Cincinnati Reds: Three players who should be sent to the alternate site

It’s time for the Reds to send these three players to Prasco Park.

The Cincinnati Reds have started out sluggish. Last week’s postponement didn’t help, but Major League Baseball erred on the side of caution and kept the Redlegs out of action for four days. With play now resumed and Cincinnati sitting several games off the pace of the NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs, the Reds need to get the best 28 players on the field.

The 2020 season is different than any we’ve ever seen in the history of baseball. The coronavirus pandemic halted spring training, reduced the season to just 60 games and has paused the schedule of three different MLB teams, including the Reds. While oftentimes teams would option a player to the minors in order to get them right, things are a bit different this season.

Every team has a 60-man player pool. The Reds, and every other major league team, have an active roster of 28 players and up to 32 players are able to workout and practice at an alternate site. The Reds chose Prasco Park in Mason, Ohio to be the team’s alternate site and we’ve seen the front office make several moves already this season, plucking players from Mason to join the team in Cincinnati.

Now, when a player is sent to the alternate site, teams must use a player’s minor-league option or designate that player for assignment. Doing so exposes that player to waivers. We saw that happen earlier this season with Christian Colón.

With the Reds struggling to score runs and the bullpen struggling to maintain leads, surely there are some better options at Prasco Park, right? If so, who should Cincinnati designate for assignment or option to the alternate site in order to bring up a replacement?