5 Reds on the 40-man roster who won't survive the 2024 season
The Cincinnati Reds are one of the most exciting teams in baseball, but not all of their 40-man roster will survive the season.
There are few teams in all of Major League Baseball that have as much young talent as the Cincinnati Reds do. Not only that, but Reds General Manager Nick Krall has been eager to improve the team, signing multiple free agents this offseason.
Ultimately, this kind of improvement process will leave some players out of luck with their spot on the 40-man roster. This has already been seen with players like Daniel Duarte, who was recently moved from the team in a deal with the Texas Rangers. Duarte won't be the last Red to lose their 2024 40-man roster spot.
5. Stuart Fairchild may not be on the Reds' 40-man roster by October
Stuart Fairchild has been a staple in the Reds outfield rotation over the last few years. There are a few reasons for this. The Reds haven't had a ton of outfielders to face left-handed pitchers, specifically last season. Will Benson, TJ Friedl and Jake Fraley are all left-handed hitters.
But Fairchild's value as a platoon outfielder has been largely based on the fact that he's a right-handed hitter, so he must hit better off of lefties, right? Well, that's where you would be wrong.
In fact, Fairchild hits slightly worse against southpaws than he does against right-handers. His slash line of .226/.346/.355 against lefties is significantly worse than the slash line of left-handed hitter TJ Friedl (.354/.421/.542 against LHP). Fairchild's ability to be a platoon outfielder isn't backed up by any performance thus far. He provides no more value to the team than solely being a depth piece.
With Spencer Steer being available in the outfield, a rumor brewing that former NL Rookie of the Year Jonathan India will be headed to the outfield, and Fairchild's lack of minor league options, the Reds will be forced to move Fairchild from the roster, whether by designating him for assignment or moving him in a trade.