CINCINNATI -- Reds outfielder Shogo Akiyama still feels like he’s finding his way while adjusting to new surroundings. But his performances of late indicate that he’s acclimating well.

Akiyama lined a double to right field in his second at-bat during Wednesday’s scrimmage, a follow-up to his three-hit, two-double performance Sunday.

“I don't think I'm comfortable yet,” Akiyama said before Wednesday’s scrimmage via translator Luke Shinoda. “I've been able to get hits as a result in games, but I think the best part of this right now is that I've been getting daily at-bats against great pitchers for the Reds.”

Signed to a three-year, $21 million contract in January to boost the top of Cincinnati’s lineup, Akiyama spent the quarantine in Los Angeles training five days a week and constantly working on his hitting.

Based on what he has seen in camp, hitting coach Alan Zinter likes what Akiyama has been doing at the plate.

“He continued to do his routine over the break, and he’s just more comfortable,” Zinter said. “He’s just settling in. He’s a human being and it’s not easy to go to another country and to start up with a brand-new team with a lot of hype. I think he’s filling in nicely. It’s a good feeling. He’s supported from the top down. He can feel that. He’s been a great teammate. I just think he’s now going to be himself.

“It’s nice to see him have quality ABs and to be able to see the pitch recognition that he’s known for in Japan. That’s who we want him to be. We want him to be the guy that he was in Japan. We don’t want him to come over here and do anything different. Shogo is fine the way he is.”

A center fielder in Japan with the Seibu Lions, Akiyama has played in left field in recent days, but he was back patrolling center Wednesday.

“I haven't been able to get used to it too much yet, but I've been able to play and get used to the view and the wind and everything,” Akiyama said. “I've just got to take it game by game.”

Teammates have been having some fun with Akiyama as well. When a foul ball was hit down the left-field line Tuesday, third baseman Eugenio Suárez yelled “two” so Akiyama would rush a throw to second base from the corner.

Later the same day, during a routine fly ball, teammates yelled to try and distract Akiyama. But he proved unshakable and made the catch.

“We were just trying to have fun with it,” Akiyama said.

Perks of Reds scrimmages
Pitcher Anthony DeSclafani mentioned Tuesday that he liked being able to get feedback directly from the Reds hitters he faced. Manager David Bell mentioned another unexpected benefit Wednesday -- not having to always play by the regular rules.

“I’ll say it’s been really nice to play the exact amount of innings that we want to play,” Bell said. “It’s been nice from a health standpoint, getting guys ready the way we believe they need to get ready. Having control of the amount of innings, having control of our workday, I really believe we’re going to be fully ready to go.”

Before starting some innings, the Reds created bunting situations and put runners on base. Leading off the second with Sal Romano pitching, Alex Blandino bunted into a double play, giving the defense a chance to practice. In his regular at-bat, Blandino hit a single.

Leading off the fourth, Tucker Barnhart also bunted into an out. For his real at-bat, he hit a bunt single between the mound and third base that Joel Kuhnel couldn’t field cleanly.

Most of the scrimmages, including Wednesday’s, have been five innings.

“It’s definitely a lot different than the typical Spring Training, but I think we’re learning a lot from this short time about what we can accomplish,” Bell said. “We’re able to create our own schedule each day to how we see fit. It’s been really nice.”

The plan will be to go seven innings on Friday, eight innings on Saturday and nine innings on Sunday. Monday will be a reduced workday ahead of the club’s exhibition games next Tuesday and Wednesday vs. the Tigers -- Cincinnati’s Opening Day opponent on July 24. Bell expects the team’s regulars to play either most or all of the exhibition games.

“We’re going to play those as close to real games as possible,” Bell said.

Worth noting
• Pitcher Trevor Bauer was back in camp Tuesday after he missed Monday due to a COVID-19 testing delay.

• Reliever Matt Bowman threw a 35-pitch bullpen session Tuesday after missing a few days with a sore right elbow.