Projecting the Cincinnati Reds 2022 Opening Day roster 2.0

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto (19) recognizes the crowd after exiting a spring training practice.
Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto (19) recognizes the crowd after exiting a spring training practice. | Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY
5 of 5
Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Luis Cessa (85) celebrates after pitching a scoreless inning.
Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Luis Cessa (85) celebrates after pitching a scoreless inning. | Sam Greene via Imagn Content Services,

Cincinnati Reds bullpen (8)

Tony Santillan (RHP), Luis Cessa (RHP), Justin Wilson (LHP), Jeff Hoffman (RHP), Art Warren (RHP), Reiver Sanmartin (LHP), Joel Kuhnel (RHP), Kyle Zimmer (RHP)

With Lucas Sims likely to miss the first little bit of the 2022 season due to some injuries he endured during the offseason, at least one spot in the Cincinnati Reds bullpen will be up for grabs. Amir Garrett was traded to the Kansas City Royals as well, meaning there's an additional spot one of the young hurlers could take aim at.

Jeff Hoffman, Luis Cessa, Justin Wilson, and Art Warren feel about as close to locks for the Opening Day roster as they come. Neither Hoffman nor Cessa have any minor league options remaining, so if the Reds want to keep them in the organization, they'll be part of the bullpen. Wilson will be the most experienced southpaw in the bullpen, and Warren excelled after returning from injury in 2021.

Tony Santillan and Reiver Sanmartin have both been mentioned as possible starters. But, given the addition of Mike Minor to the rotation and the subtraction of AG from the relief corps, I'm thinking we'll see the Sanmartin take on a role in Cincinnati's bullpen. Santillan thrived as a reliever in 2021, and with the depth of starting pitching, the right-hander would be better utilized out of the bullpen.

Those last two spots are anybody's guess, and likely to go to a pair of hurlers that are currently not on the 40-man roster, but have minor league options remaining. In the early going, every team is going to avoid overworking their bullpen. For now, I'm going to go with former first-round pick Kyle Zimmer and the flamethrower Joel Kuhnel.

So there you have it, Reds Country. That's certainly a far cry from the Cincinnati Reds Opening Day predictions we published last week. Let's hope that the upcoming week isn't as devastating to the Cincinnati faithful as this past week was. Yikes!

Schedule