Reds: 3 additional bullpen arms who must be recalled immediately

3. Vladimir Gutierrez, Reds right-handed pitcher

With his suspension now over, it’s time for the Cincinnati Reds to call up Vladimir Gutierrez. In fact, it’s past time. Once he became eligible, Cincinnati’s front office should have rushed Gutierrez to the bigs and inserted him in place of José De León as the Reds’ long-man out of the bullpen. Gutierrez has long been viewed as a starter, but his stuff may work better in shorter outings.

Gutierrez was suspended for 80 games following his use of performance enhancing drugs. But the right-handed has been reinstated and assigned to the alternate site. However, Cincinnati needs to forgo the idea of turning Gutierrez into a starter and bring the hard-throwing Cuban to the big leagues.

Gutierrez’s ascension to the majors feels inevitable this season. Had 2020 been a normal year in terms of a 162-game season, it’s likely we would’ve seen Gutierrez after he served his suspension. Gutierrez has a fastball that sits in the low-90s, but he can add some more velocity, especially if the Reds turn him into a reliever.

The Reds rotation is crowded. In addition to the current five, you’ve got pitchers like Tejay Antone, Tony Santillan, Nick Lodolo, Hunter Greene, and Lyon Richardson climbing the ladder. Cincinnati had hoped to bring Gutierrez along as back-of-the-rotation starter as well, but he may be better served as a reliever; at least this season.

The Cincinnati Reds front office cannot just sit on their hands any longer. Heath Hembree has been a welcome sight, and Ryan Hendrix has shown flashes as well. While we know the Reds are unlikely to sign a free agent or make a flashy trade for a reliable reliever, they can’t allow David Bell to continue to run out the likes of José De León and Sal Romano. It’s not working.