Cincinnati Reds: Three sleepers who could sneak onto the roster

1. Justin Shafer, Right-handed pitcher

Selected in the eight-round of the 2014 MLB Draft, Justin Shafer spent two seasons at the major league level playing for the Toronto Blue Jays before being dealt to the Cincinnati Reds this past fall. Shafer has a career-ERA of 3.75 in 40 relief appearances. With the majority of bullpen spots spoken for, Shafer must produce during camp in order to make the Opening Day roster.

It would appear as though six of the eight bullpen spots, barring injury or a trade, are all but locked up. Amir Garrett, Michael Lorenzen, Raisel Iglesias, Robert Stephenson, Pedro Strop and Lucas Sims would seem to have the inside track when it comes to a spot in the Reds bullpen. Pitchers like Cody Reed, José De León and Sal Romano are hoping to break through as well.

Shafer has two minor-league options remaining, so his inclusion on the 26-man roster is not imperative for him to remain with the club. In fact, it’s a safe bet with the likes of non-roster invitees Nate Jones, David Carpenter and Tyler Thornburg, that Shafer’s 2020 season is likely to start at Triple-A Louisville.

But don’t be so quick to cast aside the 27-year-old. Pitching for the. Blue Jays Triple-A affiliate last year, Shafer put up solid numbers with a 21.4% strikeout-rate and a 6.2% walk-rate according to FanGraphs. Unfortunately, those numbers didn’t carry over to the bigs. Shafer will need to keep his walks down after putting up a 13.7% walk-rate during his 34 games for Toronto last season.

A big spring is necessary for Justin Shafer to crack the Opening Day roster. If the right-hander can go toe-to-toe with some of the non-roster invitees, there’s an outside chance that Shafer could sneak onto the Reds roster. If not, he’ll be pitching out of the bullpen for the Bats when the Triple-A season gets underway.

2. Matt Davidson, Infielder

Most fans would agree that unless Matt Davidson can suit up as a shortstop, his chances of making the big league roster out of spring training are slim. But don’t be so quick to cast Davidson aside, as he possesses big-time power from the right side and put up solid numbers at Triple-A Nashville last season.

Davidson has never been short on power. For his career, the former first-round pick has a slugging percentage of .435. Unfortunately, Davidson’s career on-base percentage is only .295. That’s something that must improve during spring camp if Davidson has any hopes of making the Opening Day roster.

Formerly of the Chicago White Sox, Davidson put up mediocre numbers in 2014 and 2015 for Triple-A Charlotte. However, a breakthrough in 2016 got the front office’s attention and Davidson played over 240 games for Chicago from 2017 to 2018, putting up 46 homers and 130 RBIs.

Matt Davidson’s chances of making the 26-man roster will greatly increase in the event that Eugenio Suárez is unable to recover from surgery before Opening Day. The Reds third baseman sustained a shoulder injury while swimming.

In all likelihood, if Suárez is unable to go, Mike Moustakas will slide over to third base and a combination of Josh VanMeter and Alex Blandino will take over at second base. However, Cincinnati could also opt to put Davidson at the hot corner and keep Moose at second base. How the Reds handle Geno’s injury will help dictate Davidson’s standing on the team.

3. Mark Payton, Outfielder

Of the three players mentioned, outfielder Mark Payton may have the best chance to crack the Cincinnati Reds Opening Day roster. Being a Rule 5 Draft pick, Payton would have to be placed on outright waivers and then be offered back to his previous team (Oakland A’s) before he’d have a chance to make it back to the Reds minor league roster.

Now, the Reds outfield is a bit crowded at the moment. In addition to newcomers Shogo Akiyama and Nick Castellanos, Cincinnati still has Phillip Ervin, Jesse Winker, Nick Senzel, Aristides Aquino, and, for some odd reason, Scott Schebler still on the 40-man roster.

Under the premise that Cincinnati will only carry five outfielders, one has to wonder how everyone fits, even with the roster expanded to 26 players. Curt Casali and Tucker Barnhart are sure to be the backstop tandem, along with a starting infield of Joey Votto, Mike Moustakas, Eugenio Suárez and Freddy Galvis. Go ahead and count Kyle Farmer among those likely to make the cut as well.

Those seven are virtually guaranteed a spot on the Opening Day roster along with Castellanos, Akiyama and Senzel. One would think that versatile utility player Josh VanMeter has a solid chance to make the roster out of camp as well. That brings the total number of position players to 11.

Jesse Winker seems like a likely candidate to break camp with the Reds as well, so barring an unforeseen injury or trade, that final roster spot will be a toss up between Payton, Aquino, Schebler and Ervin. On the surface, given that Aquino has a minor-league option remaining, Ervin or Payton would be the most likely to snag the final spot.

The Cincinnati Reds will have the better part of a month to figure out who’s leaving Arizona for the Queen City, and who’s heading to the minor leagues to begin the 2020 season. The Reds have a supremely talent-laden roster, something that fans couldn’t say for the past several years.