3 pitchers who could help fortify the Reds exhausted bullpen

3. Joel Kuhnel could help fortify the Reds exhausted bullpen

Speaking of the aforementioned Joel Kuhnel, one of the easiest ways to add a fresh arm to the Cincinnati Reds bullpen would be to recall the 28-year-old. Kuhnel is already on the Reds 40-man roster, so a quick one-for-one is very doable.

Kuhnel has been on and off the Reds 40-man roster for the past few seasons, so there's obviously something the coaching staff likes about his makeup. Kuhnel suffered through a shoulder injury in 2021, but made over 50 appearances for Cincinnati last season.

You know what you're going to get with Kuhnel. He's going to keep the base paths clear with a career walk-rate less than 10-percent, but he's also going to get hit, and hit hard. Last season, according to FanGraphs, Kuhnel's hard-hit rate was nearly 40-percent. That's not very encouraging.

As mentioned earlier, Kuhnel is struggling at Triple-A this season. The right-hander is 0-2 with an 8.44 ERA and nine strikeouts in 16 innings of work. On merit, Kuhnel has not earned the opportunity to make it back to The Show, but with so many injuries, he's one of the few relievers in the minors who's currently on the 40-man roster.

Fernando Cruz has yet to begin his rehab assignment, Frank German joined the organization earlier this month, Ricky Karcher has been wildly erratic, and Levi Stoudt is a starter. If you're looking for help from the 40-man roster, Kuhnel is probably your best bet.