3 non-roster invitees who will make Reds Opening Day roster and 2 who will come up just short

Reds non-roster invitee Hunter Strickland will not be on the Reds Opening Day roster.

There were a lot of Reds fans that laughed or rolled their eyes at the idea of bringing back Hunter Strickland this spring. But before you get too worked up about the reliever rejoining the Cincinnati Reds, let's remember that it's only a minor-league deal.

Last season, the Reds brought in Strickland to be the team's closer. That was a mistake and Strickland struggled mightily. It wasn't until the dog days of summer that Reds manager David Bell finally relented and allowed Alexis Diaz to take over as the team's permanent closer.

This spring, Strickland is not being handed a job. In fact, he'll have to outwork a lot of other pitchers in order to find his way back onto the 26-man roster. He does have this working in favor - the Reds will be without Tejay Antone and Vladimir Gutierrez to begin the 2023 season.

There's also the possibility that Tony Santillan may miss some time early-on as well. That's potentially three spots in the Cincinnati bullpen that could be up for grabs. But with Cincinnati looking to add another left-hander to the relief corps, that will already count against Strickland.

Hunter Strickland did provide a veteran presence last season, and for all the injuries that Cincinnati incurred in 2022, the right-hander was not one of them. Strickland will have to see some things break his way in order to break camp with the Cincinnati Reds. In the end, look for Strickland to come up just short.