Adding this Reds prospect to the 40-man roster would be prudent, but not necessary

As the deadline approaches to protect players from the Rule 5 Draft, the Cincinnati Reds front office will be very busy over the next several hours.

Elly De La Cruz, Levi Stoudt, Brandon Williamson, and Noelvi Marte are virtual locks to be added to the roster, but there are others who aren't a sure thing.

Prospects like Ivan Johnson, Ricky Karcher, Lyon Richardson, and TJ Hopkins have all been mentioned, and could find their names added to Cincinnati's 40-man roster as well. But there's one more player, who plays a position of some importance, that should be added as well.

Adding catcher Daniel Vellojin to the Reds 40-man roster would be prudent.

While not ranked among the Cincinnati Reds top 30 prospects according to MLB Pipeline, Daniel Vellojin is still viewed as a talented catcher within the farm system. If the Reds hope to keep Vellojin in the organization, it would be wise to add the 22-yeaar-old to the 40-man roster.

The Reds have just one backstop, Tyler Stephenson, currently on the roster. While the expectation is for Cincinnati to add a veteran catcher during the offseason, selecting Vellojin to the 40-man roster would give the club talented, young catcher that the Reds can continue to develop.

Adding promising prospects to the 40-man roster is never cut and dry. Last year, Cincinnati added James Marinan to the squad last fall and the right-hander floundered during the early season of minor league play and was evenutally designated for assignment.

Vellojin's track record shows some ups and downs, but overall, he appears to be a solid catching prospect. Vellojin played at three different levels in 2022 and posted a slash line of .199/.327/.358 in 70 games. While the batting average does not inspire much confidence, Vellojin's high on-base percentage coupled with his 15.5% walk-rate does.

It also cannot go unnoticed that Daniel Vellojin is a left-handed hitting catcher. If Vellojin developed into a serviceable catcher, he could, at the very least, be platooned alongside Tyler Stephenson or one of the many right-handed hitting catching prospects coming up through the farm system.

The Cincinnati Reds fanbase saw all too well how important having depth at the catcher's spot can be. At one last season, Cincinnati had six backstops on the 40-man roster. With the organization sitting on just one catcher at the moment, it would be wise to add Vellojin as somewhat of an insurance policy.