GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Remember when the thought was that the Reds might trade Eugenio Suarez, or move him to short to accommodate Nick Senzel at third base? Or that they were going to trade Scooter Gennett to accommodate Senzel at second base? Or that they were going to trade Senzel himself for a front-line pitcher like Corey Kluber?

Few players have lived as many alternate lives as Senzel has before even logging so much as a single at-bat in the big leagues. And this past winter, with the Reds actively looking to improve and Senzel’s name in a multitude of trade rumors, was especially interesting.

“That’s why I don’t have social media,” Senzel said. “I get texts all the time from people I don’t even know with all that stuff.”

Here’s what we know right now: Senzel’s surest path to a Reds roster spot is in center field, where he started again in Sunday’s 9-9 tie with the Indians at Goodyear Ballpark. Granted, that path has shifted multiple times the last couple years (a year ago, Senzel was working with Barry Larkin at shortstop), but that’s where we are today. And though it is fair to say Senzel, the No. 6 overall prospect in baseball per MLB Pipeline, has been jerked around defensively in his professional career, it hasn’t affected his attitude or his approach to yet another position switch.

“He’s tough,” manager David Bell said. “He has a good edge about him. And he’s really done everything he can to show he has the ability to play center field. It’s going to take a lot of work, and it’s not easy. But for us, as we try to evaluate him, we think he can do it. And that’s a good place to be.”

Will Senzel still be with the Reds when they break camp? Well, we all know that service time is a factor in prospect promotion, and Senzel’s somewhat lost 2018 (he played just 44 games at Triple-A Louisville because of vertigo and a fracture in his right index finger that required season-ending surgery) combined with his work at a new position give the Reds additional incentive to send him down, at least temporarily. The Reds could trot out an Opening Day outfield of Yasiel Puig, Scott Schebler and Jesse Winker, and wait at least a couple weeks before calling up Senzel.

The 23-year-old Senzel, however, can see the big picture of 2019, and how he has a chance to impact this Reds outfield, crowded though it may be.

“If it’s not from day one, I’ll continue to get better,” Senzel said. “When it’s my time, it is. Opening Day is important, but, really, if I don’t break camp with the club, it’s not a ‘life’s over’ sort of thing.”

All that matters to Senzel for now is that he feels the best he has physically in a year and a half, and he’s logging enough innings to grow more comfortable with his angles and positioning in center field. The throw to the infield, he said, is the most challenging aspect of the defensive switch.

“All my life,” Senzel said, “I’ve been playing infield and using a lower arm slot, a different arm slot.”

By this point, though, Senzel is adjusted to adjusting. It has been the one constant in his professional career. And while the former first-round pick out of the University of Tennessee has a bat that many evaluators believe to be big league ready, it is fair to wonder -- even if you acknowledge that, yes, human beings are capable of multitasking -- if all the defensive shakeups are hurting his offensive development in any meaningful way.

“It’s a valid question,” Senzel said. “I’m tabbed as a good hitter. But last year, when I was learning shortstop, I had to put a lot of time into that. I had to put offense a little bit on the back burner. I think I’ve learned from experience, because I’ve been moved around so much. In the first half of Spring Training, I really focused on being the best center fielder I can be. So on the back half, I can really work in the cages to make sure my swing is ready for the season.”

Senzel is not in the midst of any major mechanical or approach tweaks at the plate. Frankly, he has enough on his plate with the position switch. There has long been an adage in big league baseball that if you hit, your team will find a place for you. But Senzel knows that doesn’t necessarily apply to him right now.

“I don’t think you can just hit your way into the lineup here,” Senzel said. “It’s a really good lineup, and I’ve got to show I can play defense in center field. It’s a different situation.”