Bryan Rincon has 22 home runs at Double-A Reading. (Photo courtesy of the Reading FIghtin Phils)

READING, Pa. — The Phillies invited 22-year-old Bryan Rincon to major-league spring training this year, providing the shortstop with an opportunity to be around big-league players and coaches following his 2025 season at High-A. The switch-hitting infielder had a reputation for his glove, but his bat was not the main draw. After having the chance to learn from Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long and his staff, Rincon felt like he made strides with his swing ahead of his assignment to Double-A Reading.

“When I came here, I had a good mindset,” Rincon told Phillies Nation on Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium. “So I was pretty confident.”

Long taught Rincon a training technique called the “Soto drill,” named after Mets superstar Juan Soto, who played under Long in Washington. Long or another coach would flip balls underhand, and Rincon would hit down on them with the knob of his bat. For Rincon, practicing the Soto drill would help keep his swing more direct to baseball. He’s incorporated it into his routine with the Fightins this season.

With a refined approach, a new drill and a lot of confidence, Rincon has put together a breakout minor-league season for Reading. He hit 18 home runs in the first 230 games of his professional career. He has 22 home runs in 110 games so far this season. Rincon is batting .265/.406/.500 with 47 extra-base hits in his first taste of the upper minors.

“I think it’s just the work that I put in all these years,” Rincon said. “I’m finally seeing the results. I’m surprised, but, at the same time, I’m not because of all the work that I put in. So I’m just glad that I’m having this year like that.”

Fightins manager Al Pedrique admitted that he could not have foreseen Rincon’s current home-run total heading into the season. But who could blame him? Rincon hit just .181 with a .298 slugging percentage last year at a lower level. In 135 games over parts of three different seasons at High-A Jersey Shore, Rincon hit just eight home runs. With Reading, Rincon has nine leadoff homers alone.

“He made some adjustments with his swing, his approach,” Pedrique said. “His work ethic is outstanding, off the charts. So when you see the kid working that hard, you’re definitely going to see a lot of good things throughout the season. We’re very happy that he’s having the year that he’s having so far.”

Pedrique said he could see by the end of May that Rincon had more than just a hot start going. The quality of his at-bats had improved. He seemed poised in the batter’s box. And as he was having a lot of success, he didn’t carry his bad days at the plate into the field with him.

“For me, that’s a sign that the players are growing up, maturing,” Pedrique said, “and that’s what he’s done throughout the year. By before we finished the first half, you could tell that he was a different hitter with his approach: taking the walks, getting on base, stealing bases, and overall he was getting so much better in the way you know he was playing the game.”

Entering this season, Rincon’s defense would have been seen as his strong suit and his offense a serious question mark. But his production at the plate has been stellar, while his glove has not quite been up to his high standard. Rincon has a career-high 18 errors with a .960 fielding percentage. A nagging lower-body injury might be hindering his performance in the field at times this year. But Pedrique still believes in Rincon’s defensive ability.

“I like it a lot,” Pedrique said. “I feel 100% that he can play shortstop in the big leagues. He has the instinct, the range. His arm strength is unbelievable. I know he has 18 … errors right now, but it is a learning process. He’s only (22). He’s already playing in Double-A, and with the season he’s having, I’m sure he’s going to get better at shortstop. He just needs reps. He just needs to understand the speed of the game, the speed of the batter-runner, the game situation. Once he gets hold of that on a daily basis, he’s going to be fine.”

But the story of Rincon’s season has been the huge leap he’s taken as an offensive player, an unexpected development that has altered the calculus of what he could become. Rincon, a 14th-round draft pick in 2022, was ranked outside Philadelphia’s top-15 prospects before the start of the 2026 season by Phillies Nation. Following the trade deadline, he was listed as the No. 8 prospect in the system.

There are still concerns. Rincon has played 110 games this season and had only a quick one-week stint on the injured list, but he’s had issues remaining durable in the past with stints on the 60-day IL in 2024 and 2025. He will need to prove that he can replicate his power surge — at least to some extent — in future years and as he rises through the organization. Reading is regarded as an incredible place for minor leaguers to hit, and he would not be the first player to benefit from calling FirstEnergy Stadium home.

However, Rincon will have a chance to advance and push for an eventual major-league promotion if he can keep it up. He’s second in the Eastern League in on-base percentage (.406), OPS (.906) and runs scored (84) and fifth in home runs and slugging percentage (.500). Rincon has found a formula that has paid off this season.

“I think baseball is changing now,” Rincon said. “A lot of people are wanting people to hit homers, so I think it’s a good thing to have power and just to hit the ball hard.”