Reds add Kevin Herget to the roster, designate Bennett Sousa for assignment

Well, at least the Cincinnati Reds didn't add Hunter Strickland to the 26-man roster. But, in the first roster move since the 2023 season got underway, the Reds did make an adjustment to their bullpen.

Cincinnati selected the contract of Kevin Herget, optioned Joel Kuhnel to Triple-A Louisville, and designated left-hander Bennett Sousa for assignment.

None of this is earth-shattering, as Sousa barely made it onto the Opening Day roster to begin with. It's a bit of an ominous sign for Kuhnel who worked two innings on Tuesday night and allowed three runs on five hits without striking out a single batter.

Reds news: Kevin Herget added to roster, Bennett Sousa DFA'd

So who is Kevin Herget? Well, the right-hander is a native of New Jersey and was originally drafted in the 39th round of the 2013 MLB Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. Not many 39th-rounders make it to The Show, but Herget actually debuted for the Tampa Bay Rays last season.

An on-and-off starter throughout his professional career, Herget was slated to go to the mound for the Louisville Bats on Wednesday night, but those plans changed after his contract was selected by the Reds prior to what was supposed to be a 12;40 PM ET start time. Wednesday's game against the Chicago Cubs was postponed and will be played in September as part of a doubleheader.

Herget does one thing really well, and that's keep the base paths clean. The 32-year-old walked just 3.9-percent of the batters he faced while at Triple-A Durham last season. Prior to that, while part of the Cleveland Guardians organization, Herget owned a walk-rate of just 6,7-percent according to FanGraphs.

Per Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Kevin Herget may be used as a long reliever out of the Reds bullpen. After watching the relief corps cover nearly nine innings over the past two starts, Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell may need one of his relievers to go two or more innings in the coming days.