Several early picks from the 2026 MLB Draft have officially begun their professional careers just over a month after hearing the commissioner announce their names in Philadelphia. And the Cincinnati Reds’ top selection, shortstop Justin Lebron, is among the new prospects putting on a show through their first few games in the minors.
Lebron, Cincinnati’s No. 3 prospect for 2026 on MLB Pipeline, launched the first grand slam of his minor league career on Saturday while playing for the High-A Dayton Dragons. That blast came one day after the 21-year-old crushed a solo shot for his first home run in the minors.
Heading into the 2026 MLB Draft, Lebron was MLB Pipeline‘s No. 9 overall prospect after completing a solid career at the University of Alabama. Despite this, the young shortstop fell to the Reds at No. 18. And while it’s still very early in his professional career, Cincinnati’s new minor leaguer is quickly showing why he was such a highly touted player in the most recent draft class.
Simply put, Lebron has started his minor league career by picking up right where he left off at Alabama. Through his first five games with the High-A Dayton Dragons, the 6-foot-2 shortstop has a .381 batting average (8-for-21), a .409 on-base percentage, and a 1.171 OPS with two home runs, five RBIs, and four runs scored.
In three seasons with the Alabama Crimson Tide, Lebron had a .310 batting average, a .412 on-base percentage, and a .984 OPS with 46 homers, 157 RBIs, and 66 stolen bases in 177 games. The 21-year-old hit .277 with 16 home runs, 48 RBIs, and 42 stolen bases in 61 games for Alabama this year. That set the young prospect up to be the Reds’ first-round draft pick in July and earn a reported $5 million signing bonus.
A few other 2026 first-rounders are also already making noise in the minors, including the No. 1 overall pick, Chicago White Sox shortstop prospect Roch Cholowsky. But with roughly a month remaining in the minor league regular season, Lebron and other top prospects will likely focus on gaining as much experience as they can ahead of 2027.
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