Reds set 25-man roster, designate Wisler

CINCINNATI -- The one absolute certainty about Spring Training each year is that the roster will be set at exactly 25 players for Opening Day. On Tuesday, the Reds completed that puzzle when reliever Matt Wisler was sent to Minor League camp. Wisler, who is out of options, will be designated for assignment.

Once before camp opened and once more while the Reds worked out in Goodyear, Ariz., I took a crack at solving the mystery of what the 25-man roster would look like. Let’s see how close I was to getting it right (or wrong).

Catcher (2): Tucker Barnhart, Curt Casali
What changed? This one was correct both times. Casali got a late start as he recovered from hip surgery, but he’s ready to be Barnhart’s backup.

First base (1): Joey Votto
What changed? Nothing. Votto is back for his 11th consecutive Opening Day.

Second base (1): José Peraza
What changed? A lot. All-Star Scooter Gennett was all set to return until Friday, when he suffered a right groin strain that will keep him out for two to three months. Peraza is moving over from shortstop to be the regular second baseman in the interim.

Third base (1): Eugenio Suárez
What changed? Nothing. Both the original and revisited predictions were correct.

Shortstop (1): José Iglesias
What changed? Iglesias was signed to a Minor League deal just after camp started to be Peraza’s backup and have the ability to play second base and third base. The Gennett injury changed all of that, but that’s why Iglesias was brought in. He’s a defensive wizard at shortstop, which could help the team's defense improve overall.

Outfield (4): Jesse Winker, Yasiel Puig, Scott Schebler, Matt Kemp
What changed? The original prediction did not have the club's top prospect, Nick Senzel, making the team as the starting center fielder, but the second one did. Senzel was one of the last cuts, as he was beaten out for the job by Schebler. Winker and Kemp will split left-field duties, and Winker could also get some time backing up Schebler as needed. Manager David Bell knows Puig can also play center field, but prefers to keep him locked into right field only. Phillip Ervin was part of my original prediction, but he was also one of the final cuts.

Utility (2): Derek Dietrich, Kyle Farmer
What changed? Dietrich was signed to a Minor League deal on Feb. 19, and he will earn $2 million this season. He can play first base, second base, third base and left field. The change here is Farmer, who was sent to Minor League camp on Friday only to be brought back Saturday after Gennett’s diagnosis. Farmer can play five positions, as he can fill in as the third catcher, first baseman, second baseman, shortstop and third baseman. He could also be an option for left field.

Starting pitchers (5): RHP Luis Castillo, RHP Sonny Gray, RHP Tanner Roark, RHP Anthony DeSclafani, RHP Tyler Mahle
What changed? A sore lower back for Alex Wood pushed his timetable back to returning in mid-April, which opened the door for Mahle to make the club as the fifth starter. Castillo was given the nod as the Opening Day starter.

Relief pitcher (8): RHP Raisel Iglesias, RHP Jared Hughes, RHP David Hernandez, RHP Michael Lorenzen, LHP Zach Duke, LHP Amir Garrett, LHP Wandy Peralta, RHP Robert Stephenson
What changed? In the original predictions, Sal Romano made it. But Romano didn’t have a great spring. The second prediction correctly had Peralta earning a spot and he sure did that with 10 scoreless innings in nine games. The change here is that Stephenson also made the team over Wisler. Stephenson, who is also out of options, got a very late start to camp because of a sore right shoulder but pitched well in his limited games to make the team.

Here's the full rundown of the Reds' 25-man roster:

Catchers
Tucker Barnhart
Curt Casali

Infielders
Joey Votto
Eugenio Suarez
Jose Peraza
Jose Iglesias

Outfielders
Jesse Winker
Yasiel Puig
Scott Schebler
Matt Kemp

Utility players
Derek Dietrich
Kyle Farmer

Starting pitchers
Luis Castillo
Sonny Gray
Tanner Roark
Anthony DeSclafani
Tyler Mahle

Relief pitchers
Raisel Iglesias
Jared Hughes
David Hernandez
Michael Lorenzen
Zach Duke
Amir Garrett
Wandy Peralta
Robert Stephenson

Injured list
Scooter Gennett
Alex Wood
Alex Blandino