It really shouldn’t be news that a 24 year old former Top 5 overall draft pick who is clearly the best player at his position has earned a roster spot on Opening Day. That said, there have long been many roster shenanigans in play as part of the business of baseball, with service time manipulation a big, big part of how teams keep players under control for the longest, cheapest way possible.
Fortunately, that’s not the story this time around with Jonathan India and the Cincinnati Reds, as the club announced earlier on Wednesday that the rookie has made the roster for Thursday’s Opening Day.