By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

MILWAUKEE - Right-handed reliever Ryan Wagner's offseason officially began Tuesday. He won't be used in a game, and he has been told not to play catch.

Reds manager Dave Miley stressed that Wagner, 21, the Reds' top draft pick in June, is healthy. He simply has pitched too many innings.

"Enough is enough," Miley said. "The kid has had a hell of a year."

Miley said Wagner's performance Sunday - a hit and two walks over two-thirds of an inning - didn't affect the decision.

Wagner pitched 84 1/3 innings for the University of Houston, nine innings in the minors and 21 2/3 with the Reds. That's a total of 115 innings.

Scott Sullivan led major-league relievers in innings pitched four years in a row and never threw 115 innings in a season.

Wagner said his arm is fine, but he was OK with Miley's decision.

"I'm a competitor," he said. "I want to pitch. But I know it's for the best. They want me to take it easy."

Wagner ends the season 2-0 with a 1.66 ERA in 17 games. He allowed only 13 hits and struck out 25 over 21 1/3 innings.

"I've looked at it as a learning experience," he said. "I did some good things. I did some things that I wasn't as successful at as I'm used to. But I learned a lot."

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E-mail jfay@enquirer.com