C. Trent Rosecrans

crosecrans@enquirer.com

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Monday afternoon Homer Bailey took yet another step toward returning to the Reds, throwing live batting practice for the first time.

Bailey threw five pitches each to four different batters — Billy Hamilton, Eugenio Suarez, Scott Schebler and Brandon Allen — to simulate about an inning of work.

“We still have a few steps to go, but the bright side is, everything felt as expected, which was normal,” Bailey said. “Other than that, I don’t have much to report.”

Bailey had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow on May 8 of last year. Bailey will have at least two more live batting practice sessions before a simulated game and then finally a minor-league game here in early April. The Reds have consistently pointed toward May for Bailey’s return to the big leagues.

“I was ready to start again May 9, but at this point, it’s so close that — or it seems like it’s so close - I know we’re going to try to get our first real game in early April, so it’s just kind of going along with the schedule,” Bailey said. “They’re only going to let me go so fast, so I might as well kick back and enjoy it.”

Reds manager Bryan Price said he liked what he saw, but it’s “only going to get better.”

Schebler, who had never faced Bailey before, was certainly impressed with what he saw from his vantage point in the batter’s box.

“Really good stuff, he threw some splitties that were absolutely disgusting, but overall, I was really impressed,” Schebler said. “He looked pretty polished. His fastball had some great life to it and his splitty was really, really good. Some of them were cutting, some of them were dropping off the face of the Earth, it was really impressive. He was around the zone with it, too, which is even more impressive, because sometimes those pitches you can get erratic with it. He was around the zone with it the whole time. … It was impressive, that’s all I can say.”

None of the four put a ball in play against Bailey, but did foul off a few pitches.

Before the outing, Price said he’s been encouraged by what he’s seen so far. “It’s like normal Homer,” he said.

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MOSCOT IMPROVING: Right-hander Jon Moscot played catch on Monday after he was scratched from a start last week with a left intercostal muscle strain.

According to Price, Moscot is still dealing with tenderness in the area, but the team hopes to get him in a Cactus League game within the next five to seven days.

“Picking up where he left off after two to two and a half weeks would be really challenging. I don’t know what he threw, 45 pitches or so in that game here. Had he been healthy, he would have gone to 65-75 the next time out,” Price said. “That’s probably not where he’s going to pick up. He’s probably going to go back to, based on how he’s feeling, somewhere in that 40-50 pitch range. He’s not going back to square one, but he’s not advancing to what would have been his next step after the start on the 11th.”

Price is still optimistic that Moscot will be ready to be a part of the Opening Day rotation, but “that really is unknown,” he said. “We’re covering our bets with other pitchers.”

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Right-hander Tim Melville would likely be in Moscot’s spot if he’s not ready to go for Opening Day.

SIMON STARTS: Alfredo Simon will make his first Cactus League start on Tuesday, facing the Chicago Cubs. The Reds signed Simon last week after Michael Lorenzen’s injury.

Like Moscot, Price is optimistic Simon will be ready to be a part of the Opening Day rotation.

Simon is expected to at least pitch into the third inning on Tuesday.

“As far as a workload goes, he’s done it on the side. He just hasn’t done it in the games,” Price said. “I would like to think he would be out there, based on how well he pitches — we’d like to get him out there to start a third inning as opposed to where most guys go out there and throw two innings their first time. If we could get him to three and get his pitch count up to that 40-50 range, we’d be on our way to having him, at least from an innings standpoint, stretched out to a certain degree before his first big league start.”

The uncertainty in the rotation could lead to some interesting roster decisions when the team breaks camp.

“There is a chance we can go heavy on the bullpen – guys coming out of spring training – just to make sure we don’t ask too much of the starters on the front end of the season,” Price said.

LAMB THROWS: Left-hander John Lamb threw a bullpen next to Bailey as he warmed up on Monday afternoon. Lamb, who has been slowed following off-season back surgery, will face batters later in the month, Price said.