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?

1. Reds outfielder Travis Jankowski

It’s time. In fact, it’s well past time for Travis Jankowski to be optioned to the alternate site. To be honest, I don’t know how he’s lasted this long on the roster. Jankowski is a spot starter at best, and there are plenty of other options already on the active roster or at Prasco Park that would provide Cincinnati with better results on the field.

I don’t want to pick apart Jankowski’s game, but we know what he is. He’s fast! That’s great if you can afford to utilize a roster spot for a player that fills a niche. However, in this 60-game season, despite the additional roster spots, Jankowski is taking up a spot that could be used for someone who can actually get on base.

In 15 at-bats, Jankowski has one hit (0.67 batting average). What good is having someone with speed on the base paths if they can’t get on the base paths? It’s also not as if Jankowski is lightyears faster than some of the other players on the Reds.

Jankowski’s sprint speed last season, according to Baseball Savant, was 27.4 feet per second. That’s actually the lowest of his career. Nick Senzel’s sprint speed of 29.0 feet per second is in the Top 4% of the league this season. Even Phillip Ervin, while not a burner, has a respectable sprint speed of 27.2 feet per second. Travis Jankowski is replaceable.

3. Reds reliever Cody Reed

I struggled with this one, as there are a few other names that crossed my mind. However, in the end, I find it incredibly hard to trust Cody Reed on the hill. Yes, his last trip to the mound was somewhat successful, going 2.2 innings and allowing just one hit while striking out three. However, let’s look at the context of that game.

That appearance from Reed followed Anthony DeSclafani’s worse start of his career. Disco allowed nine runs in the first two innings and was replaced by Reed in the third inning. The Reds were down 9-1 when Reed entered the game. That’s about as low-pressure of a situation as you’ll see.

I’m not here to bash Reed for that performance, as he should be commended for coming in and doing his job, effectively quieting the Pirates bats. However, Cody Reed hasn’t had a very successful track record and has surrendered two runs in three of his seven appearances this season.

Reed’s ERA is currently sitting at 7.04 through 7.2 innings of work. Reed has just six strikeouts and his 12.8% walk-rate is not very encouraging. With Cody Reed out of minor league options, should the Cincinnati Reds send the left-hander down, he’d be designated for assignment and have to clear waivers before being able to return to the team’s 60-man player pool.

Is it time to give up on Cody Reed? One more poor outing might be enough for the Reds front office to make a move. Cincinnati does not have another left-handed reliever on the 40-man roster, but Jesse Biddle, Brandon Finnegan and Nick Lodolo are currently at the team’s alternate site in Mason.