CINCINNATI -- As the COVID-19 quarantine trudged along, Reds left fielder Jesse Winker kept himself in the most familiar baseball surroundings possible -- his apartment in Cincinnati and Great American Ball Park.

“I was kind of just doing what everyone had laid out for me and doing it on the field I play on and in the weight room I will be lifting in,” Winker said on Thursday. “It made a lot of sense to me to get up here. I have my apartment here. It was really easy. I came in and it kind of got me into this routine of all the protocols I have to follow throughout the season.”

Part of that blueprint came from strength and conditioning coach Sean Marohn, who had Winker work on his running. Manager David Bell, who lives locally, often broke out the fungo bat and hit balls into the outfield.

As he strives to make defensive improvements, Winker recognized that he needed to improve his footwork and speed to reach that next level.

“I was taking fly balls from DB and I just ran a ton,” Winker said. “I think that was the best way to stay in shape for me, personally. Everything else -- throwing and hitting -- I’ve always trusted that would be there when it’s time to go do that. Keeping my body in shape throughout this quarantine was my No. 1 priority.”

Winker is part of a somewhat murky outfield picture where the club has more capable players than starting spots. Like right fielder Nick Castellanos, Winker is an option for Bell to use as the designated hitter.

However, Bell also recognizes that players like Winker and Castellanos take pride in their defensive work and can serve in both roles.

“Even if he'll never be fast or a burner, but to really make the most of what he can do, what he is physically capable of, that's all you can do,” Bell said of Winker. “His body is in different shape, excellent shape. He's leaned out. He's worked really hard with Sean Marohn to get in shape both from a strength standpoint and speed.

“I would never limit him to being a DH. I also think he'll see time as a DH. He's a gifted offensive player. He has power, he's a left-handed hitter. He has a knack for getting on base, he has a real good eye at the plate, very just naturally disciplined.”

Winker is willing to whatever it takes to be in the regular lineup.

“If that means DH or that means play the outfield or that means pinch-hit in the seventh, eighth or ninth -- whatever is called for me on a given day, I will be ready for it,” he said. “With the short season and everything, everything is out the window personally. It’s just having to win. I think it would be a special World Series to win if we’re given the opportunity to be there late in the year.”

Scrimmage filled with home runs
In a 4 1/2-inning scrimmage Thursday, Winker was among three players to hit a homer as the home team beat the visitors, 7-4. Batting for the home team, Nick Senzel hit a leadoff homer off Michael Lorenzen to left field on a 1-1 pitch. Road pitcher Sonny Gray retired his first eight batters in a row but gave up Winker’s two-out, two-run homer to center field on a full count.

Lorenzen also allowed Phil Ervin’s three-run homer to left field and Kyle Farmer’s RBI double in the bottom of the third inning before stopping at his pitch-count limit. Unhappy with his outing, Lorenzen heaved a ball to center field in frustration.

Both sides experimented with various situations during the game, beginning some innings with one or multiple runners on base.

Crowd noise or no crowd noise?
During Wednesday’s first controlled three-inning scrimmage, the Reds experimented with piping in crowd noise from the speakers into the empty ballpark. Players were also given their walk-up music when they stepped up to the plate. The results weren’t satisfactory. While the walk-up music remained Thursday, fake crowd noise did not.

“That's good, that's why we tried it,” Bell said. “It wasn't really serving the purpose we wanted. If there is something that's going to be mandated, it'll be good to get that, and we'll for sure pipe that in to get used to it. We also want to get used to zero noise, because that's a reality. That will probably be the biggest challenge.”

Winker was among those who felt the artificial attempts at creating an ambient buzz of fans wasn’t necessary. Some players say it reminds them of the Minor Leagues or amateur ball.

“No noise. We don’t need music,” Winker said. “What’s actually really cool is you can hear the sound of the ball off the bat. That’s something that’s great. As an outfielder, it’s awesome. When the crowd is really loud and a guy hits the ball, you kind of have to go on feel and how the swing looked.”

2021 schedule already revealed
MLB released the regular-season schedule for the 2021 season on Thursday. The Reds will open at home on April 1 vs. the Cardinals. Following an initial six-game homestand, the first road trip will be to the West Coast against the D-backs and Giants (April 9-14).

• Reds' 2021 regular-season schedule

Interleague Play will again be against American League Central teams, with a return to Cleveland as Cincinnati’s “rival” opponent. The Reds will host the Indians on April 16-18 and meet at Progressive Field on May 7-9 in a set of weekend series.

The 2021 season will conclude with a three-game series at Pittsburgh on Oct. 1-3.