3 Reds players most in danger of losing their 40-man roster spot

A spot on the Cincinnati Reds 40-man roster is going to be hard to come by in 2023. The club added players like Elly De La Cruz and Noelvi Marte in order to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft, but neither is expected to be part of the Reds Opening Day roster.

The Reds also have non-roster invitees like Chad Pinder, Jason Vosler, and Matt McLain who will be looking to secure a spot on the 40-man roster. This will surely put a few players currently on the 40-man roster at risk.

Two spots will surely open up with Tejay Antone and Vladimir Gutierrez both likely to be placed on the 60-day IL to begin the season, but that may not be enough. Some difficult decisions could be on the horizon. Which three Reds players are most at risk of losing their 40-man roster spot?

1. Reds pitcher Casey Legumina is in danger of losing his 40-man roster spot.

Who? Several Reds fans may not have even heard of Casey Legumina. The right-hander was acquired from the Minnesota Twins earlier this offseason after Cincinnati shipped former shortstop Kyle Farmer to Minneapolis.

Legumina has yet to make his major league debut, at almost 26 years old, the former eighth-round pick may not be part of the Cincinnati Reds organization for very long. Legumina pitched in both High-A and Double-A last season, but his numbers were rather pedestrian.

The right-hander served as a starter during the early-part of the 2022 season, but wound up as a reliever before the season ended. Legumina went 2-6 with a 4.80 ERA and 92 punch outs over 86.1 innings of work.

Once he switched to the bullpen, Casey Legumina pitched rather well. He struck out 26 batters over 17.2 innings and posted an ERA of just 2.55 along with a walk-rate of just 7.9%. But if he wants to stay on the Cincinnati Reds 40-man roster, Legumina is going to have to bring that same level of production to Goodyear this spring.