C. Trent Rosecrans

crosecrans@enquirer.com

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Reds manager Bryan Price was asked on Sunday if he’d told anyone in the Reds’ clubhouse that they’d made the Opening Day roster yet.

“I told Joey,” Price responded, indicating first baseman Joey Votto, a former MVP. “Jay (Bruce) and Brandon (Phillips) are on the team.”

Other than that, though, there are still questions.

“There will be a little more clarity here over the course of the next three days or so, I would say,” Price said. “That’s still getting us right up to the 31st and closer to Cincinnati and Indianapolis. … I have my opinions already and we’re bringing together all of our thoughts collectively. You’re not going to get into a situation where everything’s on the line for the game against Cleveland on the 31st or in Indy. We’ve got some opinions. Now it’s letting these guys make their final appearances, bring all the ideas together. We’ve been talking about all these guys all spring. We’ve been finalizing a roster with the pitchers, to me, is more challenging than doing it with the bench players at this point.”

With the Reds entering the final week of spring training and Opening Day a week from Monday, Enquirer Reds beat writers C. Trent Rosecrans and Zach Buchanan took a stab at predicting the 25-man roster on Opening Day:

Starting rotation (5): RHP Anthony DeSclafani, RHP Raisel Iglesias, LHP Brandon Finnegan, RHP Alfredo Simon, RHP Tim Melville

DeSclafani hasn’t officially been named the Opening Day starter, but everything seems to set up for that inevitability — one Price could make official as soon as Monday.

Iglesias is still being stretched out and is unlikely to start the second game of the season, but he should be ready by the time the Reds need a fifth starter.

Finnegan has struggled this spring, but because of the team’s numbers, they don’t really have another option.

Brandon Finnegan happy to get chance to start

For all of the problems and setbacks plaguing the team’s rotation this spring, Simon hasn’t been one of them. Signed late, Simon made his second start of the spring on Sunday, allowing just one run on two hits over 4 2/3 innings in the Reds' 7-6 win. He will start again in the exhibition in Indianapolis on April 2 to help get him stretched out for the season.

Melville started Saturday’s game against Cleveland and got positive marks from Price.

Tim Melville overcoming odds, on brink of big-league debut

Top prospects Robert Stephenson and Cody Reed will, barring injury, make their debuts in 2016, but it makes little sense to get their service clocks started by placing them on the Opening Day roster. Had the Reds waited a couple of weeks to put Mike Leake on the roster in 2010, he could have still been a part of the team.

Bullpen (7): RHP J.J. Hoover, LHP Tony Cingrani, RHP Ross Ohlendorf, RHP Jumbo Diaz, RHP Keyvius Sampson, RHP Pedro Villarreal, RHP Caleb Cotham

Hoover is the team’s closer, but getting to Hoover is the bigger question mark. Ohlendorf was signed to a big-league deal and will make the team, and Cingrani has looked good as a reliever this spring. After those three, though, there are few certainties.

Closer J.J. Hoover could pitch more than just ninth

The team could also go with eight relievers, and either short the bench or wait to call up one of the starters until they are needed.

Jumbo Diaz should make the club, but has had his struggles in camp, allowing three runs on Thursday against Texas and then loading the bases against the White Sox on Saturday before getting out of that jam.

The other spots are more in doubt. Along with Sampson, Villarreal and Cotham, the team also has right-handers Ryan Mattheus, Blake Wood, Drew Hayes, Dayan Diaz and JC Ramirez, along with Rule 5 lefty Chris O’Grady. Of those, Sampson, Cotham, Wood and O’Grady are on the 40-man roster. As a Rule 5 pick, O’Grady would have to stay on the team’s Major League roster all season, or be offered back to the Angels.

Wood was signed to a big-league deal, but has an 8.18 ERA in eight appearances this spring, giving up at least one run in each of his first seven outings. The Reds would have to pay a portion of his $600,000 salary if he did not make the team, but not all of it.

Starting eight (8): C Devin Mesoraco, 1B Joey Votto, 2B Brandon Phillips, 3B Eugenio Suarez, SS Zack Cozart, LF Adam Duvall, CF Billy Hamilton, RF Jay Bruce

This, of course, presumes Mesoraco, Cozart and Hamilton are fully healthy and ready to go (and all indications are that they are), and the Reds don’t find a trade partner for Bruce or convince Phillips to accept a trade between now and Opening Day.

Aside from those factors, the only question since spring started was left field. Duvall has performed well enough to solidify his spot as part of the platoon Price has said he will use. Of the players involved in that platoon, he’s the one on the most solid footing as far as the roster goes.

Bench (5): C Tucker Barnhart, IF Ivan De Jesus Jr., C Jordan Pacheco, OF Jake Cave, OF Yorman Rodriguez

The two names missing here are the two players acquired in the Todd Frazier deal, IF Jose Peraza and OF Scott Schebler.

The question for the Reds is whether they can get enough at-bats for Peraza in the big leagues. He plays three positions — including two that he shares with players who are coming off injury. Both Hamilton and Cozart will likely get more days off than normal because they are coming off of injury, and if there are enough at-bats, Peraza can play those, as well as second base. If there is any concern about Hamilton, Peraza could make the Opening Day roster.

Schebler could be the odd man out because Rodriguez is out of options and Cave is a Rule 5 pick. Rodriguez, 23, must make the Opening Day roster or the Reds could lose him. And if Cave doesn’t make the Opening Day roster, he would have to be offered back to the Yankees, who would likely welcome back the left-handed hitting outfielder with open arms.

Because Mesoraco is coming back from hip surgery, Pacheco offers a backup to the backup, Barnhart, behind the plate. He has also played all of the infield spots other than shortstop this spring, as well as left field.

The Reds' 40-man roster is currently at 39, and with the release of Wood and O'Grady, they would have the flexibility to add Melville, Villarreal and Pacheco to the 40-man roster.