Reds: 4 difficult transactions Cincinnati must make in the coming days

In the coming days and weeks, the Cincinnati Reds will look much different. Mike Moustakas, Nick Senzel, and Lucas Sims all began a rehab assignment this past Friday, and Tejay Antone won’t be far behind. Nick Castellanos is currently rehabbing from a microfracture in his wrist, but once he’s on the mend, expect Cincinnati’s top bat back in the lineup.

All of the expected returns will have a ripple effect throughout the roster. When it’s time to recall Senzel, Moustakas, Castellanos, Sims, and Antone, corresponding moves must be made. Nick Krall and David Bell will have some difficult decisions to make in the coming days.

Who stays and who goes? That’s the dilemma that faces the Reds’ skipper and front office as several of Cincinnati’s injured players inch closer to a return. Over the next few days, the following transactions must take place.

1. Reds reinstate Mike Moustakas and option Max Schrock.

This is about as close to a no-brainer as possible. When Mike Moustakas is deemed ready to go, the Cincinnati Reds will need to option Max Schrock back to Triple-A Louisville. Schrock has likely gotten very familiar with the scenery up and down I-71 since the 2021 season.

Moustakas, like Schrock, can field both second and third base and hits from the left side. Moose, of course, is an All-Star caliber player and will certainly supplant the career-utility player on the active roster.

That’s not to say that we won’t see Schrock again this season. Obviously, if another Reds infielder incurs an injury this season, the 26-year-old will be on deck. Schrock has had a decent showing this season, hitting .243/.300/.486 in a very limited role off the bench.

Max Schrock has a future on this Reds team, potentially filling the role we’ve seen from Mike Freeman this season. Schrock has seen some time in the outfield, as well as first base, and could be a very versatile bench bat in the future.

2. Reds reinstate Nick Senzel and designate Mike Freeman for assignment.

This move may be a little more difficult, as reinstating Nick Senzel comes with the possibility of losing Mike Freeman to another ball club. However, Senzel’s potential and versatility to play all over the field trumps the desire to keep a journeyman infielder within the Reds’ organization.

Senzel was finally given the opportunity in 2021 to show his prowess as an infielder. Since his rookie season in 2019, Senzel has primarily played center field for the Cincinnati Reds after spending his entire college and minor league career as an infielder.

Senzel’s injury history can’t instill confidence in the Reds’ fanbase or coaching staff, but there’s no way the team just leaves Senzel in Triple-A for the remainder of the season. Where will the 25-year-old play upon his return? That’s a great question, but we could see Senzel take up residence at three or four different positions during the course of a single game.

This season, Senzel has played second and third base, as well as center field. There’s also a chance that David Bell gives Senzel the opportunity to play shortstop. Kyle Farmer has played well, but Senzel would be a much better option to fill in from time to time than Eugenio Suarez. The only days off Farmer has received in recent weeks have come when Freeman picks up the slack at shortstop.

I believe, at this time of year, few if any teams will take a flier on Mike Freeman. Unless he elects free agency, I expect to see Freeman accept an outright assignment to Triple-A Louisville and be standing by in the event he’s recalled back to Cincinnati at a later date.

4. Reds reinstate Nick Castellanos and designate Brad Brach for assignment.

This is a hard one for me, and I believe it’ll be a difficult decision for the Cincinnati Reds front office as well. Obviously, when Nick Castellanos is ready to return, he’ll need to be reinstated from the 10-day IL as soon as possible. But a corresponding move must be made, and I fear that reliever Brad Brach may be a casualty.

Now, there’s always the chance that Brach or any other member of the Reds’ relief corps might have “arm fatigue” or some other type of feigned injury that lands them on the 10-day IL. In fact, I think that’s more likely than Brach being designated for assignment. But given the constraints of these predictions, we’ll choose the more appropriate route.

The other reliever who’s job may be on the line when Castellanos returns to the Cincinnati lineup is fellow veteran Sean Doolittle. That said, over his last 15 appearances, Doolittle has a 2.92 ERA, six walks, and six punch outs over 12.1 innings of work. In Brach’s last 15 appearances, the right-hander has more strikeouts (12) but has five walks and an ERA of 5.68.

The Reds currently employ nine relievers, and you have to assume that number will eventually be whittled down to eight. Kyle Farmer has one minor-league option remaining and Tyler Naquin has two, but it’s hard to see Cincinnati sending either of those two down to Triple-A Louisville.

There’s also the matter of Tejay Antone’s impending return, so both Brach and Doolittle’s spots on the roster may be in jeopardy over the coming days and weeks. While it’s a toss up, we’ll ride the hot hand and assume that Doolittle survives and Brach is sent packing.