Nick Martini's impending return has Reds poised to make familiar roster mistake

The Cincinnati Reds recently sent Nick Martini on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Louisville. Reds fans will remember Martini for his Opening Day heroics earlier this season and his penchant for coming up clutch.

The veteran outfielder made his presence felt rather quickly upon returning to the Louisville Bats' roster. Martini has played in two games, and is 3-for-10 with two home runs and four RBI. The Reds would not send Martini on a rehab assignment unless they had plans to activate him from the IL. Martini could be recalled as early as Tuesday.

But when Martini inevitably rejoins the Reds active roster, someone will have to be sent down or placed on the injured list. With Martini being on the 60-day, he'll need a spot on the 40-man roster as well.

Nick Martini should replace Will Benson on the Reds roster, but he won't

The Reds could simply solve that issue by transferring Jeimer Candelario from the 10-day to the 60-day IL as he's unlikely to return this season. But that still leaves one more move to make, and the Reds will surely bungle this as they've done so often in the past.

The Reds should have already sent Will Benson back to Triple-A, but for some odd reason, the front office feels that keeping the struggling outfielder on the roster will somehow help him to magically fix the gigantic hole in his swing. Benson is striking out 39.8% of the time. That's among the worst in all of baseball.

Benson was hit on the fingertip last week while attempting to bunt and was in severe pain. The Reds outfielder exited the game, and while X-rays did not reveal a fracture, manager David Bell mentioned that Benson would likely miss some games. There's still a chance that Benson could land on the IL in order to activate Martini prior to Tuesday's game against the Atlanta Braves.

Don't be shocked if Reds OF Blake Dunn is sent back to the minor leagues

But the Reds have consistently refused to send Benson down to Triple-A this season. There's been several opportunities to do so, and yet, Cincinnati's front office just won't do it. Benson is hitting just .192/.280/.390 on the year.

Blake Dunn, who's acted as little more than a pinch runner or defensive replacement since his return to the active roster earlier this month, may well get the axe when Martini returns to the lineup. While Dunn has had little impact on this year's team, it would be wise for the Reds to offer him some additional at-bats and playing time in the major leagues to end the season.

Benson is pre-arbitration eligible this season, and that's a good thing. If Benson were in line for a raise this offseason, Cincinnati's brass would likely be thinking long and hard about non-tendering him. As it stands, expect Benson to remain on the 40-man roster over the winter, but his time on the active roster for the remainder of the 2024 season should be over.

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