CINCINNATI -- The Reds reinstated reliever Blake Wood from the paternity list on Friday. To make room on the 25-man roster, outfielder Kyle Waldrop was optioned to Triple-A Louisville.
A name missing from that transaction, Jose Peraza, was somewhat telling. The 22-year-old appears to be staying in the big leagues for an extended look. Entering Friday, he's played 11 games over two callups.
"I'm not confident there's enough at-bats for him to be here the rest of the year. But at least for the time being, I know he helps our team in a number of different ways," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "We did the same thing with [Steve] Selsky and Waldrop, that if the at-bats dry up and he can't get enough regular at-bats, if I can't find him into the lineup enough to keep him sharp and allow him to continue to develop, it doesn't make sense for him to spend the rest of the season here."
Peraza is the No. 5 ranked prospect in the Reds organization and No. 63 overall according to MLBPipeline.com. Unlike Waldrop, or Selsky, he brings a lot of versatility. Peraza can play shortstop, second base, center field, and he recently added left field to the list with two starts.
Outside of one Spring Training game, Peraza had never played left field in the Majors or Minors.
"He's an athlete. He finds a way to get to the ball. It's like anything else, the more time he plays out there, the better he'll get at the position," Price said. "We certainly didn't trade for him to be a left fielder. If there are times where that's the spot that's open and available for him to play, then that's where he'll play. I won't even think about it. I let [third-base coach] Billy Hatcher deal with his positioning and getting him prepared for playing the position, and I just give him the opportunity when he's there."
Off the bench, Peraza can also pinch-hit, and his speed makes him an effective pinch-runner. Because he can play four positions, he's also useful for double switches later in games. When the time comes that Peraza can't find a way to get enough playing time, the Reds can still send him back to Triple-A Louisville for regular at-bats.
Price has yet to define what Peraza's best, or future, position will be in the big leagues. Currently all four positions he plays are occupied with players performing well.
"Inevitably, he's going to wedge his way into our environment some way, somehow," Price said. "I think he's a really nice player, and he does a lot of things that are going to help our club. We won't have to be talking about this at this point in time next year, I don't believe. Some way, somehow, he's going to find his way into our plans."