Zach Buchanan | Cincinnati Enquirer

Earlier this week, Cincinnati Reds manager Bryan Price had a tough conversation with young second baseman Jose Peraza. After catching fire late last season, the 23-year-old infielder had stagnated at the plate for all of 2017.

A more productive player was sitting on the bench and receiving periodic starts at second and in the corner outfield spots. In just 249 plate appearances, Scooter Gennett had surprised with a .307 average and 16 home runs, packing an unexpected wallop from the left side of the plate.

Price had held off on making a switch because he wanted to give Peraza every chance to develop, but now the manager feels the time has come. Peraza will head to a bench role, and will make periodic starts in the middle of the infield. Gennett will take over the majority of the time at second base.

“I’ve spoken to Jose about it,” Price said. “I really need that influx of Scooter’s bat in our lineup on a more consistent basis.”

The Reds acquired Peraza along with Scott Schebler and minor-league infielder Brandon Dixon from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for Todd Frazier before the 2016 season. Peraza spent much of that year bouncing between Triple-A and the majors, but broke out while starting at short in place of an injured Zack Cozart in the final stretch of the season.

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After being called up for good in mid-August of that campaign, Peraza hit .366/.387.484 the rest of the way and finished with a .762 OPS in 256 big-league plate appearances. The Reds then traded veteran second baseman Brandon Phillips to the Atlanta Braves on the eve of spring training, and Price anointed Peraza as the second base starter the very next day.

But the 2017 season has been one long slog at the plate for the 23-year-old. He’s batted just .253/.277/.328, with his on-base percentage only fleetingly climbing above .290 at different points in the summer. He’s had trouble laying off pitches down and away, and has worked only six walks in 358 plate appearances.

“I haven’t lost confidence in what Jose will be,” Price said. “I think he’s going to be a sensational player. But I know he’s stressing and he’s pressing, because he wants to help and he wants to contribute and he hasn’t had the type of season he’d hoped for at this point.”

The news was just as much of a surprise to Gennett as his performance has been for the Reds. Cincinnati claimed the 27-year-old off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers at the end of spring training, looking for a left-handed bat on the bench with some experience and positional flexibility. While Gennett’s never really played away from second prior to this year, the Reds have used him at third and in the outfield as well.

He’s not Peraza’s equal defensively, but Gennett’s performance at the plate has been the team’s biggest revelation. Already he's topped his previous career high in homers by two, hitting 16 in less than half the opportunities it took him to hit 14 a year ago. He remains vulnerable to left-handed pitching, but has raked against righties for a line of .330/.384/.643 in 198 plate appearances.

“It’s nice to know that they’ve appreciated the way I’ve played and the effort that I’ve put in,” Gennett said. “It still doesn’t change anything, though, when it comes to preparation and my mindset.”

Peraza did not seem bitter about the move when approached after Thursday’s 12-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. He remains confident in his ability to get on track, and depending on what happens with Cozart at the trade deadline, the arrangement might last only until the end of the month anyway.

But Peraza also can compare stat lines as well as anyone, and is quite familiar with the lift Gennett has given the team.