PEORIA, Ariz. -- Playing center field for the first time in a game on Monday, Reds top prospect Nick Senzel waited for a ball to be hit his way. Then, he waited some more.

"I was like ‘I’m sure I will get one here sooner or later,’” Senzel said upon exiting after five innings during the Reds’ 11-3 loss to the Mariners.

Senzel, ranked as the organization’s No. 1 prospect and No. 6 overall by MLB Pipeline, finally had two balls hit to him in the bottom of the fifth. Against reliever Odrisamer Despaigne, Ryon Healy laced a bases-loaded sacrifice fly. The next batter, Kyle Lewis, also flied out to center field.

“Thank God it was right to me. The second one was a little deeper,” Senzel said. “It felt comfortable, surprisingly. Getting in a game, you’d think it would be a little bit different.”

Senzel was supposed to exit after his third plate appearance, but Reds manager David Bell wanted to give him more chances on defense.

“It paid off playing him,” Bell said. “He wasn’t going to get another at-bat but I wanted to play him one more half-inning. I told him it was good to see he can catch a ball.

“I’m sure it is kind of a big step. He had a good, strong throw. Nice to get that out of the way.”

In the first inning on Domingo Santana’s homer to left-center field, Senzel gave it a good effort with a quick first step on contact before running back to the wall.

“That ball was hit well but I felt like I had a good jump,” Senzel said. “I was thinking off the bat, ‘maybe I can rob this one. … No, I can’t.’”

Even when he wasn’t getting much action on defense, Senzel was looking to left fielder Phillip Ervin and right fielder Yasiel Puig to make sure he was set up correctly.

“Just communicating on where I am positioned, how much room they’ve got, how much room I’ve got and trying to move guys around so we’re in the right spots,” Senzel said.

Senzel, 23, was 0-for-3 at the plate with fielder’s choice groundball and a stolen base in his spring debut.

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft, Senzel’s amateur and pro career has been spent entirely in the infield -- mostly at third base or second. Trying to find a place for him to play since he’s blocked by incumbents in both spots by Eugenio Suarez and Scooter Gennett, the Reds had him learn the outfield during the fall instructional league to increase his versatility.

The non-tendering of Billy Hamilton during the winter had Senzel immediately targeting the opportunity to replace him. A non-roster player in camp, Senzel's primary competition is veteran Scott Schebler, who is mostly a corner outfielder.

“I have put in a lot of work,” said Senzel, who was limited by injuries to 44 games last season at Triple-A Louisville. “I’m continuing to get better every day. I think the more I get in games, the more comfortable I will be. I’m confident I can play it.”

Bell noted that Senzel will log a lot of innings in center field this spring.

“Once you get into the game, things will come up that only the game can teach,” Bell said.