Cincinnati Reds: Predicting 30-man roster with summer camp underway

Reds starting lineup (9)

Joey Votto (1B), Mike Moustakas (2B), Freddy Galvis (SS), Eugenio Suárez (3B), Tucker Barnhart (C), Nick Castellanos (RF), Nick Senzel (CF), Shogo Akiyama (LF), Jesse Winker (DH)

Don’t look for any changes here, because there are none. Barring injury, the Reds starting lineup is virtually set and ready to go. The only intrigue is who will be cast in the role of designated hitter when the Cincinnati Reds take the field against the Detroit Tigers on Friday, July 24th. For now, we’ll stick with Jesse Winker.

Though Winker is not a bad fielder, his -4 defensive runs saved according to FanGraphs, suggest that there may be better options on the roster. Nick Castellanos recently commented on his decision to stay in the National League, as his preference is not to exclusively be used as Cincinnati’s DH. While that decision rests with David Bell, I suspect the Reds skipper will be amenable to the request.

That’s not to say that we won’t see Castellanos in that role on occasion. In an effort to get more right-handed bats in the lineup, circumstances could dictate that Castellanos be the team’s designated hitter while Nick Senzel, Phillip Ervin and Aristides Aquino round out the Cincinnati outfield. Bell has plenty of options.

Tucker Barnhart will likely rotate with Curt Casali based on matchups. When a right-hander takes the hill, expect to see Barnhart in the lineup. If a southpaw toes the rubber, we’re likely to see Casali don the tools of ignorance. Don’t look for the starting lineup to change, but thee batting order will be of interest.