The Cincinnati Reds roster could see some major shake ups, mainly with the pitching staff, before September 1st rolls around.
Nick Krall and the Cincinnati Reds shocked the baseball world when they opted to not make many trades at the trade deadline. They made just one move, trading for Sam Moll from the Athletics to join their bullpen.
This move filled their biggest hole at left-handed reliever, but Cincinnati left a few other holes in their roster. These holes have shown themselves to be detrimental to their success as the second half has started. Those holes will be filled with players returning from the injured list by September 1st.
Reds rumors: Luke Weaver's time as a Red may be over before September 1
Luke Weaver has been given way too many opportunities as a Cincinnati Red. Weaver has made 19 starts in 2023 and currently holds a 6.98 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP. Batters are slashing .305/.363/.570 against him, with an OPS near 1.000. A hitter with that kind of slash line is a sure-fire Hall of Famer and that's what Weaver has turned opposing offenses into this season. He has truly been a major weak spot in their rotation throughout the entire season.
The Reds have Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo returning from the injured list in the near future, with Greene likely making the August 20th start for David Bell's team. This move to promote Greene from the injured list will likely cause the end of Luke Weaver's tenure as a Red.
There has been speculation surrounding the possibility of the Reds moving Weaver to the bullpen, but it simply just doesn't make much sense. In their first time through the order, opponents hold a slash line of .310/.368/.581 against Weaver. Pair that with the return of Tejay Antone and the current state of the Reds bullpen and there just seems to be no place for him there. The only other option is to be designated for assignment, ending his time with the Reds.
Reds rumors: Ben Lively likely won't be on the roster by September 1
For the most part, Ben Lively hadn't thrown terribly for the Reds in 2023. But his most recent outing against the Cubs may spell the end of his time as a Red, especially since he was moved to the injured list just after the start, giving the other Reds starting pitchers time to get healthy while he also rests up.
In this start against the Cubs, Lively ended up raising his ERA by over a run. He was the victim of a Reds team that has a tremendously taxed bullpen, so he was left in the game much longer than he would have liked. In that game, he hurled four innings and surrendered 13 hits, 13 runs (all earned) while allowing four home runs. It was truly an outing out of a pitcher's nightmare where nothing could go his way.
Shortly after this start, Lively landed on the IL, where his spot in the rotation will be filled by a prospect until the Reds can make it back to full health. By September 1st, David Bell will likely have Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo returning which would shut down any chance that Lively has to join the rotation when he's healthy again. It seems like his time in Cincinnati may be over, at least for the time being.
Reds rumors: Daniel Duarte will likely be replaced before September 1
Daniel Duarte hasn't been particularly bad for the Reds this year, but he hasn't been one of their top dogs in the back end of the bullpen. Any time you look through the Reds bullpen, each guy has his job. Lucas Sims and Alexis Diaz handle most of the high-leverage situations and Sam Moll and Alex Young deal with the lefties.
The only player that doesn't seem to have an important role in the bullpen is Daniel Duarte. His role thus far has been to eat innings, whether the Reds be up big, down big, or out of options. He hasn't been the first choice in any situation for David Bell's team this year. He will likely see his season with the Reds come to an end when Tejay Antone makes his much-awaited return.
Antone has been ramping up on a rehab assignment following his second career Tommy John Surgery. If Antone is able to return at full strength, he provides a much better option in the bullpen than Duarte does.
Duarte has a chance to make an impact as part of the September call-ups in about a month, but he won't be on the roster to finish August and he likely will be left off the Reds postseason roster, if they are to make it.
