3 Reds pitchers who will be tested early and often in 2022

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The MLB lockout and abbreviated spring training has taken a toll on a specific group of players; namely pitchers. More specifically, starting pitchers. The Cincinnati Reds will be without Luis Castillo and Mike Minor to begin the 2022 season.

And it's not just the Reds. Former Cincinnati pitcher Sonny Gray has yet to pitch in a Grapefruit League game for his new team, though the Minnesota Twins right-hander did take the hill in a minor league game just the other day.

Starting pitchers throughout Major League Baseball are behind, and that's bound to put more pressure on another group of players during the early-going. Which Cincinnati Reds relievers will be tested early and often in 2022?

1. Reds RHP Jeff Hoffman will be tested early and often.

Last year was Jeff Hoffman's first with the Cincinnati Reds and it came with mixed results. The Reds rotation was banged up to begin the 2021 season, so Hoffman was thrust into action as a starter. The early results were okay, but after his second start, it became apparent that the former Colorado Rockies hurler needed to transition to the bullpen.

As a starter, Hoffman appeared in 11 games and posted a 5.20 ERA, allowing 26 runs over 45 innings and striking out 29 batters. However, after returning from the IL, David Bell made the decision to move Hoffman to the bullpen where the right-hander excelled in 20 relief appearances.

Over 28 innings of work, Hoffman struck out 40 batters and posted a 3.54 ERA. Hoffman's K/9 jumped from 7.8 as a starter to 12.9 as a reliever. While the 29-year-old still struggled with the long ball, Hoffman looked much more settled coming out of the Reds bullpen.

Jeff Hoffman will be part of the Cincinnati Reds 2022 Opening Day roster, and could be a very solid option as a long reliever out of the bullpen. If one of the starters gets into trouble early, look for Hoffman to come on in relief. Nine of Hoffman's 28 relief appearances in 2021 exceeded one inning.

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Tony Santillan (64) checks the runner at first base during a spring training game. / Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY

2. Reds RHP Tony Santillan will be tested early and often.

It still hasn't been decided what Tony Santillan's role will be with the Cincinnati Reds in 2022, but it;s looking more and more like last year's rookie is ticketed for the bullpen. During the start of the season, it's easy to Santillan coming on in relief for two or even three innings of work. But as the season goes along, the right-hander could be a weapon late in games.

Much like the aforementioned Jeff Hoffman, Santillan tried his hand in the Reds rotation last season. In four starts, the former second-round pick went just 16.2 innings and posted a respectable 3.78 ERA. However, opposing batters were lighting up Santillan to the tune of an .883 OPS.

Santillan was sent back to Triple-A Louisville midway through the season with the idea of transforming the right-hander from a starter to the reliever. The difference was staggering. Santillan appeared 26.2 innings out of the Reds bullpen and posted a 2.36 ERA while allowing a measly .173 batting average to opposing hitters.

Tony Santillan is still in the mix to open the 2022 season as a starter, but with Reiver Sanmartin, Nick Lodolo, and Hunter Greene in that group as well, the Cincinnati Reds would be better served to allow Santillan to come on in relief in the event that one of the rookie starter struggles.

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Tyler Mahle (30) delivers during a spring training game. / Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY

3. Reds RHP Tyler Mahle will be tested early and often.

Suggesting that Cincinnati Reds Opening Day starter Tyler Mahle will be tested early and often seems like a bit of misnomer, but I feel pretty confident about this. While Mahle, unlike Jeff Hoffman and Tony Santillan, will only pitch every fifth day, the Reds are counting on Mahle to go deep into games. That's something Mahle struggled with in 2021.

Forget Mahle's home/ road splits. Odd as they may be, when you pitch in the band box that is Great American Ball Park, your stats are bound to look different. But, what Mahle has to do in 2022 is avoid going deep into counts and thereby increasing his pitch count, which inevitably leads to an early exit.

If Mahle is flanked is by second-year starter Vladimir Gutierrez and a trio of rookies (Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, and Reiver Sanmartin), the coaching staff will need Mahle to get past the fifth and even sixth inning on a routine basis.

Tyler Mahle started 33 games in 2021 and was quite impressive. However, Mahle made it past the fifth inning just 18 times and pitched past the six inning on just six occasions. During the early-going, it shouldn't expected for Mahle to go six-plus innings on a regular basis, but the Reds cannot afford to see Mahle chased before completing five innings. That happened five times in 2021.

Next. Projecting the Cincinnati Reds Opening Day roster 3.0. dark

The Cincinnati Reds relief corps will be tested early and often in 2022, as will their veteran starter. If the Reds pitching staff can weather the storm during the first month of the season, Cincinnati could be in good shape when Luis Castillo and Mike Minor return.

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