2 Reds minor leaguers in danger of losing their 40-man roster spot and 1 who will remain

The Cincinnati Reds' 40-man roster will be a big topic of discussion once the 2022 season officially comes to a close. But let's look ahead and see what the fate may be for a few of the Reds minor leaguers.

As many know, the Reds will look to add at least half-a-dozen prospects to the team's 40-man roster in the coming months. With those additions on the horizon, the Cincinnati front office will also have to take into considerations a few subtractions. With so few free agents on this year's team, the Reds will have to non-tender several players before this winter's deadline.

With Low-A Daytona, High-A Dayton, and now Double-A Chattanooga having finished their respective minor league seasons, the only minor league players still active for the Reds are at Triple-A Louisville. The only minor league player on the Reds 40-man roster who's not at Triple-A is Allan Cerda, and he's not going anywhere. But which minor league players might be on their way out?

Reds minor leaguer Mark Kolozsvary is in danger of losing his roster spot.

There's zero chance that the Cincinnati Reds keep six catchers on the team's 40-man roster during the offseason. In fact, fans may only see three backstops on the Reds roster and the only one guaranteed a spot is Tyler Stephenson.

In addition to Stephenson, Mark Kolozsvary, Michael Papierski, Aramis Garcia, Chuckie Robinson, and Austin Rominie are all on the 40-man roster. Robinson's story has been fun to follow, but he looks like little more than a minor league catcher. Romine will be a free agent at the end of the year, and Garcia could very well be non-tendered this offseason.

But it's hard to see Cincinnati keeping only Tyler Stephenson on the offseason roster, so it may come down to Papierski and Kolozsvary. Both have minor league options remaining, and believe it or not, Papierski is actually the younger of the two.

Michael Papierski is also a switch-hitter, which is something that will add to his value. Neither Papierski nor Mark Kolozsvary have shown that they're capable to be much more than a back up catcher in the big leagues, but the Reds will need at least one addition backstop. Neither catcher should feel comfortable heading into the final week of the minor league season.

Reds minor leaguer Art Warren is likely to keep his roster spot.

It may be a bit unfair to call Art Warren a minor leaguer, but the fact of the matter is that his performance was so bad in the majors this season, Cincinnati had no choice but to option the Ohio native to Triple-A earlier this month.

But it's too early to just give up Warren having a bounce-back season in 2023. Warren is under team control through the 2027 season and is still pre-arbitration eligible. Unlike the aforementioned Ryan Hendrix and Jared Solomon, Warren has had previous success in the big leagues.

Warren was expected to be a key piece at the backend of David Bell's bullpen this season. Along with Tony Santillan, Hunter Strickland, and Lucas Sims, the quartet was supposed to be a talented group of reliable relievers. But here we are at the end of the season and the unquestioned closer for the Cincinnati Reds is Alexis Diaz.

Still, Warren could serve a valuable role on the Reds next season, and there's no reason for Cincinnati to cut the right-hander lose because of one bad season. Relievers are notoriously inconsistent from year to year and Warren did have a 24.2% strikeout-rate this season. The problem, as it was for so many of Cincinnati's pitchers, was the high walk-rate (13.3%).

Art Warren is one year removed from putting up a 1.29 ERA and 34 punch outs over 21 innings. That's not the type of talent that a team should so readily move on from. Look for Warren to be back next season, but he could be on a very short leash.