Nick Senzel's latest injury could enable Mike Siani to be the Reds 2023 Opening Day centerfielder

Nick Senzel, for the third time in four seasons, will end the year on the injured list. The Cincinnati Reds centerfielder crashes into the outfield last night and will miss the remainder of the 2022 season with a broken toe in his left foot.

Senzel's future with the Reds is cloudy at best, but his time in the outfield should be all but over. With that in mind, Cincinnati has a few different options heading into the 2023 season.

Obviously, David Bell could roll with a platoon of TJ Friedl and Stuart Fairchild in center field. Both have he speed to cover a lot of ground and the duo has shown power and speed during the brief runs with the club this season. But one of the club's top prospects might get he chance to showcase his talents as well.

Mike Siani could be the Reds 2023 Opening Day centerfielder.

Mike Siani was ready to play center field in the majors the day after the Cincinnati Reds selected him in the fourth-round of the 2018 MLB Draft. Siani has finally made his way to the upper levels of the minor leagues and has proven to be more than just a terrific fielder.

At Double-A Chattanooga, Siani had perhaps the best season of his minor league career. In 121 games, Siani hit .252/.351/.404 with a wRC+ of 102 according to FanGraphs. That may not sound like much, but for a player who's career slash line .247/.332/.343, Siani showed great improvement.

Siani is a prime candidate to be added to the Cincinnati Reds 40-man roster this offseason. The question then becomes, do the Reds accelerate his development or allow him to gain more seasoning in the minor leagues?

Mike Siani has played fewer than 10 games at Triple-A this season, but as Reds Country has seen with Tyler Stephenson and Jonathan India, a prolonged stay at Triple-A is not essential for success. There is the other side of the coin, however, as the Cincinnati faithful have seen the struggles of Jose Barrero after the organization hurried his ascent to the major leagues.

The Reds fanbase should expect to see Mike Siani in the mix to be the team's starting centerfielder in 2023, but it will take a Herculean effort on his part to make the Opening Day roster. For a prospect who's bat has always lagged behind his defense, Siani will probably start next season at Triple-A Louisville.