Cingrani once again wasn't used in Friday's loss to the Cubs, despite the game going 11 innings. Cingrani last pitched on April 14, and he's thrown 3.1 innings all season. At this point, the organization and Cingrani would both be far better served to have him pitching as a starter in Triple-A so that he can get a better feel for his secondary pitches instead of rotting on the vine on the bench.

Cingrani struggled Tuesday against the Cubs, allowing a single to Anthony Rizzo and a four-pitch walk to Jorge Soler before striking out Chris Coghlan to close out the eighth innnig. Cingrani came on in the eighth only after Kevin Gregg gave up a two-run homer with two outs. The Reds are still searching for an eighth inning option, but Cingrani will have to do better if he's going to be part of the solution.

The Reds are moving Cingrani to the bullpen, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. While Cingrani has been able to stay healthy this spring after dealing with shoulder issues last season, his move to the bullpen is seemingly a permanent decision based on his lack of secondary offerings. It would hardly be surprising to see Cingrani thrive as a reliever, and he may be considered as an option to close down the road if the Reds part ways with Aroldis Chapman.

Cingrani's fastball topped out at 94 mph in his first spring training outing, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. It'll be worth tracking whether Cingrani can maintain his velocity once he and the other Reds starters are able to work deeper into games. So far all of the pitchers competing for the Reds' open rotation slots haven't separated from each other.

Cingrani suggested that some mechanical changes proposed by the Reds have helped him get loose easier, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. The Reds have struggled between keeping Cingrani healthier and allowing him to use the motion that got him to the big leagues in the first place. "When a player has an injury, we certainly look at the delivery as a way to rectify the issue beyond the rehab," manager Bryan Price said. " ... Tony is kind of an interesting subject in the sense that he has a delivery where his arm comes through a little bit late and it creates great deception and movement on his ball. It's one of the reasons that he can throw 80 percent fastballs and be successful when he's feeling good. Sometimes if you worry too much about cleaning a guy up, they lose the deception and that thing that is special about what they do."

Cingrani (shoulder) has been deemed ready to go for the start of spring training, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.A bout of shoulder tendinitis forced Cingrani to the DL a month into the 2014 campaign and the shoulder issues persisted the rest of the year, limiting him to just 13 appearances (11 starts) with the Reds. However, it sounds like the lefty is back close to full strength, with manager Bryan Price reiterating Wednesday that Cingrani has an inside track at one of the team's final rotation spots. The Reds don't really have many viable alternatives, but Cingrani will still need to perform during Cactus League play to solidify his hold on the job.

Cingrani (shoulder) and Anthony DeSclafani are the favorites to fill the Reds' final two rotation spots, according to manager Bryan Price, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. Behind Johnny Cueto, Homer Bailey (forearm) and Mike Leake, the Reds' rotation is still very much up in the air less than a month before spring training. While Price noted that Cingrani and DeSclafani are the frontrunners for the final two spots, he noted, "We don't want to be giving away jobs on our ballclub in January." In Cingrani's case, his chances hinge directly on the healthy of his injured shoulder, which limited him to 13 largely ineffective appearances (4.55 ERA, 1.53 WHIP over 63.1 innings) in 2014. He did not have surgery on the shoulder but was treated with a platelet-rich plasma injection last year.

Cingrani (shoulder) could compete either for a rotation or bullpen spot in spring training, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. The Reds are being especially cautious with Cingrani due to the nature of his injury, but have been optimistic so far with his progress. Right now the Reds' rotation is spoken for, but between injuries to Homer Bailey and Mat Latos, and the contract situations of Latos, Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake and Alfredo Simon (all four will be free agents after the 2015 season), it's not hard to envision a rotation spot opening up.

Cingrani (shoulder) is not expected to return to the Reds this season, MLB.com reports. The team was holding out hope that Cingrani could contribute in some capacity during the final weeks of the season, but manager Bryan Price finally caved Tuesday, saying "I don't think he would have enough time to get back and be able to help us in September." Cingrani has been out since late June with a shoulder strain and recently had to shut down his throwing program due to an impingement. He was treated with a PRP injection and may need a second one in the coming weeks.

Cingrani (shoulder) remains unable to throw, the Associated Press reports. With the minor league season nearing an end, Cingrani's chances to pitch again in 2014 -- at least a starter -- could be very limited. If he's healthy enough to pitch in September, it will likely be out of the bullpen for the Reds, but that's hardly guaranteed given his lack of progress thus far in his recovery.