Cincinnati Reds: Three non-roster invitees that could make the team

3. Christian Colón, Infielder

Christian Colón spent almost of last year with Triple-A Louisville. A versatile infielder, Colón landed a spot on the Reds roster for the homestretch of the 2019 season. All Colón did in his six at-bats was snag three hits and put up an 1.125 OPS. Okay, okay, small sample size, but all kidding aside, Colón put up great numbers at Triple-A Louisville and could make the team this year.

Colón’s heroics in Game 5 of the 2015 World Series are well-documented. After spending the entire 2015 playoffs on the bench, Colón was called upon in the 12th inning of a tie game. Colón’s go-ahead single to score Jarrod Dyson gave the Kansas City Royals the lead and eventually their first World Series title since 1985.

Christian Colón is a capable fielder, able to play second and third base as well as shortstop. Currently, the Reds are a bit thin at the position, with Freddy Galvis slated to start the 2020 season as the team’s starting shortstop. Backing him up is likely Alex Blandino, who has yet to show that he can hit major league pitching consistently.

Colón never amounted to much more than a utility player for the Kansas City Royals, and it’s unlikely he’d serve a role larger than that for the Cincinnati Reds. However, a veteran presence in the clubhouse with postseason experience who has a career on-base percentage above .320 can offer value to next year’s ball club.

There are a few more players among the non-roster invitees that could break through onto next year’s Reds roster, but it’s unlikely for them to break camp with the big league club. Vladimir Gutierrez, Nick Lodolo, and Alex Powers could sneak onto next year’s roster at some point as well.