Reds RHP prospect Bryce Bonnin gave up two hits over five scoreless frames for High-A Dayton on Thursday.
Bonnin did hit one batter with one walk, but also struck out six. This makes back-to-back starts that the right-hander hasn’t allowed a run, and it lowers his ERA with the Dragons to 2.52 in six appearances (five starts) while his K/BB improves to 28/12. Drafted in the third-round out of Texas Tech in 2020, Bonnin has a fastball that gets plus grades and can touch the mid-to-high 90 mph range with regularity, but his best pitch might be his cutting slider that bears into the hands of left-handed hitters. He also has a softer curve and change, and those pitches have a chance to be average. Command is still a work-in-progress, but the 23-year-old does project as a starter. Bonnin is too advanced for this level, but the stuff is solid, and he has a chance to be backend starter for Cincinnati by the end of next year.
