Reds' pitching prospect in jeopardy of losing his 40-man roster spot to Zach Maxwell

September call-ups are almost here, and a majority of Reds fans have their eye on a particular reliever down at Triple-A. Zach Maxwell's eye-popping velocity and high strikeout numbers have caught the attention of Reds Country, and there's a good chance that the flamethrower could be elevated to the major league roster next month.

But there's a problem — Maxwell is not part of the Cincinnati Reds 40-man roster. With the impending return of Brandon Williamson, there'll soon be at least one player who's spot could be up for grabs. If the Reds decide call up Maxwell in a couple of weeks, that number could potentially grow to two.

There are other options aside from designating a player for assignment, but players like Graham Ashcraft, Tejay Antone, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand are already on the 60-day IL. That would seem to indicate that a DFA is likely if Maxwell is indeed called upon to join the active roster next month. Who might be the fall guy from the Reds 40-man roster?

Christian Roa could be DFA'd if the Reds select Zach Maxwell's contract

There really aren't too many names to pick from. Ty France has certainly carved out a nice role for himself and won't be a roster casualty down the stretch. The Reds still have high regard for players like Blake Dunn and Rece Hinds, so they're likely safe.

But Christian Roa has done very little to retain his status as a long-term piece of the Reds roster moving forward. Currently, Roa is operating out of the Louisville Bats bullpen. The former second-round pick was a starter for the Bats to begin the year, but Roa posted an 8.64 ERA and nine walks in his first three starts.

Bats' manager Pat Kelly gave Roa one more chance to prove himself on June 25th, but the right-hander couldn't even make it out of the first inning. Roa allowed four runs on seven hits in 0.2 innings before exiting the game.

On the season, Roa has a 5.55 ERA and just 47 strikeouts in 48.2 innings pitched. The former Texas A&M Aggie owns an unsightly 13.5% walk-rate and 1.75 WHIP. Opposing batters are torching Roa to the tune of a .291 batting average against.

With players like Rhett Lowder, Chase Petty, Julian Aguir, and Chase Burns soon to make their way up to The Show, it's only a matter of time before Roa is let go anyway. If it helps add Maxwell's 100-plus mph heater to the bullpen, the Reds need to do the right thing and DFA Roa before September 1st.

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