These 2 Reds players may be on borrowed time with rehabbing veterans set to return

The Cincinnati Reds have a pair of veterans rehabbing at Triple-A Louisville with an eye on returning to the active roster very soon. Both Matt Reynolds and Albert Almora Jr. are currently on a rehab assignment with the Louisville Bats, but those will be coming to a close in the next week or so.

Once Reynolds and Almora Jr. are back up to speed, look for both to return to the active roster. Rehab assignments are limited to just 20 days and neither player has any minor league options remaining. That means when Reynolds and Almora Jr. return, two corresponding moves must accompany their return

But who will it be? While Alejo Lopez has yo-yo'd between Triple-A and the major leagues all season, his play of late demands that the infielder remain on the Reds active roster. However, two other players who have minor league options remaining will likely be sent back to the Derby City.

Stuart Fairchild and Colin Moran will likely be optioned off the Reds roster.

Both Stuart Fairchild and Colin Moran has minor league options remaining and neither has had a consistent presence in the Cincinnati Reds lineup over the last few weeks. Fairchild has shown power during his brief stay with the major league club, but the former second-round pick is unlikely to get playing time over TJ Friedl and Jake Fraley over the final few weeks of the 2022 season.

Moran has seen plenty of time in the major leagues during his tenure with the Pittsburgh Pirates. But Moran is a replacement-level player at this stage of his career, and after being designated for assignment earlier this season, it stands to reason that the Reds don't foresee the 29-year-old as part of the team's long-term future.

Now, just because both Matt Reynolds and Albert Almora Jr. rejoin the Cincinnati Reds does not mean that either should receive regular playing time over the likes of Spencer Steer, Alejo Lopez, and TJ Friedl. Reynolds and Almora Jr. should get little more than a spot-start every four or five days and fill in as a defensive replacement or pinch hitter as needed.