The Cincinnati Reds have added six players to the 40-man roster. The Reds added three pitchers and three hitters. Infielders Alex Blandino and Shed Long, along with outfielder Jose Siri were added. They team also added right handed pitchers Jesus Reyes, Jose Lopez and Zack Weiss.
These players will not be eligible for the upcoming Rule 5 Draft. The draft will take place on December 14th at 9am. The Reds will have one spot open to select a player in the draft, assuming they make no further moves that alter the 40-man roster between now and then.
Among the group of position players, Alex Blandino is probably the closest to helping out. He spent a majority of his 2017 in Triple-A. He hit .270/.390/.444 with 32 walks and 37 strikeouts for the Louisville Bats. Blandino also has plenty of positional flexibility. He has experience at shortstop, second base, and third base throughout his career.
Shed Long split his year between Daytona and Pensacola. Offensively he performed better with the Tortugas. In Daytona he hit .312/.380/.543 in the pitcher friendly Florida State League. A slow start with the Blue Wahoos was compounded when he missed a month with an injury. Long returned at the end of the season and hit well, but his slow start was too much to overcome by the strong finish. Between the two stops the second baseman hit .281/.358/.477 with 22 doubles, three triples and 16 home runs in 104 games.
Jose Siri is the furthest player away from joining the Reds of everyone they protected today. He has only played in Low-A ball. With that said, he’s got explosive tools across the board and is arguably the toolsiest player in the entire organization, including the Major Leagues. With Dayton this season, the center fielder hit .293/.341/.530 with 24 doubles, 11 triples, 24 home runs and 46 stolen bases.
The pitching additions begin with starter Jose Lopez. In most years he would be a lock for the Reds Minor League Pitcher of the Year Award thanks to his 2.57 ERA in 147.0 innings between Daytona and Pensacola. The 23-year-old right hander had 49 walks and 143 strikeouts in that span, and performed better in Double-A than he did in Advanced-A.
Right hander Jesus Reyes also split his time in 2017 between Daytona and Pensacola, though he saw more time in the Florida State League with the Tortugas than with the Blue Wahoos. Between his two stops he posted a 3.60 ERA in 137.1 innings. That came with 47 walks and 111 strikeouts. It also came with a big time groundball rate during the season.
The Reds also added right hander Zack Weiss to the 40-man roster. The reliever missed all of 2016 and most of the first half of 2017. He returned in early June and would make a rather short stay with Daytona before heading to Pensacola. Between the two stops he posted a 2.63 ERA in 41.0 innings with 13 walks and 56 strikeouts.