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.

2. Elly De La Cruz could replace Kevin Newman on the Reds roster.

Another infielder who could become a casualty once Elly De La Cruz makes his major league debut is Kevin Newman. The shortstop joined the club during the offseason after the Reds swung a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates that sent reliever Dauri Moreta to the Buccos.

Newman might have a bit more staying power than the aforementioned Jose Barrero, but not much. Newman has caught fire of late at the dish, but his defensive play leaves a lot to the imagination.

According to FanGraphs, Newman was been worth -2 outs above average (OAA) and -7 defensive runs saved (DRS) while playing shortstop, as well as second and third base.

Newman's 5.1-percent walk-rate is right in line with his career average as is his 12-percent strikeout-rate. Newman is that steady, veteran presence that most contending teams would like to have, but it's questionable what his role actually is with this year's Reds team.

Kevin Newman has minor league options remaining, so if the Reds would prefer to keep Jose Barrero in the outfield and send the former Pirates infielder down to Triple-A Louisville, that's certainly a possibility. The best case scenario for both Newman and the Reds would be another ball club looking to swing a trade for the veteran shortstop.