You could make a compelling argument that Phil Norton, Brian Reith, Ryan Wagner, Jason Romano and Wily Mo Pena could have used trips to Triple-A Louisville.

But the Reds moved no one. When asked why they didn't make a move, Reds general manager Dan O'Brien talked only about Wagner.

Coincidence? Hardly. Wagner is the only one with "options."

Options allow a team to send a player to and from the minors without losing them. Players have options the first three years they are on the 40-man roster.

"Once they're gone, that's it," O'Brien said. "They can't be restored."

Options affect what all teams do, and in the Reds' case, maybe too much.

Simply keeping a player based on options is like filling your roster with Rule 5 guys. Rule 5 picks must be kept on the 25-man roster or be offered back to the team from which they were selected. That forces teams to keep players on the roster who aren't ready for the majors. It also hamstrings a manager.

There's always a chance a player out of options won't be picked up by another club and will end up back with the Reds. That was the case in 2002 with Reith. The Phillies claimed him off waivers July 11. The Reds got him back Aug. 6 after the Phillies put him on waivers.

Why Romano is still on the roster is a mystery to a lot of people around the Reds.

Romano, who the Reds obtained off waivers from Tampa Bay April 22, entered Saturday 1-for-13 with seven strikeouts.

He's looked overmatched at the plate. Romano was billed as an infielder/outfielder when the Reds obtained him, but he has only played in the outfield.

He hit .282 in the minor leagues with only 43 home runs in 2,558 at-bats.

TY MYSTERY: Ty Howington, the Reds' No. 1 pick in the 1999 draft, remains at extended spring training in Sarasota.

"His numbers are pretty good," said Tim Naehring, the club's director of player development. "But the arm strength is not there."

Howington, a 24-year-old left-hander, is only throwing in the 86 to 87 mph range.

"I'd like to see his fastball get up to 91, 92," Naehring said.

It did just that at a certain point last year.

Physically, Howington is fine.

"Medically, there's nothing wrong with the guy," Naehring said.

NO. 1 II: Chris Gruler, the No. 1 pick in 2002, also remains at Sarasota.

Naehring expects Gruler, who is coming off April 29 shoulder surgery, to begin pitching in about three weeks.

"It will be nice to see him out there in a Dayton Dragons uniform again," Naehring said. "But we're going to take it slow with him. If he has any setbacks, we'll push him back."

NO. 1 III: Jeremy Sowers, the Reds' No. 1 pick in 2001 and the 20th pick overall, is draft-eligible again. Sowers, of course, didn't sign with the Reds. Instead, the left-handed pitcher chose to play at Vanderbilt University. He has been one of the top collegiate pitchers in his career there.

He's projected as a first-round pick again. The Reds have not crossed him off their list.

"We haven't spoken with his family," O'Brien said. "But we're open to it."

STRONG BONG: Jung Keun Bong's 15-inning scoreless streak isn't the result of the Reds retooling his mechanics or anything like that.

"Mac Jenkins, Vern Ruhle and Sammy Ellis have tweaked his mechanics a bit," Naehring said. "But I think it's more that Jung wasn't stretched out. It had been a while since he started. You have to get used to throwing 75, 80 pitches."

Bong, a 23-year-old left-hander, was obtained in the Chris Reitsma deal with Atlanta.

Last year, Bong made 44 appearances for the Braves - all in relief.

Bong was 1-2 with an 8.79 ERA in his first three starts. He is 2-0 with 0.00 ERA in his last two.

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