3 Reds players whose 40-man roster spot is in jeopardy once Andrew Abbott is added

Andrew Abbott was added to the Cincinnati Reds taxi squad on Sunday morning, and the left-hander will get his first major league start on Monday night against the Milwaukee Brewers.

The addition of Abbott is not a sign that Graham Ashcraft's struggles have landed him back in the minors, but rather it's due to a minor hip injury that Hunter Greene is dealing with. Rather than place Greene on the IL, the hope is that pushing his next start back will afford the flamethrower time to recuperate.

But, since Abbott isn't on the 40-man roster, somebody's got to go. The Reds placed Nick Lodolo the 60-day IL just last week, that option is off the table. Which three Reds player's are in jeopardy of losing their roster spot to the Reds newcomer?

1. Reds RHP Alan Busenitz could lose his 40-man roster spot to Andrew Abbott.

This seems like the most likely scenario, doesn't it? While designating Alan Busenitz for assignment doesn't create a spot on the active roster, it does allow Andrew Abbott to join the 40-man roster. The Cincinnati Reds could then choose to option a reliever like Kevin Herget or Eduardo Salazar.

Busenitz's contract was selected a couple weeks back when the Reds were going through relievers like they were going out of style. At the time, the Reds rotation was barely able to give David Bell four innings each night, and the Cincinnati bullpen was utterly exhausted.

Busentiz is currently down at Triple-A. In his four appearances in the big leagues, the 32-year-old owns a 4.50 ERA and has three strikeouts to just one walk. Busenitz has been part of the Reds 40-man roster since mid-May, but his time may be coming to an end.

If the Cincinnati Reds choose to DFA Alan Busenitz, he could always be reassigned to Triple-A Louisville if the right-hander clears waivers. With pitchers like Tony Santillan and Tejay Antone nearing a return, Busenitz's long-term future looked anything but secure.