By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

SARASOTA, Fla. - Paul Wilson passed a major test in his effort to make the fifth start of the season for the Reds.

Wilson threw four innings in a minor-league intrasquad game Monday. He allowed two runs - one earned - on three hits. He walked none and struck out six.

The key thing is his left hamstring is sound.

"No tweaks," he said. "No problems - other than the fact I haven't pitched."

Wilson threw 55 pitches and hit 88 mph on the radar gun.

He should be able to get in two more outings before the April 6 start. That's the first time the Reds will need a fifth starter.

But the Reds have to make a decision by Thursday on whether to put Wilson on the disabled list. They have to put him on by then for him to be eligible for the April 12 game - the next scheduled game for the fifth starter.

"My gut is to wait and make sure it's right," Reds manager Bob Boone said. "We're going to talk about that the next few days."

That decision affects a lot of things. If Wilson goes on the disabled list, the roster is at 25. That would allow the Reds to keep Ruben Mateo.

If that's the case, Ryan Dempster could make the April 6 start on one days' less rest.

The other alternative is to recall Chris Reitsma, who was optioned to Triple-A on Monday, and start him on April 6. That would require sending out another player, probably Mateo.

Wilson, the 30-year-old right-hander, is optimistic about being ready for April 6.

"That's what I'm hoping for," he said. "But we don't want to do anything to put the whole season in jeopardy for one start. We're trying to push it but be smart about it - be aggressive and smart at the same time."

MATEO MOVEABLE? Trading Mateo would solve the roster crunch. One scout says there is interest in Mateo because of his potential. Tampa Bay is reportedly interested. But teams arereluctant to offer anything because they know the Reds are forced to make a move if they want to go with 12 pitchers.

CF LARKIN: Barry Larkin made his outfield debut. He played seven innings in center field in the Reds' 10-5 loss to the Boston Red Sox Monday.

It was uneventful. Larkin made two plays, scooping base hits and throwing the ball into the infield.

"Those are the easy ones," he said. "I was worried about the balls in the air."

Larkin was reasonably comfortable. "It didn't feel bad," he said. "I was kind of anxious."

"He read some balls well out there," Boone said. "I was not nervous. If I'm not nervous, he shouldn't be nervous."

Ken Griffey Jr., the regular center fielder, was working in the batting cages and didn't see Larkin's debut.

"I'm surprised he wasn't behind the fence, hollering at me," Larkin said. "I was waiting for that."

WELCOME TO THE CLUB: Jimmy Anderson's first day as an official member of the Reds' staff wasn't a good one.

Anderson went 4 1/3 innings, allowing 10 runs on 13 hits.

"It seemed like I got ahead of every hitter," he said. "Then I'd mess around, leave a pitch up and they'd hammer it."

Anderson, 27, a left-hander, was relieved to have the bad outing out of the way.

"I had my one bad outing," he said. "I'll put it behind me and not think about it too much."

Most of the damage came in the fifth, when he allowed seven runs.

"He got tired that inning from throwing so many pitches," Boone said.

RIJO THROWS: Jose Rijo began his throwing program.

"Two weeks, I'll be ready," said Rijo, who had a bone spur removed on March 11.

Rijo plans on being in Great American Ball Park for the March 31 opener.

"When camp breaks, it's minor league camp here," Rijo said. "I can't spell minor league."

Reds Roster

The moves Monday - optioning Chris Reitsma to Triple-A Louisville, re-assigning Jose Guillen and Wilton Guerrero to the minor league camp - left the Reds roster at 26, one over the limit. Here's a look:

Starters (8)
Barry Larkin SS
Aaron Boone 2B
Ken Griffey Jr. CF
Austin Kearns RF
Adam Dunn LF
Sean Casey 1B
Brandon Larson 3B
Jason LaRue C
Bench (6)
Felipe Lopez INF
Juan Castro INF
Reggie Taylor OF
Ruben Mateo OF
Wily Mo Pena OF
Kelly Stinnett C
Starting rotation (5)
Jimmy Haynes RH
Ryan Dempster RH
Danny Graves RH
Paul Wilson RH
Jimmy Anderson LH
Bullpen (7)
Scott Williamson RH
Scott Sullivan RH
Gabe White LF
John Riedling RH
Josias Manzanillo RH
Ken Mercker LH
Felix Heredia LH