Reds: 3 players who’ll force their way onto the roster by the All-Star break

3. Riley O’Brien, Reds relief pitcher

You can never have too many pitchers; especially relief pitchers. Injuries happen, early-season struggles sometimes become too deep to climb out of, and sometimes you just don’t have what it takes. We’ve already seen the Cincinnati Reds move on from Cam Bedrosian, and I think Sal Romano won’t be too far behind. If Big Sally is let go, look for Riley O’Brien to make his Reds debut.

Romano snuck onto the Reds Opening Day roster and played well early, but lately, the 27-year-old has reverted back to lack of production that plagued him in 2019. Over his last three appearances, Romano has struck out five batters, but also surrendered five earned runs. Romano’s ERA is currently sitting a 5.11. Another bad outing might be all she wrote for the New York native.

Luckily for Cincinnati, they have a young right-hander waiting in the wings. Riley O’Brien, who was acquired in lsat yea’s trade that saw Cody Reed shipped off to Tampa Bay, was added to the 40-man roster this past winter and seems primed to make his major league debut this season.

O’Brien has a tall and slender build, so many scouts feel that his best spot may be out the bullpen. O’Brien has a fastball that sits in the mid-90s, but can greet close to triple-digits on the radar gun. The 26-year-old is an extremely young prospect, ranked No. 16 in the Cincinnati farm system by MLB Pipeline.

Another name to keep an eye on is Vladimir Gutierrez. The hard-throwing right-hander will began the season serving the remainder of an 80-game suspension for PED use. His fastball/ curveball combo will likely pique the interest of the Cincinnati Reds front office and coaching staff.