3 players Elly De La Cruz could replace on the Reds roster

You can't stop him! Cincinnati Reds prospect Elly De La Cruz, whether you're ready or not, is on his way to the major leagues. It's only a matter of time.

But when De La Cruz does arrive, someone else is going to take a backseat to the budding star. Where De La Cruz lines up defensively is irrelevant; when the 21-year-old is recalled, he's going to play almost every day.

That's going to be bad news for one of the Reds current players. But which player is most likely to lose his spot when De La Cruz inevitably gets the call?

1. Elly De La Cruz could replace Jose Barrero on the Reds roster.

Probably the most obvious candidate to be replaced when Elly De La Cruz makes his major league debut is Jose Barrero. The former top prospect in the Reds organization may soon be replaced by one of the best prospects in all of baseball.

Barrero has played better this season than some may want to believe. According to FanGraphs, he's nearly doubled his walk-rate from a year ago, but is still striking out about once every three at-bats. since Matt McLain's promotion to the active roster, the 24-year-old has received the lion's share of his playing time in center field.

Barrero hasn't looked bad in the outfield either, but with TJ Friedl back from injury, how much playing time will Barrero really see on the outfield grass? And, if the Reds intention is to transform Barrero from an infielder to an outfielder, isn't that something that should be done in either the minor leagues or the offseason?

Jose Barrero has one minor league option remaining, and the Cincinnati Reds should use it. Optioning Barrero down to Triple-A and allowing him to get consistent ABs and reps in the outfield might be the only hope to resurrect his once promising major league career.

3. Elly De La Cruz could replace Stuart Fairchild on the Reds roster.

With Henry Ramos on the IL, Stuart Fairchild has received a few more starts in recent days. But the Cincinnati Reds outfielder fits the mold of a platoon outfielder moreso than an everyday player.

Fairchild's numbers on the season are not too bad for a part-time player. The 27-year-old owns a .232/.328/.364 with a 10-percent walk-rate. The batting average and on-base percentage are eerily similar to what Fairchild put up during his brief stay with the big league club at the end of last season, but the power numbers are down significantly.

Optioning Fairchild to Triple-A would give the young outfielder regular at-bats and clear the way for Jose Barrero and Nick Senzel to split time in the outfield, esspeically when a left-handed pitcher on the mound.

Fairchild sees a nice uptick in his batting average (.260) when a southpaw is in the game, but it's nowhere near Senzel's (.472). Barrero actually has reverse splits and hits better when facing right-handed pitching.

Sending Stuart Fairchild may be a bit unpopular, but it would strengthen the Cincinnati Reds bench. If Elly De La Cruz and Matt McLain are expected to see time on the left side of the infield, Nick Senzel will need to play somewhere, and that's likely to be in the outfield. More specifically, Senzel will be in the outfield against left-handed pitchers. That's been the role Fairchild has filled all season.