3 Reds who've already won roster spot for 2024 thanks to their September performance

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The Cincinnati Reds are surprisingly still in the MLB Postseason chase. While their chances of making it to the playoffs are slim, it's the final week of the season and Cincinnati isn't dead yet.

The month of September has brought several challenges to the Reds as a team. A bout of COVID-19 sidelined several players, Matt McLain hit the IL with an oblique injury, and a number of key players fell into a slump at the wrong time of the season.

But there have been a few Reds players who've performed so well during the final month of the season that they'vre already guaranteed a spot on the 2024 Opening Day roster. Which three Reds who've already won a roster spot for next year thanks to their September performance?

1. Reds infielder Noelvi Marte has already won a roster spot for next year.

Noelvi Marte was called up to the big leagues midway through the month of August after finding success at both Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Louisville. Marte struggled during the first couple of weeks in the The Show, but has caught fire once the calendar flipper to September.

Marte was the key acquisition last summer when the Cincinnati Reds traded Luis Castillo to the Seattle Mariners. Marte was the M's top prospect the time and was packaged along with Edwin Arroyo, Andrew Moore, and Levi Stoudt.

Marte had shifted his focus during the offseason from shortstop to third base, and as it turns out, that was probably a wise decision on the part of the Reds. With Elly De La Cruz or Matt McLain likely to become Cincinnati's everyday shortstop, a change in position was necessary.

While Reds fans haven't seen much power from Noelvi Marte since his being called up to the big leagues, the 21-year-old has certainly hi for average. Riding the longest hitting streak of the 2023 season, Marte is hitting over .350 with an OPS above .850 for the month of September.

2. Reds pitcher Connor Phillips has already won a roster spot for next year.

There hasn't been a better late-season addition to the Cincinnati Reds roster than Connor Phillips. The right-hander was the player to be named later in the 2022 trade that sent Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suarez to the Seattle Mariners. But Phillips is anything but a PTBNL.

Reds coaches and players were raving about Phillips' raw talent during spring training, and after a successful minor league campaign, the 22-year-old made his big league debut on September 5th.

In four starts, the hard-throwing right-hander has 26 punch outs in 20-plus inning of work. The walks have been a bit concerning, but Phillips will have plenty of time to concentrate on that aspect of his game during the offseason and spring training.

In his lat two starts, Phillips has shown a quiet confidence on the mound. The former Mariners farmhand has 16 strikeouts in his last two outings and a 3.75 ERA. Phillips' stuff is electric.

The caveat for Phillips is whether or not he'll be able to crack the Cincinnati Reds starting rotation on Opening Day. The Reds will undoubtedly trot out the third-year trio of Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, and Graham Ashcraft. There's also fellow rookies Brandon Williamson and Andrew Abbott.

Obviously that projection hinges on whether or not Lodolo and Ashcraft are fully healthy and doesn't take into account any free agent acquisitions. But based purely on his September performance, Connor Phillips deserves a seat at the table.

3. Reds infielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand has already won a roster spot for next year.

With this likely being Joey Votto's final season in Cincinnati, it would appear as though the Reds already have a suitable replacement. Christian Encarnacion-Strand has a slugging percentage over .650 during the month of September and looks like the real deal.

Encarnacion-Strand arrived in the Reds organization last summer as part of the return for Tyler Mahle. Securing Encarnacion-Strand, along with Spencer Steer, shows just how shrewd of an operator Reds GM Nick Krall can be.

Encarnacion-Strand has not only hit for power, but for average as well. The 23-year-old is hitting over .325 during the month of September and has a wRC+ of 170 according to FanGraphs.

Having waved goodbye to the fans at Great American Ball Park last Sunday, all signs point to this being Joey Votto's last hurrah with the Reds. And while Encarnacion-Strand has seen some playing time at third base, most fans see CES as the Reds Opening Day starter at first base in 2024.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand has the potential, especially while playing half his game in the hitter-friendly confines of GABP, to hit 40-plus home runs per season. If Encarnacion-Strand can increase his walk-rate just a touch, he'll likely be the Cincinnati Reds cleanup hitter next season.

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3 Reds who've already won a roster spot for next year thanks to their September performance

1. Reds infielder Noelvi Marte has already won a roster spot for next year.

2. Reds pitcher Connor Phillips has already won a roster spot for next year.

3. Reds infielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand has already won a roster spot for next year.

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