Cincinnati Reds continue the shuttle between Louisville and Cincinnati

The Cincinnati Reds have been liberal in their use of the minor leaguers who are already on their forty man roster.

The Cincinnati have brought several players up for a short stay to help out the depleted bench or bullpen already this season.  32 of the 40 players on the forty man roster have played in at least one game this season.  That includes MLB debuts for Stuart Turner, Jesse Winker, Phil Ervin, Barrett Astin, Rookie Davis, Amir Garrett and Sal Romano.

Most recently, the Reds recalled reliever Ariel Hernandez from Double-A Pensacola to support a bullpen that has had a tough time staying rested in 2017.  He made his debut in game one of the series in Milwaukee.  In relief of Garrett’s first bad start of the year, Hernandez showed off why he was the top reliever in Pensacola, striking out five batters over 2 2/3 perfect innings in his MLB debut.

By using players already on the forty man roster, the Reds have been able to refresh their bench and bullpen without exposing useful players to other MLB teams.  The core of the bench is Scooter Gennett and Patrick Kivlehan, but they will stay in Cincinnati all season long.  The same can be said for veterans Drew Storen and Tony Cingrani in the bullpen.

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The Cincinnati Reds have several players on their forty man roster that will likely be on the team before the end of the season.

The player that most Reds’ fans are expecting to see at some point this season is Dilson Herrera.  He was the return for Jay Bruce from the New York Mets’ last year at the deadline.  The fans want to see Herrera playing in Cincinnati.

Speaking of trade returns, Keury Mella was the key piece in the Mike Leake deal.

Now he is just about ready to join the young pitchers in making their debut in 2017.  Mella is the 19th ranked prospect for the Reds, but has gotten off to a tough start in 2017.  That’s how Hernandez got the call-up first.

The 7th ranked prospect, Luis Castillo, is also close to joining the Reds.  He came over with another minor leaguer on the forty man roster. The Reds acquired Austin Brice, the potential future closer and Castillo along with Isaiah White.  The three of them came over in exchange for the Reds’ best starter from last year, Dan Straily.

Next: The Reds defense needs to support the pitchers

You might not want to see so many players make there debut in one season.  The good news is that the Reds finally seem ready to let their prospects see the majors.  Now everyone can enjoy the fruits of the Reds’ developmental system.