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3 Reds players in danger of losing their 40-man roster spot to Matt McLain

By Drew Koch |
Cincinnati Reds infielder Matt McLain
Cincinnati Reds infielder Matt McLain / Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY
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Matt McLain is slated to make his major league debut later today when the Cincinnati Reds battle the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.

Reds fans have been very patient with the team's front office after watching McLain absolutely torch opposing pitchers down at Triple-A. McLain was hitting .364/.464/.713 with 12 homers in just 37 games this season.

But, McLain is not on the Reds 40-man roster, which means a corresponding move must be made. Which three players are in danger of losing their spot on the Reds 40-man roster?

1. Reds pitcher Joel Kuhnel could lose his 40-man roster spot to Matt McLain.

Wait, a pitcher? I thought Matt McLain played shortstop. He does, and don't worry; he's not switching positions. Joel Kuhnel, who was part of the Cincinnati Reds Opening Day roster, has not performed well in the minor leagues this season.

Kuhnel pitched in just one game for the Redlegs earlier this season and was optioned to Triple-A Louisville in early-April. Kuhnel has made 13 relief appearances for the Louisville Bats this season and is 0-9 with a 9.00 ERA and only nine punch outs in 14 innings of work. The right-hander has also walked seven batters.

The Reds could designate Kuhnel for assignment, option one of their struggling shortstops to the minors, and select the contract of Matt McLain. Both Jose Barrero and Kevin Newman have looked pretty bad, both on the field and in the batters' box.

Perhaps it's time to send Barrero down to Triple-A and attempt to salvage his career by moving him to the outfield. Cincinnati has experimented with that in the past, and Barrero has received a handful of innings in center field this season as well.

Given the current state of the Cincinnati Reds pitching staff, there's little reason to believe that the front office will weaken the starting rotation or the bullpen by removing an active pitcher from the roster in order to call up McLain on Monday. But Joel Kuhnel is not on the active roster.

2. Reds infielder Kevin Newman could lose his 40-man roster spot to Matt McLain.

This may be the easiest way for the Cincinnati Reds to call up Matt McLain, but it also feels like the most unlikely. In this scenario, the Reds would designate Kevin Newman for assignment, which would open the door for McLain to become Cincinnati's everyday shortstop.

The Reds just traded for Newman during the offseason, and gave up talented reliever Dauri Moreta in order to do it. By the way, Moreta has made 16 appearances out of the bullpen and has an ERA of 2.37 with 26 strikeouts in 19 innings of work. But, let's move on.

Newman has been on the struggle bus lately. The former Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop is hitting a measly .237/.273/.323, though in his last seven games, Newman is 6-for-20 with no strikeouts. The 29-year-old was 2-for-3 in yesterday's game versus the Miami Marlins.

But it's been on the defensive side where things have unraveled. Newman's infield defense has been shaky at best. During Sunday's game, Newman made at least two, if not three, miscues. On the season, Newman has two errors, a fielding percentage of .969, and, according to Fielding Bible, -4 defensive runs saved (DRS).

In hindsight, the trade looks like a major whiff on the part of the Cincinnati Reds. The team was looking to add an insurance policy at shortstop in case Jose Barrero struggled to overcome last year's failures. Well, Barrero is still struggling and Newman has done nothing to solidify his spot either.

Regardless of how the Reds clear the roster spot, Kevin Newman's time as the starting shortstop in Cincinnati may be coming to a close. Newman has one minor league option remaining, so the Reds could just send him to Triple-A. But, the team would still need to make room on the 40-man roster for Matt McLain.

3. Reds first baseman Joey Votto could lose his 40-man roster spot to Matt McLain.

Settle down. No, the Cincinnati Reds are not going to trade or DFA Joey Votto, though there may be a certain segment of fans who'd prefer to see that. But, the Reds could move Votto from the 10-day to the 60-day IL in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.

Votto wouldn't technically be losing his 40-man roster spot, but rather, the Reds would using his injury designation in order to add Matt McLain to the roster. The Reds did this on Sunday when Connor Overton and Reiver Sanmartin were added to the 60-day IL in order to call up reinforcements from Triple-A Louisville.

Fans have seen or heard much from Joey Votto since spring training. It looked as though Votto was doing enough to be part of the Opening Day roster, but instead, the Reds sent the former NL MVP to Triple-A Louisville for a rehab assignment to begin the season.

Votto struggled with the Louisville Bats. After hitting a home run in his first at-bat, Votto went 6-for-38 (.159) and struck out 21 times. The Reds removed Votto from the rehab assignment before his 20 days were up, and the six-time All-Star has since been continuing his rehabilitation in Cincinnati.

The Cincinnati Reds could shift Joey Votto to the 60-day IL, option Kevin Newman or Jose Barrero to Triple-A Louisville, and then select the contract of Matt McLain. Votto's placement on the 60-day IL would be retroactive to the day he was placed on the 10-day IL, so if he's healthy, the team would be able to recall him by the end of the month.

This would be the easiest way to get Matt McLain up to the big leagues without losing a single player from the 40-man roster. Fans will have to tune in later today to see how the Reds roster shakes out.

Next. Ranking the Reds 10 most important young players. dark

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