3 Reds players still in danger of losing their roster spot at the non-tender deadline

The deadline to protect prospects from the Rule 5 Draft has come and gone. The Cincinnati Reds made the decision to add six players, including Elly De La Cruz, to the 40-man roster.

In addition, six players were also removed from the roster. Outfielder Aristides Aquino and right-handed reliever Jeff Hoffman were among the players designated for assignment on Tuesday.

With the current Reds roster sitting at 40, any moves the front office may want to make (including adding a backup catcher and an outfielder) would require an additional roster spot to open up. Friday is the non-tender deadline. Which three Reds players are still in danger of losing their roster spot?

1. The Reds could still non-tender RHP Ian Gibaut.

Ian Gibaut pitched a total of 34.2 innings for the Cincinnati Reds in 2022. Acquired from the Cleveland Guardians midway through the season, the hard-throwing right-hander found a home in the Reds bullpen.

Gibaut slowly gained the trust of manager David Bell, and while the 28-year-old never really saw time late in games, he was entrusted to go more than one inning on several occasions last year. But there are some flaws with Gibaut's resumé.

Gibaut has a good one-two punch with his fastball and slider and posted a 31.2% strikeout-rate. But his walk-rate (11.7%) was higher than you'd like to see as was his .279 batting average against.

Gibaut is also out of minor league options. That may work in his favor, as the Reds are likely to feel more compelled to keep the right-hander on next year's Opening Day roster. However, the lack of options gives the Reds, well, fewer options.

When making these types of decisions, the Cincinnati Reds need to decide whether or not they view Ian Gibaut as a key piece of the next competitive squad or is he just a bridge to the 2024 season? If it's the latter, Gibaut could be non-tender candidate.

3. The Reds could still non-tender OF Nick Senzel.

This move could save the Cincinnati Reds some money - something that Bob Castellini likes to do. According to MLB Trade Rumors, Senzel will be owed approximately $2.2M in 2023 despite having one his worst performances in the batters' box.

Who is Nick Senzel? As Reds Country readies to enter Year 5 of the Senzel in center field experiment, it still feels as though the fans have no clue what to expect from the former first-round pick?

Have the injuries taken their toll? Yes. Did the Reds screw up his development by transitioning him to the outfield? Probably. But none of those things should impact what Senzel does when he's at the plate.

Despite playing in a career-high 110 games in 2022, Senzel posted the worst fWAR (-0.6) of his career and a mere 66 eRC+ according to FanGraphs. While so many Reds fans hold out hope that Senzel can one day ascend to heights that came with the hype of being the No. 2 overall pick, it just doesn't seem to be in the cards for the University of Tennesee alum.

Taking a peek at next year's roster, one would think that Senzel would platoon with Michael Siani in center field and perhaps find some time on the infielder dirt in some sort of utility role. Senzel's salary is relatively inexpensive if he plays up to his potential, but in four years, he's yet to do so. Nick Senzel could be non-tendered later this week.