SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Tyler Naquin feels more than ready and prepared to be the regular Reds right fielder who replaces free-agent departure Nick Castellanos.

“I’m not coming in here to split time with anybody,” Naquin said. “That’s just [speaking] man-to-man. I am very confident in what I can do. I take care of my body and if I don’t have any freak injuries, I’m going to prepare myself and play hard.”

Naquin, 30, went from a non-roster invite to 2021 Spring Training to a key contributor for Cincinnati. He set career highs with 127 games, 19 home runs, 24 doubles and 70 RBIs.

It was a freak injury that stopped Naquin’s strong year in its tracks. While he played center field on Sept. 11, at St. Louis, a collision with shortstop José Barrero while chasing a shallow fly ball left him with bruised ribs that kept him out the rest of the season.

“That was a pretty good year, to be honest,” Naquin said. “My main goal is to stay healthy. If you get the at-bats, the numbers should show up when you take care of what you need to take care. Put yourself in a good spot to have success and help the team. Normally when you do those things, you end up where you imagined being.”

If Naquin doesn’t always appear in right field, he could be used as a designated hitter. With Tommy Pham in left field and Nick Senzel in center field, Jake Fraley and Aristides Aquino could also get time in right field.

“He is a big part of our team, a big part of our clubhouse,” Reds manager David Bell said. “He’s a good player. He continues to work hard. From where he was a couple of years ago, he’s gotten better and better. He’s going to be a big part of our lineup. He does a lot of things to help us win. Just what he did last year, he’s earned that opportunity so he’s going to play a lot of right field.”

Moran on the hot corner

When Colin Moran was signed by the Reds to a one-year, $1 million contract on March 17, the club envisioned him backing up at both corner infield spots and taking on some designated hitter duty.

“Once it came up that they were interested, I was excited about the opportunity to have a role on the team and help them win any way I can,” Moran said. “However they need me, I will do what they need.”

Moran, 29, played 121 games at third base for the Pirates in 2019, but mostly played first base for them the past two seasons. He appeared in one game at third base last season.

“We know he can hit. We’ve actually determined defensively there is a little more upside,” Bell said. “He’s working really hard on some things at third that I really think will help him. He can play first. He can play third. He can DH. He can be a bat off the bench. He can do a lot of things. We’re just trying to maximize his time at Spring Training.”

On Tuesday vs. the Rangers, Moran started at third base for his third appearance there this spring.

“One of the things he’s focused on is his footwork at third base,” Bell said. “It’s already really helped him. He’s seen a significant difference in how he feels, and we’ve seen it also. You have to keep getting better, no matter what point of your career that you’re at. I think that will help him.”

During the third inning vs. Texas, Moran committed two errors on one play. He mishandled Jake Marisnick’s groundball and then threw it over first base. Marisnick went to second base and later scored.

Solano makes first start at shortstop

Bell started Donovan Solano at shortstop vs. Texas on Tuesday for the first time this spring. With Kyle Farmer set to be the regular, and Barrero expected to miss six weeks after hamate surgery on his left wrist, Cincinnati will need a backup shortstop.

Solano, who signed a one-year, $4.5 million contract with the Reds on March 16, has 42 games of big-league experience at shortstop over eight seasons. He appeared there in two games for the Giants in 2021. Most of his games (409) have been at second base. Brandon Drury, a non-roster invite signed on March 21, has limited shortstop experience and played a game there so far this spring.

Bell felt that Solano could be steady as a backup shortstop.

“With Farmer at short, he’s going to play most days, but we do need Donovan to get some time there,” Bell said. “It’s more about that. I don’t think he’s going to see a ton of time at short, but we need someone on the roster who can go over there and give Farm a day off. That’s what today is about.”

Solano exited Tuesday’s game with a left hamstring injury after pulling up while running from first base on a Tyler Stephenson single.