4 biggest surprises on the Cincinnati Reds 2022 Opening Day roster

While nothing has become official yet, for all intents and purposes the Cincinnati Reds 2022 Opening Day roster is set. Several names are quite familiar. Joey Votto, Tyler Mahle, and Nick Senzel are all back for the 2022 season.

But there are a lot of changes as well. The front office made several trades this offseason. Sonny Gray, Amir Garrett, Eugenio Suárez, Tucker Barnhart, and Jesse Winker are not going to be part of the Reds Opening Day roster this season.

A slew of injuries has also rocked the Cincinnati clubhouse this spring. The team's ace, Luis Castillo, will open the season the Injured List. Offseason pickups Donovan Solano and Mike Minor will also be placed on the IL to begin the 2022 season.

With all the transactions and injuries, the Cincinnati Reds are bound to have some surprises on their Opening Day roster. Last season's biggest surprise might have been the addition of eventual NL Rookie of the Year Jonathan India to the starting lineup. Which players on the Reds Opening Day roster are the biggest surprises?

1. Hunter Greene, Reds right-handed pitcher

Admit it, you're surprised to see Hunter Greene on the Cincinnati Reds Opening Day roster. Greene, the team's top prospect, could have easily been deemed "not yet ready for the major leagues" and the Reds could have manipulated the right-hander's service time with an eye toward keeping the 22-year-old under team control for an extra year.

But instead, Greene will make his major league debut on Sunday against the Atlanta Braves. The flamethrower is one of the most exciting prospects Cincinnati has had since Jay Bruce debuted in 2008. If he reaches his ceiling, Greene has franchise-altering potential and can lead the Reds rotation over the next five years.

I, for one, am stunned that Hunter Greene will be breaking camp with the Cincinnati Reds. Had it not been for injuries to Luis Castillo and Mike Minor, that might not have been the case. But Reds fans are about the witness the former first-round pick make his big league debut in just a few days. Get ready for the radar gun to be reading triple-digits on a regular basis.

2. Ryan Hendrix, Reds right-handed pitcher

It's very surprising to see Ryan Hendrix's name among the group of relievers on the Cincinnati Reds Opening Day roster. Hendrix had a tumultuous rookie campaign in 2021, and I thought for sure that he'd lose his spot on the 40-man roster prior to the start of the 2022 season.

Hendrix went 5-1 with a 5.97 ERA in 36 appearances for the Reds last season. The right-hander had 35 punch outs in 31.2 innings of work, but his 1.547 WHIP was not a very attractive stat. Hendrix also gave up eight home runs and walked 16 batters.

Hendrix was optioned to Triple-A Louisville in late-July and never returned to the active roster. You're supposed to get better with a trip back to the minors, but Hendrix got worse. In 15.2 innings of work, Hendrix posted an ERA of 8.62 and an unsightly 12.3% walk-rate.

But Ryan Hendrix entered spring training with a chip on his shoulder and has been dominant in Cactus League play. The 27-year-old hasn't allowed a run all spring and has eight strikeouts in five innings pitched. If that carries over to the regular season, Hendrix could wind up as one of David Bell's high-leverage relievers.

4. Alexis Diaz, Reds right-handed pitcher

It's not incredibly surprising to see right-hander Daniel Duarte make the Cincinnati Reds Opening Day roster. Duarte posted a 12.05 K/9 and 31.2% strikeout-rate while pitching across three levels of the minor leagues last season.

But Alexis Diaz has yet to see time at Triple-A, so it's mildly surprising to see the Reds choose to go into the season with both right-handed rookies as part of the relief corps. Diaz, the brother of New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz, pitched in 35 games for Double-A Chattanooga last season.

In those 35 appearances, Diaz posted a 38.9% strikeout-rate, but also an 11.1% walk-rate. This spring, Diaz has four strikeouts in four inning of work. But, the right-hander also has two hit batsmen, has given up two hits, including a home run, and walked three batters.

Diaz will likely serve as a low-leverage reliever in the early-going of the 2022 season, and depending on how he or Duarte perform in the first five games of the season, one or the other will likely be sent to Triple-A Louisville in order to make room for Nick Lodolo.

There are definitely some surprises on the Cincinnati Reds 2022 roster, but most of them are good surprises. We've already seen the Reds make the surprising move to release Shogo Akiyama, so there may be more surprises around the corner this season.