Reds players with (and without) minor-league options on 40-man roster for 2025

Minor-league options play a crucial role in how Major League Baseball GMs construct their team's roster. The ability to shuttle a player back and forth between the major and minor leagues is vital to team's success; both in the short-term and the long-term.

Once a player's contract is selected, he's effectively added to the team's 40-man roster and is given three minor-league options. This allows clubs to send players to the minors without exposing them to outright waivers. Once optioned to the minor leagues, the player remains part of the organization's 40-man roster, but is no longer part of the 26-man (active) roster.

Being such a young team, the Cincinnati Reds have a number of player with multiple minor-league options remaining. As camp begins to wind down in the coming weeks, Reds fans will see several players who don't make the cut being 'optioned' to the minor leagues.

Reds players with (and without) minor-league options on 40-man roster for 2025

But just because players have minor-league options remaining doesn't mean that those players will begin the 2025 season at Double-A Chattanooga or Triple-A Louisville. After all, Elly De La Cruz has two minor-league options remaining, but there's no way Cincinnati is going to send their superstar shortstop down to the minors.

There are, however, a number of players with minor-league options who'll be battling for a spot on the Reds Opening Day roster. If they fail to impress during spring training, a trip to the minor leagues is likely in their future.

Reds players with minor-league options remaining

So while Hunter Greene and Alexis Díaz are all but assured to begin the year on the active roster, it's likely that players like Jacob Hurtubise, Connor Phillips, and perhaps even Graham Ashcraft are optioned to Triple-A to begin the year.

Yosver Zulueta, Sam Moll, and Lyon Richardson have just one minor-league option remaining, meaning this could be the last year all three pitchers can be sent down without being exposed to waivers. Once a player has spent at least 20 days in the minor leagues during a season, he loses an option.

Reds players without minor-league options remaining

But not everyone on the Reds roster has minor-league options remaining. Veterans like Austin Hays, Brent Suter, and Jeimer Candelario are past the point in their careers when minor-league options are even applicable. All three will no doubt be part of the Reds Opening Day roster.

But a couple of fringe players on the Reds roster are out of options. Stuart Fairchild and Tony Santillan no longer have minor-league options remaining, meaning that the Reds would have to designate them for assignment and allow them to pass through waivers before they could be sent down to the minor leagues.

At the moment, Fairchild and Santillan appear safe. But some of the young outfielders (Dunn and Hurtubise) have been playing well this spring, and non-roster invitees like Ian Gibaut and Joe La Sorsa have pitched well enough to earn a spot on the active roster.

Cooper Bowman, the Reds' 2024 Rule 5 draft pick, is ineligible to be optioned to the minor leagues this season. If the Reds carry Bowman on the Opening Day roster, he has to be offered back to the Athletics and then passed through waivers before being sent down to the minors. Of all the players without minor-league options. Bowman's path to the Opening Day roster is the most difficult.

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