Roster taking shape as players gain spots
Stephenson to back up Barnhart as expected; Naquin, others set.
The final days of spring training bring memorable moments for players trying to make the Opening Day roster.
For every Joey Votto, who will experience his 13th straight Opening Day with the Cincinnati Reds, there’s a Tyler Stephenson, who has never been with the team at the start of the season.
“It’s pretty incredible, pretty surreal,” Stephenson said Monday. “It doesn’t feel real. I’m sure Thursday for that game, it will kind of kick in. It’s a blessing. It’s a dream come true. I’m excited.”
The Reds open the 2021 season at 4:10 p.m. Thursday against the St. Louis Cardinals at Great American Ball Park. There was little doubt Stephenson, who made his big-league debut last season, would make the Opening Day roster as the backup catcher behind veteran Tucker Barnhart, but he wanted to earn a spot with his play this spring. He hit .282 (11 for 39) with five RBIs in 16 games.
“I just wanted to come to spring training and make a statement,” he said. “I feel like I did that, and I’m excited.”
Among the others who found out officially this week they had made the team were pitchers Tejay Antone, Cionel Perez and Cam Bedrosian and outfielder Tyler Naquin.
Antone, who also made his bigleague debut last season, had a 1.17 ERA in three appearances this spring. He started two games and pitched 7 2/3 innings but also missed time with a groin strain. He feels good now and said he’s ready to go.
“It was a goal of mine to make the Opening Day roster,” Antone said. “It was almost taken away from me with the injury. Nothing you can do about that. You control what you can control. I bounced back. It took a little longer than expected. I’m very excited. My family is coming up
to watch. They’re going to be there Opening Day. It’s finally happening. That’s kind of the feeling I have right now.”
Perez made the team two months after the Reds acquired him from the Houston Astros for catcher Luke Berryhill. He made his bigleague debut with the Astros in 2018 and had a 2.84 ERA in seven relief appearances last season. He had a 1.69 ERA in 10 appearances and 10 2/3 innings this spring.
“It feels awesome,” Perez said. “It feels great. All this hard work I put into the offseason and into spring training, you can tell all this has
paid off. I hope it just doesn’t end here and that it continues on into the season and I’ll be able to pitch strikes
and get people out.”
Bedrosian, who signed a minor league contract with the Reds in February, found out he had made the team last weekend from General Manager Nick Krall.
“He told me I pitched well and made the team,” Bedrosian said. “I was pumped about that. I just told him it’s time to get to work and now the real work begins.”
Bedrosian spent the last seven seasons, his entire career, with the Los Angeles Angels. He had a 2.45 ERA in 11 appearances last season. He’s the son of Steve Bedrosian, who won the National League Cy Young Award in 1987 with the Philadelphia Phillies.
“I knew I had to come in and prove myself and be at my best to make this team,” Bedrosian said. “There’s a lot of good competition here, and guys have been throwing well top to bottom. The big thing was just be myself and go out there and do what I know I can do.”
Naquin also signed a minor league contract with the Reds in February. He spent the last five seasons with the Cleveland Indians and hit .218 last season. Manager David Bell gave him the news that he had made the team.
“It’s a good conversation,” Naquin said. “It’s something that I looked forward to hearing, obviously as a player coming from another organization.”
Naquin said this is the first time he’s been 100% healthy entering a season since 2016. He tore his ACL in August 2019 and then broke his toe two days before Opening Day in July last year.
“I know that if I’m healthy,” Naquin said, “and I’m able to stay on the field that I could be here to stay and help the guys do what we all get together to do and that’s win.”
NOTES: The Reds placed pitcher Brandon Bailey on the 60-day injured list Monday. They also reassigned infielder Mike Freeman and pitchers Heath Hembree and Braden Shipley to minor-league camp . ... Bell returned to the dugout Monday for the Reds’ final spring training game. His brother Mike Bell, a bench coach for the Minnesota Twins, died on Friday from kidney cancer at 46 . ... The Reds and Mariners tied 5-5 on Monday.