully force his way back to the majors.
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