Cincinnati Reds Postseason Roster Revealed!

Cincinnati Reds Postseason Roster Revealed!

All right, welcome in. It is Tuesday. It is playoff baseball and we are just under nine hours away from the Red’s first pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers. And Nick, we have our official 26-man roster. I know you and Trace spent some time prognosticating over what it might look like, what the Reds might do. Uh, I don’t think they did a whole lot, Nick. It’s got to be the most boring uh, roster from an end of a season to a playoff team probably that’s ever been done. Usually teams make a few changes. The Reds just saying we’re just rolling with exactly what we have except for uh, poor Zack Maxwell who hadn’t pitched in like three weeks. So, um, wouldn’t have pitched him anyways. Um, and Brady Singer not on the roster literally because he would start game one if you’re fortunate enough to advance. So, pretty boring roster. I don’t love the lack of creativity, but we can talk a little bit about that. Yeah, I mean I’m sure there’s some something to be said for the fact that you were just in Milwaukee. You won a series. You headed straight to LA and you’re trying to keep your your team together. And this this media has kind of adopted this story of how friends stick together. And that’s really the story of the Cincinnati Reds this year is that they’re not the most talented roster. They’re not the the best team, but hey, they stick together and and boy are they having fun while they do it. And uh and so here we are, Tuesday night, and uh Reds face off with the LA Dodgers at 9:08 Eastern on ESPN tonight. As we take a look quickly at the official 26man as Nick mentioned, it’s exactly the same as the 28 man minus Brady Singer who obviously just pitched and Zack Maxwell who on the opposite side has not pitched in a while. A couple question marks I know that were out there uh coming into this series. Brent Sudter officially makes the 40 or the 26man roster. He’ll be with the team in LA. They decide not to add any additional uh fielders. Uh they don’t bring up another catcher. No Blake Dunn. No Will Banfield. Uh no no Sam Maul. And uh I know that was another one that many people had talked about as well. Nick, I guess I I know that you spent some time on this already, but um I think probably the biggest surprise for me is is that someone like Brent Sudter is on this roster. Um you know, I I I get it to a certain degree. Like Brent, you saw the videos in the in the clubhouse after the clinching and he certainly seems like a quote unquote glue guy, but he can be there if he’s not on the 26-man roster, I think, right? Like it’s not like he has to leave the team altogether. He can be in the dugout. Uh he just isn’t officially available. Um I see you typing, so maybe you’ll figure that out before I finish my thing. But I get wanting to have glue guys, especially if that’s your your identity throughout the year. Is that your um you’re you’re a club that sticks together. But Sam Maul was dominant at Triple A. He’s been dominant against guys like Shi Otani over the course of his career. I think if my memory serves me correctly, Sam Maul is one for 10 lifetime against Shi Otani with just a single to Shi Otani’s name. Um, so to go to LA without those type of potential weapons at your disposal feels, like you said, uh, like a lack of creativity. But what’s the biggest surprise for you as you look at this 26-man roster? Uh, players who are on the 40man roster or are on the IIL, I guess 60 uh, day roster are allowed to be in the dugout with the team still celebrating. So yeah, Brett Sudter, if he’s a vibes guy, doesn’t have to go anywhere. I don’t know. Maybe he’s not allowed in the bullpen. I don’t know about that. Brent Sudter being on this roster is just absolute insanity. Like, I’m just going to call it what it is. I mean, if he’s pitching in a playoff game, what are we doing? I mean, Brent Sudter is a perfectly fine pitcher over a 162 game season, even a valuable pitcher, I’d say. Like, he he ate some big innings for the Reds, but he’s eating innings, not pitching postseason innings. So, putting him on the roster at the expense of players who could potentially help you. Not saying that they would for sure help you is crazy to me. Um, you know, like Blake Dunn is a guy that is incredibly fast. I mean, there could be a situation where he could come and steal a bag. Are you going to play José Trovin at all in this series? I hope not. But if you do, then you can’t pinch hit Tyler Stevenson because you don’t have a third catcher. Will Banefield could serve a purpose even if he doesn’t play. That’s why Brent Sudter to me is the craziest player to put on this roster. Um, I’m not going to sit here and cry and complain about it. Look, they’re in the postseason. Um, but it it is frustrating for sure. Um, Santiago Espanol, I I just I I don’t understand why he’s on this roster. Now, if you were if you were um going less pitchers and you brought up some additional position players and you wanted to keep Santiago Xball just because of his position flexibility, I get that. But again, there’s there you you didn’t add the extra position players. You actually are playing one less. So, it’s even more important to have valuable bench pieces. And again, I just look at Blake Dunn, a guy that not only is he fast, Craig, but he absolutely hit the cover off the ball for about three months in the minor leagues and has had enormous splits against left-handed pitching, the Dodgers have five left-handed relievers. I don’t know if they kept them all on the roster. I haven’t checked their roster, but they had five left-handed relievers. So, it just it it I’ll say it. It feels lazy to me. It feels lazy. Yeah, we heard um or saw I guess on social media that you know obviously the AAA season ended a couple weeks ago. Um but there have been guys who have been sticking around, not necessarily as part of a taxi squad um per se, but um I don’t remember the exact term that was used, but there are guys who are sticking around specifically to be game ready for a playoff series like this. And so to have them stick around and then to be not on the roster seems kind of counterintuitive. And you know, you mentioned Blake Dunn. I don’t know that Blake Dunn would get an at bat in the in the in the series, but you can’t tell me that if you know, Jos Trevinho or Tyler Stevenson get on base late in a game that’s tied or or you know the Reds need a run to tie it up that you wouldn’t turn to a guy like Blake Dunn just to pinch run in that scenario. like this Reds team quite frankly doesn’t have a whole lot of speed on its bench on a typical night and so you know they’re stuck often times pinch running guys like Will Benson who yes have speed but are not necessarily speedsters and so to leave a guy like that who could become clutch in certain situations in a three-game series where you don’t have to worry about hopefully needing you know all 13 guys out of the bullpen or whatever it may be. Um, that’s certainly a decision. Uh, the other decision, Nick, that was announced yesterday that I know you and I are a little bit puzzled by was the announcement that Zack Latell will start game two for the Cincinnati Reds. Andrew Rabbit is well-rested. He will not pitch game one or game two. He will be available for game three if necessary. And the other decision, Nicolola will pitch out of the bullpen for this series. Be interesting to see how long that designation lasts if the Reds do advance. Um, if he becomes a bullpen arm for a longer series or if he uh moves back to the starting rotation, but Nick Lollo stays on the 26 man, but will pitch out of the bullpen. Let’s start with Zack Latell. Um, obviously Latell the home runs were the biggest issue for him this year. uh this series is completely on the road in in Dodger Stadium. So maybe that plays into it and they feel like he gives them a good opportunity to win a ball game in a in a Dodger Stadium. But um you’ve got an all-star on your team that potentially won’t see the postseason if you don’t win a game in the first two. Well, Andrew Abbott, game three would be normal rest for him as he pitched on Saturday. So, um I Andrew Abbott has already kind of looked tired at times down the stretch. Now, he he rebounded but very very well the last few starts. So, shout out to him. So, yeah, I definitely would not I’m very much against players on three days rest if they made a full start. Nicol is a little bit of a different case because he threw one inning and the time before it was short. He only threw 82 pitches. Um I hope that Latell in game two uh is the creativity that this roster lacks. Uh, if it’s a creative move and the Reds are trying to throw off the the Dodgers, I’m all for it. I love that idea. Uh, Derek Johnson was the pitching coach in 2018 when Wade Miley came out and faced one batter and then Craig Council went to his bullpen. Obviously, you can’t do that. They have to face three now. Um, but there’s the potential that that the Dodgers could get baited into a bad lineup. I’ll be interested to see what the Dodgers lineup is in game two. They have two players that that platoon. Um, and Maxy and Confordto. Max Muny, of course, is a very, very good hitter against right-handed pitching. Michael Conforto has not had a good year and is a very, very bad hitter against left-handed pitching. So, if somehow they put him in the lineup, that could be a major advantage. My guess is uh in that game, they probably won’t play him just because they don’t they don’t want to uh risk that. But, you do at least give it a I know a lot of people like, well, you know, Latell could give up three runs in the first inning. Yeah, that that’s certainly possible, but you still have to cover nine innings, Craig, either way. So, if you’re able to mess up their lineup, you’re able to to to make it a little bit more challenging on a Dodgers team that is clearly more talented than you, I don’t really have an issue with it. Now, if they’re trying to go out and get four or five innings out of Zack Latell, yeah, that’s where I think this is absolute insanity. And I think that decision to pitch Nick Lollo on Sunday just looks more and more curious. Now in fairness to Frona if if Nick Leolo came out on Sunday and had pitched very well like we’ve seen him pitch most of the year and the Miami Marlins would have lost and the Reds somehow win that game. Obviously that move looks incredible right now and we’re we’re singing the praises of Terry Francona. So I I want to be fair on that. Um but again we’ll see how it plays out. I I’m cautiously optimistic that this is just simply a one maybe two three inning if he looks great in Zack Liddell. But my last point I I’ve gone a long long time. I don’t want I I think we’re poo pooing a little bit too much on a guy who does have a sub 40 RA this year. Zack Latell has pitched well this year. He’s pitched a full season. This is not a scrub pitcher. Uh this is not you’re not starting I’m not gonna say I’m not gonna be mean. Um but he’s not he’s a capable pitcher. Um and we’ve seen we’ve seen this guy pitch dominant games against the Cubs and the Brewers. So I I I want to pump the brakes on the Zack Latell hate completely, but I hope it’s more of a a roster man uh a game manipulation type move. Sure. And you know, we I know Nick Lollo, if he were to come out of the bullpen for this series, it would be his second professional bullpen appearance after this past weekend. Uh he did make three bullpen appearances in college is what I heard. Um Zack Latell at Dodger Stadium, nine games, zero starts. So he did it back when he was in the bullpen. Um 5.59 erra in nine and two/3 innings. He gave up five hits, six earned runs, two home runs at Dodger Stadium for what it’s worth. Um, but I will go to your point. Um, you you mentioned Lolo coming out of the bullpen. I actually several days ago mentioned stacking Chase Burns with Zack Latell. And the Reds seem very comfortable with Chase Burns in a late inning scenario. I wonder how they would feel about him in a quote unquote bulk relief scenario where Latell gives you three, four innings and then Chase Burns comes in to give you two, three innings depending on how things go and then you turn it over to your late inning guys and now all of a sudden you’re in the eighth, seventh late in the game hopefully in a competitive ball game to be able to try and pull out the in um I like that kind of um balance between Latell and Chase Burns being the the the power pitcher that he is. So, um I’m with you. I I certainly I mean even we saw it in in in Milwaukee. Uh Latell lasted I I think four and a third if I’m remembering correctly. Um, so even in that situation, it’s not like they leaned on Zack Latell for a long outing, per se. Um, I would imagine that it will be very similar. Um, four and two/3 for Latell in Milwaukee, three hits, one run. Um, so I would imagine it’ll be something very similar to that. Um, and then how the bullpen shakes out will be determined. But obviously a lot of that, Nick, is going to be determined tonight, right? Hunter Green on the mound for the Cincinnati Reds. If Tito is like most managers, he’ll be managing like there’s no tomorrow. And Hunter Green will, despite being your ace, will be on a somewhat short leash. And if things go sideways at all, you’ll look to think of what the bullpen looks like there. So, knowing what your plan may be on Wednesday, what’s your plan for Tuesday after Hunter Green? Probably the most difficult decision that Terry Francona will make in this postseason might be how long do you stick with Hunter Green tonight? Uh, and it’s not an easy decision. I’m not going to sit here because you Hunter Green has the chance to go out and throw eight, nine innings if if everything goes right. I highly doubt that happens tonight, but it is at least possible. I think they’re going to hope they’re hoping and praying that I think Hunter Green can can go at least six and then you just go to your your horses in the back and then you go into tomorrow with your full disposal um there. I don’t think Chase Burns pitches tonight no matter what. Uh he hasn’t pitched yet on one day’s rest. My guess is is tomorrow’s plan would be Latell. We don’t I don’t know how long that is. I’m hoping one inning. It might be longer. Then Lollo and then Burns. And then you get to your bullpen that way. That would be my guess is how tomorrow goes. And then today you’re hoping to get as long. But if you don’t go long, I’m guessing Nick Martinez is probably the first guy that you would see today if somehow just things don’t go well for Hunter Green. Um, but to be completely honest, things don’t go well for Hunter Green. I think a lot of our conversations are pretty mute because it’s really hard to see the Reds winning this series. And it sucks for Hunter Green. I talked about this with Klay Snowden um last night. Hunter Green has all the pressure on the world on him. Every everyone knows that for the Reds to win this series any logical way, it has to involve Hunter Green dominating. Now, having said all that, if Hunter Green does pitch well today and and the Reds win, all the pressure that is on the the the shoulders of Hunter Green right now gets shifted to the LA Dodgers because they are have their backs against the wall. They are one loss away from their season being eliminated by the 83 win Cincinnati Reds. So, Hunter, um I love you, man. Uh, I I’m sorry that you have to take this incredible weight. Uh, but you feel like you were born for the start and uh I’m I’m excited to see how he performs. Uh, I expect good things out of Hunter Green tonight. I’m not going to sit here and come on a postgame show and cry if he doesn’t pitch well in his first postseason game. That’s not me. That’s not fair. But I do believe I do believe that he can go out and absolutely shove tonight. Absolutely. Returning back home, uh, went to high school just minutes away from Dodger Stadium. grew up cheering for the Dodgers. I know that he will be amped for this one. I I think my biggest concern is just can you keep your emotions relatively in check uh and go out there and pitch a baseball game. And I think that’s probably the biggest challenge for some of these guys is don’t let the moment get too big. Don’t let the fact that you’re standing across the field from the Los Angeles Dodgers, this mega team that was expected to win 120 games, right? So, that’ll be intriguing to watch how some of these younger guys handle their first opportunity. Um, how do guys like Gavin Lux, who have played in 30 playoff games in their career already, help these younger guys manage the emotions as they go through this. All of that will be interesting to see for me. Um, the other side of it, Nick, you just mentioned obviously the pressure shifts to the to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Obviously, the payroll is what it is. Uh we’ve seen the investments that they have made. Um if you haven’t already, Nick has already put out two YouTube videos today. Uh one of them with Klay Snowden about uh why this Red’s team can win this series and then another with my good buddy Trey Huntsman who is a lifelong Dodgers fan and a former baseball podcast host amongst many other things in the media. Um and it was interesting, Nick. He talked about how Dave Roberts managed this team a little bit different than they have in the past. They have been managed not to win 120 games, but they have been managed to win in October, and that’s what they’re here to do. And so, like you said, if game one goes to the Reds, that pressure could certainly mount on the reigning World Series champions. And uh the Reds have an opportunity hopefully to strike early and put that pressure on the Dodgers starting tonight. On the mound for the Dodgers again, not to get super deep into the matchup because I know you’ve done that, but uh Blake Snell, last time the Reds saw Blake Snell was a no hitter and so they’ve got to put that behind them as well. Uh, any final thoughts on the roster or on the matchup tonight that you want to get off your chest before the pregame show later tonight, Nick? Well, I’m also hoping going to hopefully going to try to go live right after the ros the lineups are announced. Very it’ll be a very short live show. We’ll just react to the lineups, give a few thoughts, and then it’ll be live at 8:30 tonight with Mike Hart um for a pregame show. It’ll all be one stream. So, normally when we do a pregame show, that’s it. It’ll be a pregame show on one stream and then it will go directly into myself and Trace Fowler reacting to the full nine, maybe more innings of Red’s Dodgers tonight and then a postgame show to follow. So, we’ll be live for quite a long time tonight. Um, hope you’ll join us and uh hopefully we can celebrate a Red’s win. Absolutely. and uh I’ll hop on and do a little box score recap so you don’t have to track all of that while you’re also doing your live watch along. So um we’re looking forward to seeing all of you there later tonight. Um unbelievable that on a Monday afternoon we can have 260 of our closest friends in here chatting with Cincinnati Reds baseball talking postseason. Real quick, want to acknowledge Alex Uner Balman, a member nutter nation for 22 months. Thoughts on lack of base runners on this roster, especially with the lack of offense, getting runners over should be a priority. I know we talked about it a little bit earlier in the show, but Alex may not have been here for that. Uh, we talked about Blake Dunn. Nick, you want to just reiterate a couple quick thoughts on that? Yeah, I I just I I I think Blake Dunn would have had a a big spot on this roster. I mean, sadly, I don’t think Will Benson’s going to play. Um so, um I think Will Benson is probably your pinch runner. Um but that’s only one pinch runner really, unless Noel Marte sits, but Marte hasn’t really sat at all. So, um yeah, I I I do think that’s a mistake. I hope it doesn’t come back to bite them. I hope maybe if if they’re fortunate enough to advance, maybe they do a completely different roster. I don’t know. I’m not going to sit here and cry and complain, but I I not also going to sit here and say, “Oh, yeah, this is fine. No big deal.” I think this is a mistake. Yeah. Well, we’ll see how it all plays out and what kind of scenarios pop up for the Reds. And I’m sure everybody that’s interested in your opinion, make sure you tune in to that live watch along right here on Chatterbox Sports on YouTube and across social media. Nick and uh Mike will be live uh at 8:30 once again if you didn’t hear that. And then uh Nick and Trace Fowler live throughout the entire game. And none of this, of course, would be possible without our sponsors, Nick. Yeah, just a quick run through. Of course, we’re sponsored by Omaha Stakes. They’ve got the redot sale going on right now. 55% off statewide, sitewide, and then you can get an extra $35 off with the promo code Chatterbox. omahastakess.com. All kinds of great stuff there as always. Uh 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Call, text, or chat if you ever need help. And our proud sponsor as longtime sponsor DSSE Deep South Commodities, uh the leader in renewable commodities. So, shout out to all them who make all of this possible. We appreciate you. Absolutely. And we appreciate you in the chat and watching along. And for those of you that watch later as well, we appreciate you as well. until RAW uh lineups come out. We will see you back here then. When lineups come out, we’ll be live shortly after that. So, make sure you have your notifications turned on because we will be back with yet another live show reacting to that roster. And then, as Nick mentioned, Nick and Mike Hart live at 8:30 tonight to walk you through the entire evening. And Nick will be live for the whole thing uh with Trace joining when the game starts. So, we’re looking forward to tonight. I said it was Monday. It’s obviously Tuesday. Last night’s Monday night football game made me want to forget the whole day, I guess. Uh, but until then, I’m Craig Sandlin. He’s Nick Kirby. This is Chatterbox Reds. Let’s go Reds. [Music] Heat.

Nick Kirby and Craig Sandlin break down the Cincinnati Reds playoff roster.

As the leaves turn in late September, baseball’s autumnal theater ignites with the National League Wild Card Series pitting the scrappy Cincinnati Reds against the juggernaut Los Angeles Dodgers, a matchup that evokes echoes of their lone prior October clash three decades ago. It’s 1995 all over again, when the Reds swept the Dodgers in the Division Series, but this time around, the stakes pulse with modern drama under the Dodger Stadium lights. Game 1 kicks off tonight at 9:08 p.m. ET, followed by Game 2 tomorrow night at the same hour, and if necessary, a decisive third on Friday—best-of-three, no margin for error, all eyes on the defending World Series champions hosting the upstart visitors who clawed their way into the dance on the regular season’s final breath.

For the Reds, this playoff resurrection feels like a fever dream after years in the wilderness. Absent from October since the truncated 2020 campaign—and from a full 162-game postseason since 2013—they stormed back with a blistering late-season surge, outpacing the crumbling New York Mets to snag the third Wild Card spot at 83-79. Credit veteran maestro Terry Francona, the 66-year-old two-time World Series winner who emerged from semi-retirement to steady the ship with his three Manager of the Year rings glinting like talismans. Under his watchful eye, Cincinnati transformed inconsistency into grit, leaning on a rotation that ranked second in the majors in fWAR, a testament to arms that silenced doubters amid the NL Central scrum.

At the heart of the Reds’ fire is Hunter Greene, the flame-throwing right-hander whose triple-digit fastballs have scorched opponents and whose local roots in nearby Dayton infuse every pitch with Ohio River Valley pride. He’ll toe the rubber in Game 1, flanked by southpaw stalwarts Andrew Abbott and Nick Lodolo, whose All-Star caliber poise has anchored the staff through turbulence. Offensively, the spark ignites with Elly De La Cruz, the 23-year-old shortstop phenom whose electric blend of power, speed, and flair—67 stolen bases in 2024, a cannon arm, and highlight-reel leaps—has redefined dynamism at the plate. Though his 2025 stats dipped slightly to a 108 wRC+ with 37 swipes, his presence electrifies Great American Ball Park crowds and could unsettle Dodger Stadium’s palm-lined serenity. Bolstering the lineup are midseason miracles like Miguel Andujar, the ex-Yankee who exploded for a .359 average in 34 late games after a trade from Oakland, and Ke’Bryan Hayes, whose bat warmed from Pittsburgh chill to Cincinnati heat with an 82 wRC+ revival. Even Gavin Lux, the former Dodger infielder traded away and now thriving in red pinstripes, brings insider edge and quiet resolve to the infield. The bullpen, a Reds’ relative strength, hums with late-inning lockdown potential, offering a counterpunch to any early deficits.

Across the diamond, the Dodgers loom as a colossus, their half-billion-dollar payroll—swollen by tax penalties—the fattest in baseball history, a war chest that fortified a National League West crown despite the wild-card grind’s lack of a bye. Reigning champions enter healthier than last October’s injury-plagued sprint, their regular-season dominance yielding five wins in six against Cincinnati, including a Dodger Stadium sweep where they outscored the visitors 30-15. Blake Snell, the winter prize ace, headlines Game 1, his unhittable curveball a harbinger of command. Yoshinobu Yamamoto follows in Game 2, his Cy Young-caliber mastery a symphony of precision, while a potential Game 3 could unleash Shohei Ohtani’s two-way wizardry or Tyler Glasnow’s towering velocity. Clayton Kershaw, the grizzled icon announcing post-playoff retirement, bowed out with a seven-strikeout gem Sunday, his legacy etched in every Dodger sunset. The offense? A murderers’ row of Mookie Betts’ elegant contact, Freddie Freeman’s clutch thunder, and Will Smith’s backstop savvy, all underpinned by a revamped bullpen featuring Roki Sasaki’s 100-mph splitter and Tanner Scott’s unhittable heat—kinks ironed out just in time for the spotlight.

Season series tilts favored the blue, but Cincinnati’s lone series win at home hints at vulnerability, their youth and hunger clashing against Los Angeles’ pedigree and depth. Francona’s old-school wisdom versus Dave Roberts’ tactical chess; Greene’s raw fury against Snell’s surgical strikes; De La Cruz’s basepath blaze amid Ohtani’s omnipresence. Dodger Stadium’s cavernous confines, where echoes of Kirk Gibson’s ghost still linger, host this generational tilt, but the Reds’ road warrior ethos—forged in a tiebreaker over the Mets—promises fireworks. No wild cards were drawn when these franchises shared the NL West for 25 years, barring playoff paths until expansion cracked the door.