Nick Senzel starts at 3B as Reds play host to Mariners

Mar 23, 2023 - 11:53 PM

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Nick Senzel returned to the Cincinnati Reds batting order last night mid-game, and tonight he’ll get his first start of Cactus League action since returning from a debilitating toe injury. He’s still slated to begin the season on the Injured List, and while that’s frustrating, what’s intriguing is his apparent ‘new’ usage.

Tonight, he’ll be starting at 3B, the position he originally played as an amateur before the Reds decided to pay $6+ million to draft him and move him off that familiarity. That comes after he entered last night’s game in CF, the position where he was moved a handful of years back.

The plan is for him to get accustomed to playing all over the dang place, something he’ll get a couple of weeks to re-learn in Arizona and eventually while on rehab with AAA Louisville. It’s an interesting tactic, and one that I’d like to think I’d wholly endorse should he ever stay on the field long enough to make it valuable. The skills are obviously there for him to be a potentially plus defender at 3B, 2B, and across the OF, and even if the bat never comes around the way we once hoped, the ability to do that and swipe some bags would be a plenty valuable enough utility guy.

It’d be a helluva lot more fun than Chad Pinder, anyway.

Anyway, Brandon Williamson will start for the Reds this evening against his former club, and he’ll be up against a fully loaded, formidable Seattle lineup. Said lineup features Eugenio Suarez, which would be even cooler if this one was televised anywhere (it’s not).

First pitch is set for 9:05 PM ET, and while you can’t watch it, it’ll be available for your ears’ consumption at 700 WLW.

Reds Lineup