Why Curt Casali will remain with the Reds until the end of the 2023 season

The Cincinnati Reds finally selected the contract of Christian Encarnacion-Strand this past week, but Curt Casali is still on the roster. This ruffled the feathers of Reds Country, as fans were sure that the three-catcher experiment was sure to come to an end.

Instead, Casali, Luke Maile, and Tyler Stephenson all remain on the active roster. In fact, Casali got the start on Tuesday night behind the plate.

It's about time for the Cincinnati fanbase to accept the idea that Casali will be part of the Reds roster until the end of the 2023 season. In fact, he may even return in 2024.

Why Curt Casali will remain with the Reds until the end of the 2023 season.

Over the past few weeks, Curt Casali has seen his role greatly diminished. The veteran backstop could probably be counted on to get one, maybe two starts behind the plate per week, but recently was little more than a defensive replacement late in ballgames.

With Joey Votto back from the IL, the Cincinnati Reds have turned to Tyler Stephenson has the the team's starting catcher. Luke Maile's playing time has taken a hit, but not like Casali's. Until last night, the 34-year-old started just one game during the month of July.

Curt Casali was the preferred catcher for both Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo earlier in the season. Unfortunately, both Greene and Lodolo are currently on the IL. One can safely assume that the role he once occupied will reemerge once Greene and Lodolo are back in the rotation.

With Casali behind the dish, Greene has excelled. When paired with Casali, Greene's ERA is sitting at 2.31 compared to 3.94 when Luke Maile is receiving and 5.75 when Tyler Stephenson is his battery mate

Beyond that, roster expansion is just a few weeks away. Though many things could change at the trade deadline, any additions the Reds make are likely to affect the pitching staff and not the position players.

The team has already figured out a way to get Christian Encarnacion-Strand to the big leagues without moving on from Casali, so there's no need to release the veteran in order to improve the roster.

Tyler Stephenson has also become ice-cold at the dish. While the former first-round recorded a pinch hit late in Tuesday's game, Stephenson was hitless in his previous six games and is hitting just .177 during the month of July.

Curt Casali's tenure with the Cincinnati Reds could also extend beyond the 2023 season. With a team-option for next season, the Reds could run it back with Casali if an alternative isn't found during the offseason.