CINCINNATI -- When the Reds decided to bring up their top prospect, Nick Senzel, on Friday to be their regular center fielder, they could have done one of two things with the player he replaced at the position -- Scott Schebler.

It’s been a rough first month for Schebler, who came into the night batting .127 in 29 games with 26 strikeouts in 93 plate appearances this season. The club could have sent Schebler to Triple-A Louisville to work out of his deep slump, away from the intensity of the big leagues. Or they could have let him continue working on it with the team in Cincinnati.

The Reds chose the latter solution.

“We believe he is one of 25 guys that we want here to win every night,” Reds manager David Bell said. “He’s making adjustments and working every day to get back on track, like we know he can. Throughout that process, he’s here every day to help us win a game. He’s one of the guys we want on the team to do that.”

To make room for Senzel on the 25-man roster, the Reds optioned reliever Matt Bowman to Louisville. But Schebler’s place appeared safe once outfielder Phillip Ervin was sent to Louisville on Thursday to clear a spot for Bowman when the Reds needed a fresh arm for the bullpen.

Winker’s Instagram doing the wave

Following his ejection from Thursday’s 1-0 loss to the Mets for arguing balls and strikes with umpire Marty Foster in the ninth inning, Reds left fielder Jesse Winker addressed all the mock waves he received from fans at Citi Field with good humor. What he didn’t know at the time was the reaction he got on social media.

Winker had been having fun with Mets fans during the series, waving to hecklers after hitting the game-winning home run on Monday, and then doing it again Wednesday while running off the field upon securing the final out with a nice sliding catch in foul territory. During the game Thursday, the favor was returned.

By the time he got home on Thursday night, Winker noticed his Instagram account was blowing up with wave emojis from new followers.

“I accidentally turned my comments off. I meant to turn off my notifications,” Winker said on Friday. “I wasn’t trying to hide from any of the waves. I appreciate it. I’m not going to go ahead and start anything. It was great, it was fun. I have a feeling they are going to be putting waves in my comments for the rest of my life. I’m perfectly fine with that. They’ve taken my following to a whole other level it looks like. I appreciate Mets fans for that. It was cool. I hope they enjoyed it.

“It was very fun for me personally. I thought it was fun. If anyone took it too seriously, I think it’s on them because it was just a good joke and good, clean fun.”