Cincinnati Reds Top Prospect Suspended 80 Games

Cincinnati Reds top prospect Noelvi Marte will miss the first 80 games of the season after testing positive for Boldenone which is one of the banned substances for players. The Reds have no comment at the time. The Prospect will be without pay and now the Reds look to see who gets the starts at third in his absence. This is a definite hit to the team that was looking to compete for the NL Central.

Potential replacements

Jeimer Candelario

Let Candelario play third which he played plenty of for the Cubs and Tigers throughout his career. He was slated to be Joey Votto’s replacement but now can cross the diamond and play third while the team waits for Marte to return.

Spencer Steer

Steer has been projected to be the team’s everyday left fielder this year but played plenty of 3B last season for the Reds and could fill in if the team feels better having Candelario at 1B.

Jonathan India or Matt McLain

Either of these two infielders could make the move from second to third if the team wanted both in the lineup, less likely than the previously mentioned options, but still an option.

Spring Training Star Edwin Arroyo

Won’t happen most likely but what if the Reds shift Elly De La Cruz to third and bring up Arroyo who was having a good spring before being optioned to the minors? The team gets Cruz where he could end up eventually anyway and they get to see Arroyo with the big club.

Wrap up

Losing Marte to an 80-game suspension is a letdown as opening day inches closer, as the team was high on having him in the starting lineup this season. The team though is positioned to move on without a hiccup and might unclogg a potential log jam in the starting lineup. Of the option above I think moving Candelario to Third and giving Christian Encarnacion Strand the nod at First base is the best replacement option in my eyes. This would allow Jonathan India to take over the DH spot on a day-to-day basis. I will be interested to see how the Reds respond but I believe they have the depth to move forward without an impact on the team’s offensive output.