Reds Send Prospect Nick Senzel to AAA, Agent Calls Move 'Egregious Case of Service-Time Manipulation'

Senzel is the No. 6 prospect in baseball, according to MLB.com.

Reds prospect Nick Senzel was sent to AAA on Friday and was cut from Cincinnati's Major League roster in the final round of spring training cuts, according MLB.com's David Adler. But there has been speculation as to whether Friday's decision was in the best interest of the Reds' 2019 roster.

Senzel's agent Joel Wolfe called the Reds' decision, "a simply egregious case of service-time manipulation" on Friday when speaking with ESPN's Jeff Passan. The Reds will prevent Senzel from accruing another year of service time if he remains in the minor leagues through April, pushing his free agency from following the 2024 season to after 2025.

"Nick Senzel is not a young prospect. He's a major league-ready impact-type player," Wolfe called Passan. "He has done everything they've asked this spring, including working hard to become a major league center fielder."

Senzel is the Reds' No. 1 prospect, according to MLB.com. He is baseball's No. 6 prospect behind Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr., Eloy Jimenez, Victor Robles and Royce Lewis. 

The decision to hold Senzel in AAA to start the season isn't a new phenomenon. The Cubs placed Kris Bryant in AAA to start the 2015 season, and Ronald Acuna started 2018 in the minors before joining the Braves.