Jason Jenkins has been told he will have to hit top form to nail down a starting Munster spot.
Jenkins, 25, joined the Reds from Japanese club Toyota Verblitz in the summer but injury has kept him out of the opening games of the URC season.
However the versatile lock/back row will train fully with the squad this week and Munster forwards coach Graham Rowntree has confirmed that he is available for Sunday's trip to the Scarlets.
"He's a big man," said the former England coach.
"He plays in different positions in the back-five of the scrum flexible, a good lineout forward. He's big, will give us some good ballast around that set-piece.
"He's got good footballing skills as well. I've been impressed with him.
"He's been unlucky with an injury pretty much since he's been here, he's trained well this week and we'll certainly be considering him.
"He can play both (second row and back row), that gives us great flexibility in terms of starting and bench, there's not many positions he couldn't play in the back-five of the scrum.
"We've got some good stocks there, haven't we? Particularly young guys coming through.
"That's up to him (Jenkins), to impress us with his performances. He's certainly trained well, but I'm very, very pleased with the resources we've got there in the back-five of our scrum.
"Selection is hard, believe me. Very hard."
RG Snyman has returned to action off the bench over the last two weekends after his ACL and skin graft surgery and he scored his first try for the province in last Saturday's bonus point victory over the Stormers.
When it was put to Rowntree that the big Springbok is knocking on the door for a start, he replied: "He's knocking everything else down, isn't he? It wouldn't take much knocking either!
"No, he's respectful of where he is within the group at the moment.
"Remembering that he's not played a lot of rugby this last year, it's right that we just keep increasing his game-time."
Fineen Wycherley, 23, has also impressed when given a chance, while Tadhg Beirne will soon return to action after his Lions tour in South Africa.
And Rowntree also praised no 8 Gavin Coombes, who has built on his first taste of action with Ireland with strong performances in the red jersey at the start of the season.
"He's worked on his game considerably, he's got himself a lot fitter," he commented.
"He's very diligent, one of the last ones off the training field. I'm delighted for Gav, he deserves all the plaudits he gets.
"He was one guy who learnt on Saturday night, the first-half he learnt a lot there.
"In the second-half, what he did helped turn the game for us. I'm pleased with where he's at, his feet are firmly on the ground."
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