3 Reds players who don't deserve to be on the 40-man roster

A spot on the Cincinnati Reds 40-man roster will be tough to come by in 2023. Sure, the team is undergoing a rebuild, but with the focus on the future, Cincinnati doesn't have spots to waste on veterans who will not be part of the next contending Reds team.

The Redlegs have already wisely parted ways with veterans like Mike Moustakas and Kyle Farmer. Young players like Jared Solomon and Allan Cerda were also ushered off the 40-man roster, but both will be invited to spring training in Goodyear next month.

With talented prospects like Andrew Abbott, Connor Phillips, and Matt McLain all looking to make their way to The Show this season, some players currently occupying a spot on the 40-man roster won't be there for much longer. Which three players no longer deserve a spot on the Cincinnati Reds 40-man roster?

Joel Kuhnel does not deserve to be on the Reds 40-man roster.

It's a bit puzzling that Joel Kuhnel is still part of the Cincinnati Reds 40-man roster. Kuhnel was a non-roster invitee last spring and ended up throwing 58 innings out of the Reds bullpen. But Kuhnel's best ability may have been his avail-ability.

The Reds bullpen endured a huge number of injuries in 2022 - many of which resulted in placement on the 60-day IL. Tejay Antone missed all of last season, and pitchers like Lucas Sims, Tony Santillan, Jeff Hoffman, and Vladimir Gutierrez missed extended chunks of time last season.

Kuhnel, for his part, was always available when called upon. But the hard-throwing right-hander recorded just 56 punch outs in 58 innings and was lit up for an ERA of 6.36. As the season waned, it appeared as though Kuhnel was just out of gas.

There'll be a tremendous amount of pressure on Joel Kuhnel during spring training as several young and aspiring pitchers will be looking to inherit his spot on the 40-man roster. He'lll face stiff competition from the likes of Derek Law, Daniel Duarte, and other non-roster invitees.