GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Reds left-handed pitcher Cody Reed is used to this by now. Participating in his fifth big league Spring Training, Reed is battling to make the team and has no assurances. In the first couple of years, he sought a rotation spot. More recently in this camp, the

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Reds left-handed pitcher Cody Reed is used to this by now.

Participating in his fifth big league Spring Training, Reed is battling to make the team and has no assurances. In the first couple of years, he sought a rotation spot. More recently in this camp, the 26-year-old is challenging for a place in the bullpen.

“Baseball is a grind, no matter what,” Reed said. “Some guys have luxury of not having to worry about it. I get it. From my very first Spring Training in 2016, I thought I was going to make the team that year. I had such a good spring. But I’ve been grinding ever since. I’ll just keep pushing forward. Years past are in the past for a reason. It’s all about this year.”

Along with Brandon Finnegan and John Lamb , Reed was acquired in the July 2015 trade that sent ace starter Johnny Cueto to the Royals. Confidence issues initially beset Reed once he made his Major League debut in ’16 and went 0-7 with a 7.36 ERA in 10 starts.

Reed made improvements by 2018 and seemed to turn the corner, and he was poised to take a major step last season. He was summoned three times from Triple-A Louisville for one-day appearances when Cincinnati needed a fresh arm.

In those three relief appearances, Reed delivered with a 1.42 ERA over 6 1/3 innings. He allowed six hits and one walk with seven strikeouts.

But as the 26th man in the second game of a May 27 doubleheader vs. the Pirates, Reed suffered a sprained media collateral ligament in his left knee. Surgery wasn’t needed, but he didn’t pitch again the rest of the season. Rules for the 26th man dictated that he went on Louisville’s injured list, so he didn’t collect big league money.

“I definitely made my stride in 2018 and worked my way back into the rotation,” Reed said. “In ’19, I was told I was going to be in the bullpen, which was fine. I thought I hit my stride and kept moving forward. It sucked for sure. I got to miss the knife, but now that I think about it, ‘What if I would have had it and just missed time?’ But I feel good now. I rehabbed it all in the offseason, three times a week with two-a-days in the gym. I had a completely normal offseason like I would have in years past.”

In camp this year, Reed is vying for one of three open bullpen spots. The Reds could use another lefty besides Amir Garrett , and with the new three-batter minimum rule in 2020, it would help if it was a lefty who can get hitters out on both sides of the plate. Historically, Reed has been significantly stronger vs. lefty hitters.

Also seeking spots in the bullpen are fellow lefties Josh Smith and Jesse Biddle and right-handers like Nate Jones , Tyler Thornburg , Lucas Sims and Sal Romano . Reed is out of Minor League options, which could potentially work in his favor.

“We’re excited to see Cody more,” Reds manager David Bell said. “He is healthy. He’s very positive when you talk to him about his health. His outlook is very positive. We’re excited to see where he is. We saw a couple of really good outings last year when he joined us. I know he was having a really solid year at Triple-A. We’re definitely seeing Cody as somebody we hope will contribute a lot this year [to the bullpen].”

Akiyama to debut Sunday

Bell has yet to reveal his starting lineup for Saturday’s 3:05 p.m. ET Cactus League opener vs. the Indians. He did announce on Thursday that new outfielder Shogo Akiyama would make his first start on Sunday and play center field vs. the White Sox.

“I’m working through conversations with all of our players,” Bell said. “Basically, for the first seven to 10 days, we’re kind of splitting the groups. One group will play Saturday. One group will play Sunday. We’ll alternate because we want them playing every other day at the beginning.”

Castillo looking sharp

For the second straight day on Thursday, Reds pitchers faced their position-player teammates in live batting practice. One of the batter matchups on the back fields featured ace Luis Castillo facing Joey Votto , Mike Moustakas and Freddy Galvis .

On one pitch, Moustakas chased a Castillo changeup in the dirt and missed. All Moustakas could do was laugh as he walked out of the cage. Castillo was a familiar arm for Moustakas, who faced him (3-for-10 with one home run) when he was with the division-rival Brewers.

Mark Sheldon has covered the Reds for MLB.com since 2006, and previously covered the Twins from 2001-05. Follow him on Twitter @m_sheldon and Facebook.