3 Reds players who have no business being on the playoff roster

3. Ben Lively has no business being on the Reds playoff roster.

Ben Lively's inclusion comes with a caveat - who will be the Cincinnati Reds three starting pitchers in a potential Wild Card Series matchup? If Hunter Greene has two more starts in him this season, that presents a dilemma.

The way the Reds four-man rotation lays out, Greene would pitch in the final game of the 2023 season against the St. Louis Cardinals. If, the Reds have already locked up a postseason berth at that point, Greene will undoubtedly get the game off.

If Greene does that pitch in the final game of the season, Games 1 and 2 of a potential Wild Card Series would likely go to Andrew Abbott and Brandon Williamson. As mentioned earlier, Connor Phillips is ineligible to be part of the Reds playoff roster.

Should there be a potential Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Series, that game would take place on Friday, October 5th, meaning Greene would be on just three-days rest. That said, I think most Reds fans would take Greene on three-days rest versus a fresh Ben Lively.

The opportunity for Lively to be part of the bullpen exists, but Cincinnati might prefer to go with Alexis Diaz, Ian Gibaut, Lucas Sims, Daniel Duarte, Buck Farmer, Derek Law, Alex Young, Sam Moll, and Fernando Cruz.

That's nine, and if Tejay Antone is healthy, he'd make 10. Lively would appear to be on the outisde looking in, and after his struggles since returning from a pectoral injury, it might behoove the Reds to keep the right-hander off a potential playoff roster.