Cincinnati Reds expected big things from Desmond Jennings, but he couldn’t make it through spring training

Desmond Jennings has had trouble staying healthy, but the Cincinnati Reds hoped to reap the rewards of a comeback season.

The Cincinnati Reds needed to find a primary bench player in light of Jose Peraza’s move into the everyday line-up. Prior to the signing of Desmond Jennings and Ryan Raburn that person appeared to be Arismendy Alcantara. Now the question is whether Jennings was beaten out or lost the role on his own. The Reds released him the Friday before Opening Day.

Jennings batted .200 over 65 games with seven home runs in 2016. These are not normal numbers for Jennings. He is more of a .250 hitter with about nine home runs per season. As with many players, though, playing time can…