One of the Reds newest roster additions has been dominant in winter league play

The Cincinnati Reds added pitcher Daniel Duarte to the 40-man roster shortly before the MLB lockout in order to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. The right-hander pitched for Caneros de los Mochis of the Mexican Winter League and has dominated opposing batters.

Duarte, who went through three different levels of the Reds minor league system in 2021, has made 17 appearances for Los Mochis and posted a 1.04 ERA with 22 punch outs over 17.1 innings of work. That's a K/9 of 11.4.

Daniel Duarte is looking to make an impact for the Reds in 2022.

Daniel Duarte has as good of chance as any player on the Cincinnati Reds roster to be part of the team's Opening Day roster. With the bullpen in disarray, a solid showing during spring training could help Duarte make the squad out of Goodyear.

The Reds will enter the 2022 season without Michael Lorenzen, who signed with the Los Angeles Angels shortly before the MLB lockout. Tejay Antone underwent Tommy John surgery last summer, and will miss the entire 2022 season. Mychal Givens is a free agent and also unlikely to return.

The Reds have very few surefire hurlers who'll be part of next year's bullpen. Having no minor league options remaining, Lucas Sims, Luis Cessa, Amir Garrett, and Justin Wilson will all begin the 2022 season in the pen. It's highly likely that Art Warren and Tony Santillan will join them.

But, beyond that, all bets are off. In addition to Daniel Duarte, Jeff Hoffman, Ryan Hendrix, Jared Solomon, Riley O'Brien, Dauri Moreta, and Alexis Diaz will all be battling during spring training for a spot in the Cincinnati bullpen.

Duarte went 17.2 innings between High-A Dayton and Double-A Chattanooga last season. In those 15 games, the 25-year-old struck out 22 batters and allowed an ERA of 5.09. But once he arrived at Triple-A Louisville, Duarte went four innings in three games and didn't allow a hit while striking out seven of the 12 batters he faced.

Daniel Duarte will be given a chance to earn a spot on the Cincinnati Reds Opening Day roster, and his play in the Mexican Winter League will certainly help his chances. Having just been added to the 40-man roster, Duarte also has three minor league options remaining, and we should expect he'll be yo-yo'd between the Queen City and Louisville a lot next season.