Mahle will either be used in a piggyback role or as a long reliever this season, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.
There's little difference between the two roles for fantasy purposes, but the important bit here is that Mahle won't be in the rotation, at least to start the year. His role should still allow him to throw a fair amount of innings, however, and could set him up to steal a win or two early in the year if the Reds' other starters can't initially throw five innings. He'll also presumably be the first option if one of the team's top five starters gets injured.