3 realities Reds fans need to accept & 1 fantasy that may yet come true

Reality that fans need to accept: Christian Encarnacion-Strand will not join the Reds until September.

Oh boy! This one is going to be tough to swallow, but Reds Country should brace for this reality. In fact, the Reds insistence on carrying three catchers is the biggest obstacle to Christian Encarnacion-Strand making his big league debut.

Now, of course, if a player like Joey Votto was to suffer an injury that would keep him sidelined for a couple months, then yes, Encarnacion-Strand would likely get the call. But unless that happens, Reds fans will have to wait until September to see Encarnacion-Strand in a Cincinnati uniform.

The problem is the way the Reds roster is currently constructed. Yes, of course, you could option a player like Kevin Newman, Nick Senzel, or Will Benson to the minor leagues in order to get Christian Encarnacion-Strand's bat into the lineup.

But those three Reds players that were just mentioned are currently platoon players. Newman and Senzel rarely see action unless a left-hander is on the bump, and Benson only starts against right-handed pitchers.

If the Cincinnati Reds are going to commit to Encarnacion-Strand, he'd have to be an everyday player. With Votto, Spencer Steer, Elly De La Cruz, and Tyler Stephenson all occupying current spots that Encarnacion-Strand would play, it's just not in the cards for the 23-year-old at the moment.

The Reds appeared to have abandoned the idea of giving Christian Encarnacion-Strand a spot in the outfield. After two starts there a couple weeks ago, Cincinnati has already pulled the plug on that experiment.