Pitchers and catchers have reported, and it’s time for prognostication!
Cincinnati Reds pitchers and catchers officially reported to their Goodyear, Arizona complex today to begin spring training, and the 2024 Major League Baseball season is officially on the horizon.
With that reporting came the obvious – news and updates on some of the players we’ve been most anticipating for the upcoming year. Injuries, as they are wont to do, will go a long way towards determining which players are on the active roster at which points, and the Reds pre-planned that in earnest by investing in depth and redundancy up and down their roster.
Thanks to the relays out of camp from The Enquirer’s Charlie Goldsmith, we know that Jonathan India dealt with another flare-up this offseason of the same plantar fasciitis that cost him time during the 2023 campaign. We know that Graham Ashcraft’s toe issue involved a plate being installed, and that while he’s doing better by the day, he’s not at all ready to roll 100% just yet. A similar story swirls around Nick Lodolo, whose tibia issue effectively sunk his entire 2023 season, while the hamstring injury Noelvi Marte suffered during Dominican Winter League play still has him on the comeback road.
With that news in tow, here’s my first attempt at nailing the Cincinnati Reds Opening Day roster, which we’ll all surely laugh about in a few weeks when it looks completely preposterous.
Catcher (2)
Tyler Stephenson, Luke Maile
Infield (5)
Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Matt McLain, Elly De La Cruz, Jeimer Candelario, Jonathan India
Outfield (4)
Will Benson, Jake Fraley, TJ Friedl, Stuart Fairchild
Infield/Outfield/26th man (1)
Jose Barrero
Spencer Steer (1)
Spencer Steer
Starting Rotation (5)
Hunter Greene, Frankie Montas, Andrew Abbott, Nick Martinez, Brandon Williamson
Bullpen (8)
Alexis Diaz, Emilio Pagan, Brent Suter, Lucas Sims, Fernando Cruz, Sam Moll, Buck Farmer, Ian Gibaut
15-day IL (3)
Noelvi Marte (hamstring), Nick Lodolo (tibia), Graham Ashcraft (toe)
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Lodolo and Ashcraft land on the IL in this particular projection, due a) to their lingering injuries having prevented them from having a full winter of preparation and b) the grind of the season (and the relative inexperience from the rest of the SP options) making them prime guys to get 4-5 months of healthy work out of beginning in May.
Marte, similarly, will be brought along slowly, and the depth of the infield makes him being the ‘odd man out’ for day one obivous. It’s no indication that he’s further down the pecking order than others – rather, his hamstring makes him the easy guy to simply hit ‘pause’ on to ease the roster crunch elsewhere. The beneficiary of that is Jose Barrero, who’s out of options and would need to clear waivers to stay in the organization should he not make the team’s Opening Day roster.
As for the bullpen, Alex Young has an option remaining, and when healthy he profiles as the third lefty in the bullpen behind Sam Moll and Brent Suter. Should all remain healthy, I think he gets squeezed to AAA Louisville to begin the year. Tejay Antone, meanwhile, still has a trio of options, and given how reformed his repertoire was late last year as he returned from his second Tommy John surgery I think the Reds will be extra cautious with his innings early in 2024. I think he’ll end up in Arizona for a little longer to begin the year with a target for an early summer reemergence with the Reds.