As is always the case during the six-plus weeks between the day pitchers and catchers report and the actual Opening Day of the regular season, injuries have begun to dictate the precise direction the roster of the Cincinnati Reds will go.
Hunter Greene, resident ace, will be out until about the All Star break after having bone chips removed from his right elbow. New lefty reliever Caleb Ferguson will be out for a few weeks as he works his way back from an oblique issue. Considering there’s no one-for-one way to replace an ace or the team’s go-to lefty reliever, the Reds will likely end up with something of a ripple effect down roster, and that plays into these latest projections.
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Beyond that, there’s the looming administrative decisions. Some players on the fringe of the roster still have options remaining, while others do not – building an Opening Day roster capable of winning games early is important, no doubt, but so is making sure you’ve got the most possible depth for seven months of baseball is, too. So, we’re going to see some decisions that walk that tightrope made this week, too.
With Opening Day now less than a week away and Cactus League play wrapping this weekend, here’s our last, final stab at what the team’s Opening Day roster will look like.
Starting Rotation
LHP Andrew Abbott
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LHP Nick Lodolo
RHP Brady Singer
RHP Chase Burns
RHP Rhett Lowder
LHP Brandon Williamson
Notes: This is a known, that the Reds will have six guys for five spots but not a ‘six-man rotation.’ How that actually shakes out, though, remains to be seen.
Burns, Lowder, and Williamson may each have a would-be start skipped, one or two may piggyback with another, and off-days baked into the early season schedule will define this while Greene is out, too. What we do know is that manager Terry Francona has said plainly that this won’t be the mix for the long term, but this is an early way to limit innings on that trio while also making sure there’s a big-league capable starter for each and every game, too.
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What we don’t know, though, is exactly how much we can expect from them as relief options, and that impacts how we build out the team’s bullpen below significantly.
Bullpen
RHP Emilio Pagán
RHP Tony Santillan
RHP Graham Ashcraft
LHP Brock Burke
RHP Pierce Johnson
RHP Connor Phillips
LHP Sam Moll
Notes: Moll is locked in a battle for a spot here with Zach Maxwell with the rest listed here already having made the roster (and the likes of Luis Mey and Kyle Nicolas having been told they won’t make the club for Opening Day). Moll, though, is out of options, and his presence as a lefty with Ferguson out is a double-whammy for why he’ll make the club.
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There’s no way the Reds will risk losing him altogether on waivers before the season even begins given the other injuries on the roster right now. That’s a bummer for Big Sugar, but he’ll marinate with AAA Louisville and firmly be in the mix at the big league level at some point down the road.
Position Players
C Tyler Stephenson
C Jose Trevino
1B Nathaniel Lowe
DH/IF Eugenio Suárez
IF Sal Stewart
IF Matt McLain
IF Elly De La Cruz
3B Ke’Bryan Hayes
IF/OF Spencer Steer
OF TJ Friedl
OF Noelvi Marte
OF Will Benson
OF Dane Myers
Notes: Not a ton of movement here aside from Benson having been told he’d made the club, and that bumps JJ Bleday – who has options – off the Opening Day roster and back to AAA Louisville. That may be a tough pill to swallow for him, but he struggled last year, spent time in AAA last year, and still needs to show he’s made fundamental changes, and that’s a scenario very similar to where Benson (and Noelvi Marte) were this time last year when both were sent to AAA to begin the year and work their way back.
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It’s a bummer for Rece Hinds, too, as he’s shown out well all spring after a solid 2025 with AAA Louisville, but he, too has options.
It’s that maximized flexibility that makes me think the Reds will do what it takes to keep Nate Lowe within the franchise, and since he’s a non-roster guy that means adding him to the 40-man and carrying him on Opening Day. They can’t simply option him to AAA, as he’s got an opt-out clause with his veteran status. While he’s not a perfect roster fit, he’s a proven guy who’s got a Silver Slugger and Gold Glove under his belt, and he even hit well last year down the stretch with Boston last season. You don’t just let that walk when you’ve got it around as a bench option, especially when your likely 1B to start the season (Sal Stewart) is a rookie who’s barely played there and there’s a dearth of legitimate left-handed hitting on the roster (or in the franchise altogether).
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