The Cincinnati Reds have moved veteran slugger Eugenio Suarez to the 10-day injured list Saturday after he suffered a left oblique strain.
The roster move dates back to Thursday, with the team bringing up outfielder JJ Bleday from their Triple-A Louisville affiliate to take Suarez’s spot.
Manager Terry Francona anticipates the injury won’t keep Suarez out for an extended period.
“The hope is after possibly five or six days if symptoms are gone, we’ll get him imaged again,” Francona explained to the media. “Then we’ll start to build him back up.”
The 34-year-old designated hitter and third baseman was pulled from Friday’s starting lineup against Detroit approximately one hour before game time when he experienced discomfort in his left side during batting practice. An MRI scan revealed the muscle strain.
This season, Suarez is hitting .231 with three home runs and 11 RBIs across 25 games. He returned to Cincinnati on a one-year, $15 million contract after previously playing for the Reds from 2015 through 2021.
Last year, Suarez tied his personal best with 49 home runs while playing for both Arizona (36 homers) and Seattle (13). He previously reached that same 49-homer mark during his 2019 season with Cincinnati.
Bleday, 28, was performing well at Louisville with a .341 batting average, six home runs and 19 RBIs in 24 games. The outfielder nearly earned a spot on Cincinnati’s opening day roster after hitting .317 with four homers during spring training.
Throughout his four-year major league career with Miami and Oakland, Bleday has accumulated 49 home runs but carries a .215 batting average.
In additional roster moves, Cincinnati brought up right-handed pitcher Jose Franco from Louisville while sending Kyle Nicolas down to the same club.
Franco, 25, posted a 3.18 ERA in three earlier appearances with the Reds this season. Nicolas, 27, struggled with a 1-0 record and 8.59 ERA over seven outings, issuing 13 walks in just 7 1/3 innings pitched.
