By John Fay and Kevin Kelly
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Reds manager Bob Boone took his son, Aaron, to breakfast Thursday morning. He does that when he wants to use Aaron's washer and dryer.

But Thursday, he had another reason.

"I asked him if he wanted to play second," Bob said. "He didn't say anything for a while. I said, 'I thought that was a question.'

"So I said, 'Do you want to play short?' "

Aaron went for that.

So Aaron started at short, essentially to get Felipe Lopez's bat out of the lineup and Russell Branyan's in. Rainer Olmedo played second.

Boone started the first 19 games of the season at second, so why short?

"I think short term, it's easier to go to short," Aaron said. "If I'm going to second, I want to be going there for a while. It's completely different."

Though the move to short is viewed as temporary, Bob Boone isn't ready to say it's a one-game thing.

"If Russell Branyan hits three home runs, you might see it the next day," he said. "It's a way of getting Russell at-bats. He needs at-bats. I also like the way the lineup looks."

Aaron played 25 games at shortstop last year.

"It's the same side of the field," Aaron said. "I can use my same glove. I use a smaller one at second."

Olmedo and Juan Castro, still out with a stiff neck, play either short or second about equally well.

Castro was available Thursday night.

FAST TRACK: Now that the draft is over, Reds general manager Jim Bowden said the team's No. 1 priority is to sign top pick Ryan Wagner.

There's a motive behind that.

"We think he can get to the big leagues and help us this year," Bowden said.

The Reds took Wagner, a 21-year-old right-hander, with the 14th pick in the draft. Wagner is still playing in the NCAA Tournament with the University of Houston. The Reds can't begin negotiations until his season is over.

He is 6-5 with a 2.06 ERA and 138 strikeouts in 74 1/3 innings this season as Houston's closer. The Reds may turn him into a starter at some point.

But Bowden thinks he could make the big leagues as a setup man in the bullpen this year.

That's a pretty bold statement when you consider no one from the Reds' last five drafts is on the Reds' roster.

GRIFFEY OUT: Ken Griffey Jr. was out of the lineup Thursday after straining his right biceps Wednesday.

"He had some soreness," trainer Mark Mann said. "But it was definitely a lot better (than Wednesday)."

Griffey also is fighting the flu and didn't take batting practice.

The biceps problem is related to the dislocated shoulder that kept Griffey out 5 1/2 weeks.

"Because of the type of injury he sustained," Mann said, "he has some weakness with the upper arm. That should get better as the year goes on."

LUCKY 13: Olmedo has a No. 13 Dave Concepcion jersey in his locker. It was a 22nd birthday gift.

Olmedo didn't know who gave it to him, but was glad to have it. Concepcion's and Olmedo's towns in Venezuela aren't far apart. Olmedo attended Concepcion's baseball academy in 1999.

"I talked to him a lot about the organization," Olmedo said. "He told me the big thing is to work hard."

COMING IN: The Blue Jays, who begin a three-game series against the Reds today, are one of baseball's hottest teams.

Toronto, which boasts one of the most potent offenses, had won 13 of its past 19 games through Wednesday and has swept the Red Sox, Yankees, Twins and Angels this season.

"I've watched a lot of video," Bob Boone said. "They're pretty solid from top to bottom. ... They've got me pretty scared. They've got a legit lineup."