4 players who could replace Noelvi Marte on the Reds Opening Day roster & 2 who won’t

Noelvi Marte was suspended for the first 80 games of the 2024 season.

Cincinnati Reds second baseman Josh Harrison tracks a pop fly / Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY

2024 will not have Noelvi Marte for the first six months of play. The third baseman for the Cincinnati Reds was suspended for 80 games for violating MLB’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment program. The Reds will probably rely a lot on Jeimer Candelario and Christian Encarnacion-Strand at third base in Marte’s absence. There will also be more playing time for Jonathan India.

Marte will be placed on the restricted list to start the season, but after the Reds return to Cincinnati, he will be permitted to practice at the spring training facility. After that, the infielder can take part in a rehabilitation assignment before making a later-summer appearance for the squad.

However, there’s a clear hole on the Reds Opening Day roster, and manager David Bell won’t have much time to fill it. In fewer than three weeks is the start of the regular season. Which four Reds players stand a chance to take Marte’s place on the squad, and which ones don’t?

4 players who could replace Noelvi Marte on the Reds Opening Day roster & 2 who won’t

Jose Barrero could sneak onto the Reds Opening Day roster

Barrero’s only chance of making the Reds roster was if someone on the depth chart ahead of him went down with an injury early in the season. The point is still valid even though Marte will start the year on a restricted list.

Barrero’s minor league options are up, and he may now try to earn a spot on the Reds Opening Day roster. Barrero has spent most of his spring training time in the outfield, but he is a seasoned shortstop.

Will Reds NRI Josh Harrison suit up for his hometown team on Opening Day?

Harrison was born and bred in Queen City, so being a part of Opening Day in Cincinnati would be a dream come true. That option was undoubtedly made possible by Marte’s accident. Harrison can opt out later this month. Harrison was invited to spring training as a non-roster player.

Harrison can play several positions, but this spring he has spent the majority of his playing time at second base. For the youthful Reds core, having another seasoned leader to partner with Candelario would be beneficial. With the exception of a few, most Reds players are in their second or third season in the major leagues.

Nick Martini will still start the 2024 season in the minors

Martini was retained by Cincinnati for the offseason, and he has spent the majority of this spring at first base. Martini can also play outfield, but his best chance of getting more playing time is at first base because TJ Friedl, Will Benson, and Jake Fraley all bat from the left side.

Martini, however, is not on the Reds Opening Day roster, even though Joey Votto has signed a minor-league contract with the Blue Jays and is already in Toronto. At first base, Candelario, Encarnacion-Strand, and India will alternate in and out. If the Reds become so desperate, Spencer Steer is also capable of playing the role.

Reds OF Bubba Thompson still has minor-league options remaining

After designating Thompson for assignment earlier in the winter, the Reds brought him back to Cincinnati, indicating that the head office finds the former first-round pick to be appealing. First of all, Thompson can play all three outfield positions, and his lightning-fast speed complements the Reds’ style of play.

However, that won’t be sufficient to guarantee Thompson a spot on the Reds roster on Opening Day. Thompson still has minor-league options, and should Cincinnati suffer a string of injuries, he’ll be a depth player at Triple-A Louisville.

Tony Kemp still has a chance to join the Reds roster

Kemp was last-minute addition to the Reds roster this spring, but that’s the same way that Brandon Drury landed in Cincinnati on Opening Day two years. Drury then went on to hit a three-run homer during the first game of the season agains the defending champion Atlanta Braves, was traded midseason, and parlayed his breakout campaign into a multi-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels.

It seems unlikely that Kemp would follow the same path, but his reverse splits from 2023 offer the Reds a glimpse of the type of role he could fill in 2024. If Kemp’s bat comes alive over the final few weeks of spring, don’t discount his ability to make the team.

Mike Ford is a sneaky name to watch as Opening Day gets closer

While he can play first base, realistically Ford is little more than a designated hitter. But without Marte on the roster, the trio of Candelario, Encarnacion-Strand, and India won’t see as many reps at DH as originally assumed.

That opens the door for the left-handed hitting Ford to steal the final roster spot away during the last weeks of spring training. The 31-year-old posted a 123 wRC+ last season according to FanGraphs and has had consistent success against left-handed hitting throughout his career.