Rookie's stay here limited

[missionhockey21]

Rookie's stay here limited
By Marc Lancaster
Post staff reporter

ST. LOUIS - Reds manager Jerry Narron and general manager Dan O'Brien admitted up front that they didn't expect Edwin Encarnacion to still be with the team Tuesday.

The plan when they called up their most advanced prospect from Louisville for the weekend series in Cleveland was to let him have those three games as a taste of what's to come. When Ryan Freel went on the disabled list Saturday, the rookie got a reprieve. But that doesn't mean the Reds are going to wedge him into the lineup every night.

Encarnacion hasn't started since Friday, his first day in the majors, and Narron is in no rush to sit starting third baseman Joe Randa down so the kid can play regularly.

"We don't have to (play him)," said Narron. "But whether it's Edwin or somebody else, I'd like to be able to get guys in so they don't sit for a week or two aside from being used as a pinch-hitter or in a double-switch. Hopefully, we'll get him a start sometime this week. I can't tell you when, though."

Developmentally, getting Encarnacion regular playing time is a high priority. But in this particular situation, the Reds believe there is value in the 22-year-old simply being around a big-league clubhouse for a while.

"Especially the first time," said Narron. "At some point he's going to come here and he's going to be (in the lineup) every day. We all know that. Right now, we really wanted to steal three days this weekend. We'll see what happens this week."

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[redsrbetter]

Of course we all have to disagree with this. Unless his stay is really going to be brief, he needs to get his ABs. This could be a maturing process, and that is a good thing, but not if he is losing play time.