3 Reds players whose 40-man roster spot is in jeopardy as the MLB trade deadline approaches

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The MLB trade deadline is less than one month away, and all signs point to the Cincinnati Reds shedding the role of seller and becoming buyers this summer.

With so many injuries to the pitching staff this season, the Reds could certainly use an extra starter or two, and perhaps even some help in the bullpen.

As such, there may be need to find a few roster spots should the Reds look to make some additions at the August 1st deadline. With that in mind, who are three Reds players, currently on the 40-man roster, whose spot may be in jeopardy?

1. Ricky Karcher may lose his spot on the Reds 40-man roster.

The legend of Ricky Karcher will live forever, but his time on the Cincinnati Reds 40-man roster may be short-lived. Karcher burst onto the scene last month and grabbed a save in his first big league contest. But the right-hander was wildly unpredictable, and that's been the story of Karcher's entire professional career.

Karcher was added to the Reds 40-man roster this past offseason because his stuff is freaking amazing. Unfortunately, Karcher lacks the command to control his pitches, especially his fastball.

That's a problem, particularly for a reliever. Karcher, who's currently down on the farm at Triple-A Louisville, has more walks than strikeouts. That's a recipe for disaster and one that will never play at the major league level.

It may be time for the Cincinnati Reds to designate Ricky Karcher for assignment in order to free a spot on the 40-man roster. Something that could work in the Reds favor, however, is the fact that nearly every other major league team will likely pass on Karcher because of his inconsistency.

If Karcher is DFA'd and goes unclaimed, the right-hander could accept an outright assignment back to Triple-A. It would give the minor league coaching staff more time with the 25-year-old in hopes of straightening out his erratic delivery.

2. Michael Siani may lose his spot on the Reds 40-man roster.

When the Cincinnati Reds selected Michael Siani in the fourth round of the 2018 MLB Draft, they knew that developing the high school talent into a bone fide major leaguer would be a challenge.

But with the raw tools that Siani possessed, it was well worth the risk. The Reds went over-slot value into order to sign Siani, but his production since joining the organization has been rather pedestrian.

Sure, Siani's speed and defensive skills are off the charts. You could line up the 23-year-old in the Reds outfield today and he'd undoubtedly be the team's best defender by a long shot. Siani's elite speed plus his ability to read the ball off the bat put him in the category of a potential Gold Glover.

But his bat is another story. Now, Michael Siani has developed a much better eye at the dish, and otver the past two seasons has been able to raise his walk-rate above 12-percent. But that flash of power Siani showed last season at Double-A (. 417 slugging percentage) has not carried over to 2023.

Siani's slugging percentage in 70-plus games at Triple-A Louisville is hovering right around .300, and his on-base percentage has dropped off as well. The Cincinnati Reds would run the risk of losing Siani if he was DFA'd, but with TJ Friedl cemented as the team's centerfielder, the former fourth-rounder may be expendable.

3. Jose Barrero may lose his spot on the Reds 40-man roster.

Once thought to be the team's shortstop of the future, Jose Barrero's time with the Cincinnati Reds may be coming to an end. The club has already tried to fit a square peg into a round hole by moving him all over the diamond, and while he's been serviceable in the outfield, it may finally be time for the Reds to cut ties with Barrero.

Barrero was the Reds Opening Day shortstop, but he still struggled at the plate. While Barrero's defensive skills are second to none, his hit tool leaves a lot to be desired. And in today's game, most teams will not suffer through having a shortstop that provides little to nothing at the dish.

With Elly De La Cruz and Matt McLain firmly entrenched on the left side of the infield, the only way the Cincinnati Reds can really move forward with Barrero is by moving him permanently to the outfield. However, all of his minor league starts have come at shortstop.

At this point, the Reds should look to trade Jose Barrero in order to give him an opportunity to latch on with another club. While you can make the argument that Barrero never received a fair shake during his time in Cincinnati, when those opportunities did present themselves, he did little to make the most of them.

Whether he's traded or designated for assignment, don't look for Jose Barrero to be part of the Cincinnati Reds 40-man roster after the upcoming MLB trade deadline.

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