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

3. Reds RHP Joel Kuhnel could lose his 40-man roster spot to Andrew Abbott.

Alan Busenitz hasn't done himself any favors, but fellow right-handed pitcher Joel Kuhnel could be in the same boat. Kuhnel's youth might be the only thing on his side when it comes time to make decision on Monday, because his performance this season has not been very good.

Kuhnel actually broke camp with the big leagues club, but one appearance was all the hard-throwing right-hander received before being optioned to Triple-A. Kuhnel has not been recalled, and was passed over when the Reds selected the likes of Busenitz, Eduardo Salazar, and Silvino Brancho.

But Cincinnati did designate Brancho for assignment despite a solid showing during his time in the bigs, so at least Kuhnel has that going for him. The Reds have had multiple opportunities to DFA Kuhnel, but the 28-year-old would seem to have more lives than a cat.

Monday could be the end of the line for Kuhnel, however, as he has the same number of punch outs (11) in Triple-A this season as he does free passes. According To FanGraphs, Joel Kuhnel has a 8.02 ERA in the minors, but his xFIP is 5.88. Neither of those numbers are very good.

As was mentioned earlier with Alan Busnitz, DFA'ing Kuhnel would only clear a 40-man spot for Andrew Abbott. The Cincinnati Reds would have to still option a player from the 26-man roster, but pitchers like Kevin Herget and even Fernando Cruz could fall victim to that fate in order to make room on the active roster.