Versatility has become Reynolds' calling card

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - When the call came, when the Mets told him they were designating him for assignment in early February to open up a 40-man roster spot after signing free agent third baseman Todd Frazier, Matt Reynolds didn't know exactly what to think.

Being designated for assignment is baseball's uncomfortable limbo, where a team has 10 days to trade, waive or outright a player to the minor leagues. In most cases, a player is on the move - he just doesn't know exactly where. It's the uncertainty that can be most unsettling.

"It was probably one of the most stressful times in my career in professional baseball," said Reynolds. "When I found out on Wednesday afternoon, I talked to my agent and I talked to my fiancé. We were just like, we don't know what's going to happen here. But after speaking with my agent, he was telling me that this is probably going to be a good thing for you because you're going to go to a team that really wants you and really needs you. So I started looking at it as a positive."

Five days later, the Nationals acquired Reynolds, 27, for cash considerations. After slashing .316/.350/.421 against Washington in nine games last season, Reynolds had a new lease on life with a team that valued him as a versatile utility man.

"I think it can be tough on players to do - playing third one day, then moving to second, then you're in right, then center the next day," Reynolds said. "It's almost like a mental thing. Everyone's so used to taking their ground balls at one position and they get comfortable there. You get out of your comfort zone going to a different position every single day. You have to be able to adjust easily and I feel like I can do that."

Reynolds has made the ability to seamlessly maneuver in and out of different positions a calling card. The only things he didn't do in his two big league seasons with the Mets were pitch, catch or play center field. Everywhere else was fair game.

"It's tough to play a different position every single day," he said. "I've been doing it for the past three, four years now. And each year, I feel like I get more comfortable. I understand my role a little bit better. ... I'm used to getting my work in at different positions and understanding that, right now, I'm not an everyday second baseman or an everyday shortstop. So I have to make sure I understand my role and I go out and work like it's a game-like situation."

Of course, few players start out expecting to fulfill a utility role, and Reynolds was no exception. He played third base at Arkansas and switched to shortstop after the Mets drafted him in the second round of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft.

But it was a tough pill to swallow when Reynolds was told he wasn't going to be a regular shortstop anymore.

"When they first told me I wasn't going to be the everyday shortstop, I was pissed off," Reynolds recalled. "I took it as, 'You're not good enough to play shortstop.' In reality, I think they viewed my athleticism as more valuable to be able to move me around and play different positions. You kind of have to look at it as a positive."

The more he embraced the utility role, the more opportunities he found, even when riding the carousel between the Mets and Triple-A Las Vegas.

"There were times maybe I wasn't the best outfielder to be called up, but I got called up because they needed a guy on the bench that could play outfield, go play short, go play second," he said. "Your value is so much higher if you can prove you can play multiple positions and do well with them."

While Reynolds has four or five gloves in his equipment bag, he uses two routinely: one outfielder's mitt and one infielder's glove. Some infielders use a larger glove depending on which position they play, but Reynolds prefers the smaller mitt because he finds it more comfortable.

The biggest challenge he sees is how the game looks from different positions. Awareness and reaction times are crucial when he's manning an infield spot, where reading a ball off the bat is more important as an outfielder.

"When I'm in the infield, it's fine," he said. "I've played second a lot and I'm used to being there. But I remember my first games in the outfield, thinking I'm out of the game, like a fan right now just watching. Obviously, in the outfield, there's not as much action, you're not having to move every single play like infield where you're locked into every single pitch, have to cover a bag. You're always involved when you're in the infield. When you're in the outfield, you're out there. You may have to back up a throw or something like that. The vision part took some getting used to."

And he's quickly assimilated into the Nationals clubhouse, which isn't always the case for a player changing teams.

"It's been good," Reynolds said of the transition. "The guys here have made it a lot easier. The guys here are a good group. Nobody has egos. It's refreshing to be around a bunch of guys that are pulling the same way."