Predicting the next player to join the Reds 26-man roster

On Wednesday, the Cincinnati Reds bid farewell to Bennett Sousa and promoted Kevin Herget to the 26-man roster. Sousa was designated for assignment after Herget's contract was selected.

It's a bit early in the season to see such a quick turnover on the roster that doesn't have anything to do with injury. But apparently the Reds were in need of a long-man in the bullpen and Sousa's performance this spring wasn't impressive enough to warrant a longer stay on the 40-man roster.

Taking those players returning from the IL (Joey Votto, Tony Santillan, Luke Weaver, Nick Senzel, and Lucas Sims) out of the equation, who'll be the next player added to the Cincinnati Reds 26-man roster?

Predicting the next player to join the Reds 26-man roster.

Just to be clear, this prediction is based on performance, not injury. As tempting as it is to go with a position player like Alejo Lopez or even a top prospect like Matt McLain or Levi Stoudt, look for Casey Legumina to be the next player to be added to the 26-man roster.

Legumina was added to the Twins roster late last year and then joined the Reds after Cincinnati's general manager Nick Krall worked out a deal that sent former infielder Kyle Farmer to Minnesota.

Legumina spent this past spring in Goodyear and was assigned to Triple-A Louisvile to begin the year. Thus far, the right-hander has appeared in two games and has three strikeouts through three innings and no walks.

This year's bullpen will, unfortunately, look quite similar to last year's. The Reds had 30 different players make a relief appearance in 2022. Hopefully the number isn't that big in 2023, though fans are bound to see several names they've never heard prior to this season.

Previously a starter, Legumina switched to the bullpen late last season while playing for the Twins Double-A affiliate. Once he made the switch, something seemed to click. Legumina worked 17.2 innings of relief in 2022 and posted a 2.55 ERA and a strikeout-rate of 34.2-percent according to FanGraphs.

With the Reds bullpen a veritable revolving door this season, look for Casey Legumina to be the next player added to the Reds 26-man roster. While Lucas Sims and Tony Santillan may get the call first, Legumina won't be far behind.