GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Bench spots are often the farthest from the spotlight, but having the right people who can face some of the toughest relief pitchers in baseball is essential in the later innings.
The Reds were thin with veteran bench candidates until adding Desmond Jennings last week and Ryan Raburn on Friday. Both have Minor League deals with invites to camp, and both are expected to arrive on Sunday. Otherwise, the battles are wide open for the remaining spots.
"It's a real crapshoot at this point in time, especially finding guys that have some -- at least Triple-A time -- that have enough experience or savvy to handle being a bench player," Reds manager Bryan Price said on Saturday.