Cincinnati Reds start season without Bronson Arroyo on team, but not without him in their plans

Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Cincinnati Reds plan on having nine pitchers in the bullpen to start the season, but not Bronson Arroyo.

It’s time to get real Cincinnati Reds’ fans.  Raisel Iglesias is going to start the season on the DL.  Why is that relevant to Bronson Arroyo?

The Reds have to get down to nine pitchers in the bullpen and then cut one of them so that Arroyo can be added into the rotation in 5-10 days.  Iglesias going on the DL is how they get down to nine.  Then the Reds have those 5-10 days to decide who among Austin Brice, Cody Reed, and Robert Stephenson will be sent down to Louisville.

Brice probably only gets sent down if the starting rotation is a complete disaster the first time through or he could end up on the DL if his elbow acts up again.  The Reds want Brice to be a two inning reliever.  If the rotation is having trouble getting through five, the Reds will keep Reed and Stephenson because they can go three or more innings every time out.

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Other wise, the smart money is on Reed going down to Louisville.  The Reds love Stephenson’s stuff, but have been questioning his mental make up for two years now.  They want to see if he can cull knowledge from the likes of Tony Cingrani and Drew Storen or if his career may never take off.

Bronson Arroyo may make his 2017 Cincinnati Reds debut as early as April 8 in Saint Louis.

The Reds haven’t announced who the starter will be for the second game in Saint Louis, but all signs point to Arroyo.  If he doesn’t start April 8, he will start on April 12 in Pittsburgh.

If he doesn’t start April 8th, though, either Brandon Finnegan will be going on four days rest or one of the aforementioned duo of Reed or Stephenson will need to step in.

The Reds signed Arroyo to compete for a spot in the rotation The real question now is whether Arroyo has extended himself enough.  He needs to be ready to pitch five innings in a game yet.  He only pitched 7 2/3 innings this spring over three games.

The only time in his career he pitched so few spring innings when he was healthy was in 2014.  Unfortunately, that is the season that he injured his elbow.  The good news is that in the small 2017 spring sample Arroyo did well.

Next: Nefi Ogando makes Opening Day roster

He ended up below his career spring averages in WHIP and BAA.  That means he at least has his control and some movement on his pitches.  Now we just have to wait for the Reds to send someone down and activate the fan favorite pitcher.

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