PHILADELPHIA – Sidelined with a strained right groin since the end of spring training, Scooter Gennett will soon move into the next phase of rehab. Gennett will report to the Cincinnati Reds’ spring training complex in Arizona on Tuesday to participate in a mini-camp with minor leaguers.

Gennett may be in Arizona for as little as three days, but the camp environment will allow him to hit as many times as necessary against live pitching and field groundballs at second base in game situations.

After his time in Arizona, Gennett is expected to begin a minor league rehab assignment. Traveling with the Reds, he was running around the base paths earlier in the week in St. Louis. Before Friday’s series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies, he worked on sliding for the first time.

“I’m able to move around, range, field balls, plant, throw, today I slid into bases. It’s like a checklist,” Gennett said. “At the end of the checklist will be playing back-to-back nine-inning games. Then I’ll be ready to come up here and play every day. Obviously, there are double switches in the National League. They might mix in a couple of those when I first get called up. We’re definitely getting close.”

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Gennett is a couple of weeks away from returning to the major leagues, but he’s encouraged by his progress. He injured his groin when he was fielding a ground ball in shallow right field in the club’s third-to-last spring training game.

“When it first happened, I’m surprised I feel how good I feel,” Gennett said. “Those few days after that, I’m very surprised that I’m feeling this good. It’s probably normal for those kinds of injuries, but I’m definitely pleased with where I’m at.

“They said a long time ago that, two weeks before I’m ready, I’ll probably feel ready. I was hoping that would be the case. That’s kind of where we’re at now. I feel like I’m ready to play. It’ll be a couple more weeks.”

Gennett, who will become a free agent at the end of the season, says the key in Arizona will be his honest feedback after playing in more game-like situations. He wants to return as soon as possible, but he doesn’t want to risk a setback with his groin.

“I don’t want to rush back and not only risk hurting it, but also risk not being here for this team and helping them win,” Gennett said. “That’s No. 1 on my list. That’s where I’m at.

“I want to do whatever I can to make sure it doesn’t happen again, and if it does, I won’t have any regrets coming back too early or not working hard enough in the training room and stuff like that. That’s the biggest thing is not having any regrets and being honest.”

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DRAFT PICK SIGNS: Tyler Callihan, the Reds’ third-round pick, agreed to a $1.5 million signing bonus with the Reds, according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman. The terms of the deal are more than double than the $710,000 slot value for the 85th pick in the draft.

Callihan was considered one of the top high school hitters in the draft class. He was committed to South Carolina. ESPN’s draft analyst Keith Law wrote that Callihan fits into a similar mold as Reds outfielder Jesse Winker. There are questions about where Callihan will play in the field, but the Reds like his advanced approach at the plate and above-average power.

The Reds have $9,528,600 to spend on their picks in the first 10 rounds. They drafted three college seniors with their first 10 picks and they will likely sign below slot value because they have much less leverage compared to high school players.

First-round pick Nick Lodolo, the No. 7 overall selection, agreed to a full slot value deal at $5,432,400, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

THE RUN GAME: Facing starter Anthony DeSclafani for the third time this season on Thursday, the St. Louis Cardinals stole three bases against him during their 3-1 win over the Reds. Entering Thursday, DeSclafani had allowed three stolen bases in 11 starts.

Marcell Ozuna stole third base in the second inning and Matt Carpenter swiped second base in the third inning with big jumps against DeSclafani, starting their breaks to the next base before DeSclafani began his delivery.

“They haven’t really been that aggressive on the base paths in the past with me,” DeSclafani said. “I think they tried to get something going there and they got me for a few stolen bags. I just had to make the adjustment of holding the ball a little bit more.”

Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart added: “It looked like they had him timed up a little bit. Just maybe a tip that they had. After the first couple, we saw that he was kind of getting into a rhythm as far as what he was doing. We kind of changed it a little bit and he was picking over on his own.”