Cincinnati Reds: Josh VanMeter will not make the Opening Day roster

This is an unpopular opinion, but Cincinnati Reds versatile utility player Josh VanMeter will not make the Opening Day roster.

If everyone on the Cincinnati Reds is healthy by March 26th, Josh VanMeter will not be on the 26-man roster. This is not a knock on the 24-year-old, who’s gotten off to a hot start this spring, but rather the reality of how deep this Reds team is heading into 2020. VanMeter will undoubtedly see some time in the bigs this season, but not on Opening Day.

No one, outside of Jose Garcia, has had a better spring to this point than Josh VanMeter. Last year, VanMeter surprised a lot of fans, coaches and front office executives alike with his offensive outburst to begin the minor league season at Triple-A.

VanMeter’s bat earned him a chance to make his major league debut just a few days after his best buddy Nick Senzel got his call-up to the big leagues. VanMeter yo-yo’d between Cincinnati and Louisville throughout the 2019 season hitting .237/.327/.408 with the Reds and .348/.429/.669 with the Bats. Between the two stops, VanMeter crushed 22 homers and racked up 66 RBIs.

So, why won’t a player with that type of bat, who’s having a fantastic spring, make the Opening Day roster? It simply comes down to numbers and options. Despite VanMeter hitting .462/.588/.769 in Cactus League play, his chances of making the 26-man roster out of Goodyear are slim-to-none.

We saw the same fate befall Phillip Ervin last spring. Despite hitting .341/.438/.833 and leading the team in homers (5) during Cactus League play in 2019, Ervin did not make the Opening Day roster. Instead, the Reds outfield consisted of Jesse Winker, Scott Schebler, Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp.

This season, Ervin is battling, just as he did in 2019. But, the 27-year-old is out of minor-league options this season, giving him a leg up on the competition. Josh VanMeter has two minor-league options remaining, which gives Cincinnati the opportunity to send last year’s rookie to Triple-A Louisville without subjecting him to waivers.

The Reds outfield is already loaded. Even though VanMeter can play the outfield, his attention this season has been as a utility infielder. The versatility of VanMeter’s game will definitely increase his chances of making the cut, but Kyle Farmer has a lock on one of the two reserve infielder roles.

That means that VanMeter will be battling the likes of Alex Blandino, Christian Colón and Derek Dietrich for the final spot among Reds position players. Because of the veteran’s track record, I’m going to give the nod to Dietrich at this time.

The best thing that Josh VanMeter can do is make the decision a difficult one for the coaching staff and the Reds front office. If he keeps swinging away during spring ball, it may be incredibly difficult to keep VanMeter off the Opening Day roster. However, economics and the way the system works may relegate VanMeter to the minors to begin the season.