Cincinnati Reds: Three biggest stories through first week of spring games

3. The outfield is still unsettled

One of the biggest questions heading into spring training surrounded the plethora of outfielders. How was David Bell going to allocate time in order to get everyone the necessary number of at-bats during spring camp? The problem that Bell has is a good one, and one we’ll likely not find an answer for until the final week of spring training.

We already know that Shogo Akiyama, Nick Castellanos, and once healthy, Nick Senzel will be key pieces of the Reds outfield. However, how might the others lineup? Unfortunately, fans haven’t seen much of Jesse Winker after he was plunked during the first game of the spring. Winker returned to the lineup on Friday as the team’s designated hitter.

Aristides Aquino saw some time in center field and Phillip Ervin was scheduled to make a start there on Friday, but an illness suffered by Castellanos forced Ervin to right field and Travis Jankowski got the start in center.

Speaking of Ervin, the former first-round pick has picked up where he left off last spring. Ervin is 3-for-7 so far with a double, a home run and five RBIs. Last spring, Ervin dominated with an OPS of 1.429 but was still left off the Opening Day roster.

Akiyama got a hit in his first at-bat, but has gone 1-for-8 since. Senzel has yet to take the field this spring, but is expected to see time as Cincinnati’s DH this coming week. Aquino, who has one minor-league option remaining has gone 0-for-6 in the early-going with a walk and two strikeouts.

Look for Bell to insert the regulars into more games as the spring progresses. We may even see the likes of Josh VanMeter and Derek Dietrich get more time in the outfield. Michael Lorenzen has yet to make an appearance on the field as well, seeing time just once this spring as a reliever.