PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Cincinnati Reds optioned infielder/outfielder Nick Senzel, the second overall pick in the 2016 amateur draft, to Triple-A Louisville on Friday.

Senzel had been in the major leagues continuously since 2019, except for rehab assignments. The 28-year-old was hitting .219 in 80 games with nine home runs and five stolen bases.

“Nick’s been with us a long time, he’s been an important part of the team and helped us win a lot of games,” Reds manager David Bell said. “It got to the point where Nick wasn’t going to be playing much over the next 10 days or so primarily because he starts against left-handers and there aren’t a lot of left-handers coming up on the schedule.

“So, we made the choice to send him to Triple-A to get regular at-bats and get back on track.”

The Reds selected the contract of outfielder Henry Ramos from Louisville. The rookie played in 18 games for Cincinnati earlier this season and had a .242 batting average.

Right-hander Eduardo Salazar was designated for assignment to open a spot for Ramos on the 40-man roster.

The Reds entered Friday tied for second with the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central, 2 1/2 games behind Milwaukee. Cincinnati also trailed Miami by one-half game for the third NL wild card.