The Cincinnati Reds have been one of the most surprising teams this year. As they continue to improve their roster, these players may not survive the cut.
The Cincinnati Reds have turned heads through the first half of the season. Their rookie class has been incredible, where they have four of the best rookies in the National League. These players have completely turned around the franchise, with more prospects on the way.
The Reds have a few top prospects, namely Connor Phillips, Noelvi Marte and Christian Encarnacion-Strand that could debut and make a difference in 2023. Along with that, their current injured list is a lengthy one. Starting pitchers Ben Lively, Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo remain sidelined while they also have multiple relievers on the IL. Because of this, the Reds are going to need to make cuts when these players make debuts and returns.
Reds rumors: Eduardo Salazar may not survive the cut in Cincinnati
Eduardo Salazar hasn't been bad in 2023. In fact, he's shown a little bit of promise out of the bullpen, mainly because of how filthy his sinker can be. But the story with him is simple. He has a spot on this roster because of the injuries in the bullpen. Over the next month or so, the Reds will likely return Derek Law, Tony Santillan and Tejay Antone, in that order to their bullpen.
Sadly for Salazar, he will be the first one to be optioned. He hasn't been good enough this year to demand a spot in the bullpen. His ERA is north of seven and his WHIP is close to 2.0. He won't last in the Reds bullpen with their pitchers returning from the IL. The Reds are also likely to pursue a bullpen arm or two in the trade market to help bolster the backend of their relievers and take a bit of pressure off of Alexis Diaz.
Salazar's days in the Reds organization don't appear to be numbered, as he will likely return to Triple-A Louisville in order to continue improving. He is just 25 years old and debuted a month ago. The Reds won't give up on him yet and the Reds faithful shouldn't either. He just isn't ready to be a piece in a division winning bullpen.
Reds rumors: New Red Alec Mills won't survive the month with the Reds
Alec Mills is one of the newer Reds on the roster. If his name sounds familiar, it's because he was a member of the Cubs for five seasons. Mills threw in 11 games against the Reds during his tenure with Chicago, then signed a minor league contract with the Reds and was promoted to the big leagues earlier this month. He has yet to appear in a game while wearing a Cincinnati Reds uniform.
Mills was signed as an emergency option for the Reds, given the injury situation with the starting rotation and bullpen. But Mills doesn't have a long-term place on this roster. Actually, he is almost guaranteed to move down when the Reds return Ben Lively to the team. It is completely uncertain what his role currently is for the Reds. They have used their off days to shorten to a four-man rotation for the time being.
Mills has the opportunity to possibly make a start for Cincinnati, but his best chance to get in a game would be in a long relief role. Either way, Mills has never been a great major leaguer and his time with the Reds isn't going to be much. He may or may not even get to appear in a game before he is optioned or designated for assignment.
Reds rumors: Luke Weaver will lose his spot when the Reds pitchers are healthy
Luke Weaver has had a roller coaster of a year in 2023. Weaver has seen many more bad starts than he has good ones. But the Reds have won six consecutive games that Weaver has started. That has to be good right? Not necessarily.
In fact, the Reds have won all six of these games and Luke Weaver hasn't received the win in any of the starts. He has surrendered over three runs in every start, including three games with over five earned runs. The Reds have picked him up with an incredible offensive attack (8.33 runs per game in those six starts) as well as some incredible relief pitching to keep them in it. Because of this, Weaver hasn't been handed the loss since May 1st, despite having an ERA close to 7.
Rightfully so, Reds fans have called for him to be designated for assignment. Weaver has no place in the Reds starting rotation when it's fully healthy. After a bounceback game from Graham Ashcraft on Friday, the fully healthy rotation could feature a peak Ashcraft, Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott and Nick Lodolo. The final spot would be filled with a trade piece, Brandon Williamson or Ben Lively far before Weaver. His days in the Queen City are numbered.
Reds rumors: Daniel Duarte's days in the Queen City may be numbered
Daniel Duarte is in a very similar boat to Eduardo Salazar, except Duarte may last a bit longer in Cincinnati because he has performed much better. Duarte has given the Reds quality innings in a few tough spots. He's shown an innate ability to keep his composure and get outs, without a true swing and miss pitch. Duarte is lacking the strikeout ability that is seen as rather valuable in a major league reliever.
But the fact of the matter is Duarte doesn't have a spot on the 25-man roster when the Reds bullpen is fully healthy. With Derek Law likely to replace Eduardo Salazar when Law becomes available, Tony Santillan is nearing a return as well. It'll likely be Santillan that replaces Duarte on the roster. While being only 26, the righty would be returned to Triple-A, likely until September, where he would be able to continue to improve on his swing and miss stuff.
His time with the Reds may be coming to an end for the time being, but Duarte has the potential to be a future bullpen piece for Cincinnati. This chapter in Duarte's story may be coming to a close, but his book is far from over in the Queen City.
