Cincinnati Reds: Five players most likely to snag 26th spot on the roster

This year, there will be an extra spot added to the Opening Day roster. Which five Cincinnati Reds players are most likely to snag that coveted spot?

The 2020 season will offer a new opportunity for several players throughout Major League Baseball. The league has expanded the active roster from 25 to 26 with a likely cap on only 13 pitchers. The Cincinnati Reds have an excessive amount of talented players on this year’s roster. So, who’s most likely to snag that extra roster spot?

According to MLB.com, the number of pitchers limited to the 26-man roster has yet to be determined, but it is assumed that the number of hurlers will be capped at 13. Since David Bell and his staff carried 13 pitchers on the roster during the majority of last season, that 26th spot will likely fall to a position player.

With the additions of Shogo Akiyama, Nick Castellanos and Mike Moustakas, that will be welcome news to several players on the Reds roster. Those three are expected to be major factors in the Cincinnati lineup, so that additional spot gives a few players a chance to maintain a roster spot, albeit in a different capacity.

How will Bell and the coaches use that extra spot? Having Michael Lorenzen on the roster, a player capable of pitching and playing in the outfield, will certainly give Bell options. That final spot could be no more than a power-hitter used exclusively in pinch-hit situations, or perhaps the Reds skipper would prefer to use that spot for an elite defender.

The only restriction to the 26th spot is that said player must be part of the 40-man roster. No real surprise there, but should a non-roster invitee snag that final spot, a corresponding move would be required. So, which five players might the Reds consider for the 26th spot on the 2020 roster?