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

5. Christian Colón, Infielder

Christian Colón has an uphill climb to make the Reds Opening Day roster, but he’s faced pressure-packed situations before. Colón was the hero during the Kansas City Royals 2015 World Series clinching Game 5 victory, slapping an RBIs single into left field in the top of the 12th inning that broke the 2-2 tie. Colón will need to display some similar magic this spring.

Colón is the type of player that every fan throughout Reds Country should be rooting for this spring. The 30-year-old played the majority of the 2019 season at Triple-A Louisville and found his way onto the big league roster near the end of September. Playing in just 17 games for the Reds last season, Colón had three hits in just six at-bats.

Last year was Colón’s first big league action since 2017 with the Miami Marlins. After the heroics displayed by Colón in Game 5 of the 2015 World Series, he saw little success at the major league level. Colón hit just .213 in 78 games between 2016-2017, racking up just one home run and 13 RBIs in 218 plate appearances.

However, Colón’s bat found the sweet spot last season while playing 136 games for Triple-A Louisville. In 582 appearances for the Bats, Colón slashed .300/.372/.443 with 10 home runs, 70 RBIs and 24 stolen bases. Colón played all over the Louisville infield, but found the majority of his starts at third base.

Adding Christian Colón to the Opening Day roster would require a corresponding move on the 40-man roster, something we saw Cincinnati do last season in order to add non-roster invitees Derek Dietrich and José Iglesias to the active roster. Colón will have to impress in spring training in order to get a shot, but his versatility and power make him an option for the 26th spot on the Reds roster.