3 unheralded Reds farmhands who could make the 2023 Opening Day roster

3. Unheralded farmhand Casey Legumina could make the Reds 2023 Opening Day roster.

The Cincinnati Reds made the rather unpopular trade this offseason that saw infielder Kyel Farmer head off to Minnesota. In return, the Twins sent minor league pitching prospect Casey Legumina to Cincinnati.

Legumina was added to the Twins 40-man roster just prior to the trade. The 25-year-old was an eighth-round draft choice of Minnesota back in 2019. Legumina began his Twins career as a starter, but switched to the bullpen late last season.

In mid-August, it was determined that Legumina may be more effective as a reliever. In 15 appearances out of Double-A Wichita's bullpen, Legumina posted an attractive 2.55 ERA and struck out 26 of the 76 batters he faced.

As is the case with the aforementioned Ricky Karcher, Casey Legumina will be competing for a spot in a Cincinnati bullpen that has already lost three pitchers to injury. While he's said to be 100% entering camp, there has be concerns about Lucas Sims' availability to begin the year after pitching in just seven games during the 2022 season.

Legumina is certainly an under-the-radar prospect, primarily because he's only been with the Reds organization for a couple months. But don't discount his ability to post solid numbers this spring and sneak onto Cincinnati's Opening Day roster. Already on the 40-man roster, the Reds would not have to make a corresponding move in order to call him up to the bigs.