2 Reds prospects who could lose their 40-man roster spots and 2 prospects who could replace them

A spot on the 40-man roster is quite valuable, and with so many talented prospects coming up through the Cincinnati Reds farm system, the organization cannot afford to waste those spots on young players who are underperforming.

There are any number of reasons that organizations add prospects to the team's 40-man roster, but more often than not it's done during the offseason to protect players from the Rule 5 Draft. This past fall, Reds fans saw the team add players like Elly De La Cruz and Noelvi Marte.

But sometimes, it doesn't work out. James Marinan was added to the 40-man roster prior to the 2022 season, and so was Allan Cerda. Both are no longer occupying those positions. Let's look at two prospects who could very likely lose their 40-man roster spots and two prospects who are looking to secure one of their own.

Reds prospect Ricky Karcher could lose his spot on the 40-man roster.

James Marinan was just mentioned, and Ricky Karcher could soon follow in his footsteps. The Cincinnati Reds added Karcher to the 40-man roster this past offseason, in part, because of his ability to triple-digits on the radar gun.

But Karcher has had command issues throughout his minor league career, and those problems are on full display so far in 2023. Karcher was optioned to Triple-A Louisville before the season started as a member of the Bats bullpen.

Karcher has more walks than strikeouts, which is never a good stat to carry as a pitcher. His ERA is north of 20.00, and while it's very early in the season, it feels rather likely that Karcher would go unclaimed this early in the season if the Reds decided to designate the right-hander for assignment.

It seems a little hasty to DFA Ricky Karcher so soon, but with so many young and talented player in the Reds farm system, if you're not producing, you're not going to stay. Unless Karcher suddenly learns how to throw strikes, his time on the 40-man roster will be very short-lived.