Cincinnati Reds have three pitchers at Louisville that could help in the second half

The Cincinnati Reds have three pitchers that won’t be ready for Opening Day, but might help in the second half.

At this time of year everyone’s eyes are on the Cincinnati Reds’ forty man roster and who might make a showing at spring training to get a spot on the roster.  What is often missed is the people who are the next step away, usually through injury or suspension.  In the Reds’ case there are three pitchers that may be able to help in the second half of the season.

The first pitcher is Rob Wooten who signed with the Louisville Bats after pitching in Gwinnett in 2016.  He is a multi-inning reliever who can start in a pinch.  He needs to establish himself as  a proven multi-inning reliever before the Reds call him up, making him insurance for the second half in case of an injury.

The second player is more of a prospect in Carlos Gonzalez.  Most fans remember him for closing out the no hitter for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos last season.  The rest of the fans know him for his recent suspension by MLB.

They are grooming Gonzalez as a closer and it looked like he would garner early season consideration as a call-up, but now he is ineligible.  MLB has suspended Gonzalez for 50 games to start the 2017 season.  That means that he will not be ready for the Reds until after mid-season at the earliest.

The Cincinnati Reds have one last player quietly going about his business on the Louisville roster, getting ready for Cincinnati.

One of the names that was on a watch list by the Cincinnati Reds during the Rule 5 Draft was Jon Moscot.  He came up in 2015 to make him MLB debut with the Reds, going 1-1 over three starts.  His 2016 did not go as well.

He pitched five forgettable games for the Reds, allowing 19 runs in 21 1/3 innings while going 0-3.  He wasn’t quite himself in Louisville, either, going 4-4 over 10 starts.  His last start was June 30, when he lost giving up three earned runs over six innings of work.

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He went on the minor league DL a week later and underwent Tommy John surgery on July 19th.  With him scheduled to resume throwing next month in Arizona, Moscot is on schedule to rejoin the Reds about August first.  That puts him in place to help for a stretch run.  He could also fill in a for a traded reliever or starter.