Reds' Bryan Price: Roster isn't set yet

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Two days before Opening Day of 2012, Todd Frazier was readying for his first opener in Cincinnati when he was told that he'd instead start the season in Louisville.

It wasn't because of anything Frazier did, it was that the Reds were awarded a waiver claim on Alfredo Simon, and the team needed a spot.

It turned out to be a great move, Frazier was back in the big leagues by the middle of the month and finished third in Rookie of the Year Award voting. Simon became a valuable member of the Reds' bullpen and an All-Star starter in 2014.

Reds manager Bryan Price has yet to tell any of the non-roster players that they've made the team, in part because of the possibility the Reds could still add a player, he said on Sunday.

Opening Day is coming soon, but the Reds still have 36 players in camp as of Sunday morning. Three players, right-hander Homer Bailey, outfielder Jason Bourgeois and left-hander Sean Marshall, will begin the season on the disabled list, but that still leaves eight players who are on the roster now, who will not be in uniform against the Pirates on April 6.

Further complicating matters is the Reds will not go straight from Arizona to Cincinnati, instead playing two exhibitions in Montreal on April 3 and 4.

"You just never know in baseball, who is going to become available," Price said on Sunday. "If the scouts see someone who can improve our club a day or two, when you find a guy who is available a day or two before Opening Day, anything could happen. Any of these guys who are competing to make a spot on our bench or in the bullpen or the rotation, it can be a little precarious from time to time, because all teams are in the same boat trying to find that last piece that may stabilize their club."

Several non-roster players have made good impressions this spring, including outfielder Brennan Boesch, infielder Chris Dominguez and reliever Kevin Gregg. Price has hinted that Jason Marquis was in the rotation, but not said it. The Reds would have to make roster spots on the 40-man roster for all four of those players. The team would also have to make a 40-man move to get right-hander Michael Lorenzen on the roster, as well.

The 25 Reds who will be at Great American Ball Park on Opening Day will be on the plane to Montreal, but they won't be alone, many other players will make the trip, as well.

"It's probable that when we leave for Montreal, that guys will know they're on the team," Price said.

But there's always the possibility things could change, as Frazier can tell you.