Kuzul

The baseball gods aren’t wasting any time at testing the Cincinnati Reds‘ 2013 season.

With Ryan Ludwick’s injured shoulder after three innings on Opening Day, the Reds have to adjust.

The club entered the season with one of the soundest lineups they’ve had in past decade. But now, the Red’s have to look elsewhere for Ludwick’s replacement.

Parallel to Joey Votto’s injury last year, the Reds look for a power replacement very early in the season. Ludwick is expected to miss three months, and with that much time away from the team someone needs to step up.

Ranking from least to most likely, here are the top five Cincinnati Reds likely to step up in Ryan Ludwick’s absence.

All 2013 stats courtesy of mlb.com

All 2012 stats courtesy of baseball-reference.com

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With the start of spring training only a few weeks away, numerous eyes will be dissecting the up-and-coming Cincinnati Reds prospects. 

It’s uncertain who will make the cut, since the remaining roster spots are becoming scarce, but the question is: which prospect will make the biggest impact on the Reds 2013 season? 

Ranked from least to most contributing, here are the five Cincinnati Reds prospects that could play a major role in 2013.

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