Bell: It’s an ‘important time’ for Senzel’s development as he plays in Louisville

Senzel goes 2-for-8 in first two games with Bats

The Cincinnati Reds do not have a timetable for getting top prospect Nick Senzel to the big leagues, manager David Bell said Thursday.

Senzel started the season on the injured list with a sprained ankle and made his season debut Tuesday for the Triple-A Louisville Bats. In two games, he's 2-for-8 with a double and three strikeouts.

Senzel started in center field on Tuesday and again on Wednesday. That’s the position he played in spring training with the Reds.

“He’s moving well. He’s healthy,” Bell said. “He’s had a couple hits. More than anything, he’s in a good frame of mind. I think it’s important to not look too close at what he does in the first couple of days. Give him a chance. All reports have been good.”

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This is Senzel’s fourth season in the minor leagues. He was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 draft.

While fans have clamored to see Senzel in Cincinnati, Bell said it would be unfair to put a timetable on that.

“He needs to No. 1 get the confidence that he’s healthy and we’ll go from there,” Bell said. “It’s kind of day to day in a way. No matter what happens as far as a timetable for him to get called up, he needs to have a process of getting timing and getting some experience in the outfield, which was the point of him being sent to Triple-A in the first place. I think it will all work itself out, but this is an important time for him to get at-bats and playing time in the outfield.”

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