4 Reds players who won't be on the roster by September 1st

The dog days of summer are here. The Cincinnati Reds are in a three-team fight for supremacy in the National League Central along with the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs.

Thankfully, the Reds have returned from their 10-game roadtrip and will play 11 of their next 14 games at home. Additionally, Cincinnati is expecting some big returns this month. Hunter Greene, Tejay Antone, and perhaps Vladimir Gutierrez and Nick Lodolo will all be activated before September 1st.

If all four pitchers do return before the end of August, the Reds will need to make some room on the 40-man roster. Which four players will no longer be part of the Cincinnati Reds roster on September 1st.

1. Alan Busenitz will not be on the Reds roster by September 1st.

Alan Busenitz has provided some depth for the Cincinnati Reds pitching staff, but the right-hander has remained in Triple-A since being optioned back to Louisville in late-June. Busenitz has made four appearances on the season and owns a 4.50 ERA in the major leagues this season.

Busenitz, at 32 years old, does not look to be part of the Reds' long-term future. The ball club should be returning relievers Tejay Antone and Vladimir Gutierrez in the coming weeks, meaning that a pitcher like Busenitz can become expendable.

The Cincinnati Reds could designate Alan Busenitz for assignment, and assuming he passes through waivers, outright the right-hander back to the Louisville Bats roster. The Reds did the same thing with Ricky Karcher and Silvino Bracho earlier this season.

With those aforementioned pitchers still part of the organization, along with Kevin Herget, Ryan Nutof, and Randy Wynne, the Reds have enough fringe major league talent to stay afloat in the event of multiple injuries befalling the team down the stretch.

2. Brett Kennedy will not be on the Reds roster by September 1st.

Brett Kennedy was a nice story earlier in the year, and the Cincinnati Reds may yet need his services once again this season. But if both Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo are set to return before the end of August, it's quite likely that Kennedy's time on the 40-man roster will come to a close.

Kennedy was an emergency starter earlier this season. With his last action on a major league mound coming all the way back in 2018 as a member of the San Diego Padres, it was great to see the 28-year-old make his return this season.

Kennedy took the ball on Independence Day in our nation's capital and tossed five innings of four-run baseball while striking out three and walking two. Kennedy earned the win that day over the rebuilding Washington Nationals.

But since the Fourth of July, Brett Kennedy has been back in Triple-A, and just like Alan Busenitz, does little more than add depth to a Reds pitching staff that has seen a truckload of hurlers in the big leagues this season.

Brett Kennedy has 57 punch outs in over 60 innings of work down at Triple-A Louisville this season. Don't be surprised to the Reds designate Kennedy for assignment once Greene or Lodolo return from the 60-day IL. Kennedy can then accept an outright assignment and return to the Louisville Bats rotation over the final month of the season.

4. Derek Law will not be on the Reds roster by September 1st.

This last selection came down to three names; Derek Law, Curt Casali, and Luke Weaver. But the Cincinnati Reds would seem to value Casali's work with the pitching staff more than Law's versatility. With less than month until roster expansion, it feels like a good bet to assume that Casali will still be part of the roster by September 1st.

As for Weaver, while he's struggled mightily as a starter, the Reds could see him as a reliever heading into the final month of the 2023 season. If both Casali and Weaver, I'm afraid Law may be on his way out.

Law was terrific to begin the year. After putting together, arguably, the best spring training of any reliever, Law became David Bell's go-to pitcher in almost any and every scenario. Law was used as an opener, a closer, and everything in between.

But it seemed as Law was logging too many innings early in the season, and that landed the right-hander on the IL with a right elbow sprain. Law missed about six week's worth of action, and he has seen more downs than ups since returning to the Reds bullpen.

If Casey Legumina, Vladimir Gutierrez, and Tejay Antone are all due back this month, that Reds bullpen is going to get very crowded. Lucas Sims, Alexis Diaz, Ian Gibaut, and Buck Farmer seem to have their roster spots on lockdown.

Alex Young and Sam Moll, being the only two left-handers in the bullpen, are safe as well. Derek Law falls into that next tier with Fernando Cruz and Daniel Duarte. Both Cruz and Duarte have minor league options remaining, and while Law has arguably been better than both this season, he may be the odd man out.