The Cincinnati Reds are tied with the Pittsburgh Pirates for last place in the NL Central despite having a 26-24 record, but they’re getting a boost. They activated third baseman/designated hitter Eugenio Suarez (oblique) from the 10-day injured list and placed fellow third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes (lumbar bulging disc) on the list on Friday, retroactive to Thursday.
Suarez hasn’t played to his typical level this year, but he’s been better than Hayes. The 34-year-old is slashing .231/.300/.363 with three homers and 11 RBIs over 25 games, while Hayes is slashing .142/.195/.225 with two homers and five RBIs over 44 games.
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Suarez hasn’t played since Cincinnati’s 6-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on April 22, but the club has stayed above .500 despite his absence. The Reds signed the native Venezuelan to a one-year, $15 million deal in February to be a key piece in their lineup, as he notched an .824 OPS with 49 homers and 118 RBIs over 159 combined games for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners in 2025.
Cincinnati Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez (28). © Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
The fact that Cincinnati has been competitive all season despite not yet getting the 2025 version of Suarez speaks to its depth. Although the squad ranks 19th in baseball with a .706 team OPS, players like shortstop Elly De La Cruz (.881 OPS), first baseman Sal Stewart (.856 OPS), designated hitter Nathaniel Lowe (.840 OPS), and left fielder Spencer Steer (.788 OPS) are pulling their weight.
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Those offensive contributions have also been essential given the Reds’ pitching struggles. They rank 25th in baseball with a 4.71 team ERA and are third-to-last in the NL with 249 runs allowed.
If Suarez gets back to his 2025 form over the coming months, the NL Central standings could flip. Cincinnati is only 4.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for first place, and adding an elite power-hitter to the mix would help the team win more games.
However, Suarez must first focus on hitting consistently. The two-time All-Star only has one three-hit game and six games with more than one hit this year, and the Reds need more production.
Up next for Cincinnati is a home series against the St. Louis Cardinals, which will start with a Saturday doubleheader after Friday’s contest got postponed, per MLB.com. After that series, the Reds will hit the road to take on the New York Mets in a three-game set.