Latest Reds roster cut leaves just one question unanswered as Opening Day approaches

The Cincinnati Reds continued to trim the roster after Joe La Sorsa, a left-handed non-roster invitee who'd thrown the ball quite well this spring, was reassigned to minor-league camp on Friday.

Many fans and observers assumed La Sorsa had a legitimate chance to break camp with the big league club. The lefty threw six shutout innings this spring with six strikeouts. Instead, Cincinnati will attempt to pass him through waivers and stash the southpaw away in the minors.

Reassigning La Sorsa all but guarantees that Sam Moll will definitely be part of the Reds Opening Day roster. This was the assumption heading into spring camp, but a shaky start during Cactus League play certainly raised some concern. Moll has since righted the ship and will likely be the third left-handed reliever coming out of the Reds bullpen when the 2025 season begins next week.

Who gets the final spot in the Reds bullpen?

La Sorsa was also battling with Ian Gibaut for one of the final spots in the Reds bullpen. Both were non-roster invitees, but Tyler Stephenson's injury will force Cincinnati to add Austin Wynns to the roster. With that likely addition, there will be just one opening on the 40-man roster after the Reds move Brandon Williamson to the 60-day IL. It would appear that Gibaut will now be part of the Reds Opening Day roster.

So the Reds Opening Day roster will now feature a relief corps of Moll, Gibaut, Taylor Rogers, Scott Barlow, Tony Santillan, Brent Suter, and Emilio Pagán. That's seven, meaning there's still one spot left in the Reds bullpen. But who gets it? With Carson Spiers now part of the Reds starting rotation, it'll be either newly-minted reliever Graham Ashcraft or the Reds' struggling closer Alexis Díaz.

Based on how both pitchers have performed this spring — and Terry Francona's recent comments — the choice would seem to be obvious. Ashcraft has outperformed Díaz this spring. Díaz has really struggled with his command of late, landing just 10 of his 20 pitches for strikes in Friday's Cactus League game against the Chicago White Sox.

Both players have minor-league options remaining, so the question becomes, which one of Díaz or Ashcraft will begin the year in the minors? In Díaz's case, due to the lingering effects of a hamstring injury he endured earlier this spring, he may actually find his way to the 15-day IL at the outset of the 2025 season.

The Reds will be heading back to Ohio on Sunday, and Francona will undoubtedly shed some light on what the team's Opening Day roster will look like in the coming days.

More Cincinnati Reds News and Rumors