The Cincinnati Reds have put Eugenio Suárez and TJ Friedl on outright waivers, another sign of how far this season has drifted from the one they imagined back in February.
Suárez arrived on a one-year, $15 million deal as the power bat meant to help push Cincinnati toward a second straight postseason trip. Instead, the Reds are now testing the market on the 35-year-old slugger and on Friedl, with other clubs able to claim either player over a 48-hour window before the waivers expire.
The expectation, according to people briefed on the process, is that both players will clear and stay with Cincinnati unless the Reds decide to go further and designate one or both for assignment. The move is tied at least partly to money: Suárez is owed just under $3 million for the rest of the season, while Friedl is due a little more than $700,000.
Neither player drew much attention at the trade deadline, and neither is expected back next season.
Suárez did give the Reds a big moment Wednesday, launching a grand slam in Cincinnati’s wild seven-run ninth inning during a 10-9 win over the San Francisco Giants. But that flash sits inside a season that has otherwise been uneven. He missed nearly a month with a left oblique strain early on, and he’s hitting .208 with 19 homers and a .705 OPS, mostly as the designated hitter.
Friedl’s season has gone sideways too. He’s batting .158 with three homers and a .476 OPS, lost center-field time to Dane Myers, and spent most of June in the minors. Friedl is making $3.8 million in his first year of arbitration, and the Reds are unlikely to bring him back on a contract this offseason.
Cincinnati opened the year with expectations of contending. On May 1, the Reds were tied with the Chicago Cubs for the National League Central lead. Since then, they’ve gone 43-59 and dropped into last place in the division.
In Other News...
Reds Suddenly Have A Bigger Concern Than Another Pitcher Nearing Return
Graham Ashcraft took another step toward getting back into the Reds pitching mix, throwing a scoreless inning in a minor league rehab outing as he works his way back from a UCL strain. For a staff that could use all the help it can get, that is encouraging news, especially with the rotation still trying to stay afloat while pieces come and go.
Brady Singers rib injury, though, quickly shifted the focus away from Ashcrafts progress and back to the more immediate concern of who is available right now. Singer stayed in the game after the injury and will be evaluated further, but Cincinnatis bigger headache remains on the other side of the ball, where the offense has continued to sputter and manager Terry Francona has already pointed to the teams approach at the plate. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Bullpen Suddenly Has Two High Leverage Arms Back
The Reds have spent enough of the summer piecing together the back end of games that any real bullpen reinforcements stand out quickly, and the group has gotten a much better look in recent days. Luis Mey was brought up from Triple-A after making adjustments to his pitching approach, and Tony Santillan has also rejoined the mix after being sidelined by an oblique injury since June. With Emilio Pagn handling the ninth and Tejay Antone and Brock Burke giving the staff more reliable high-leverage options, Cincinnati suddenly has a deeper late-inning picture than it did not long ago.
For a club trying to stabilize the middle innings, the timing matters as much as the names. Meys progress gives the Reds another arm they can test in meaningful spots, while Santillans return adds a familiar power option after a long wait. The bigger question now is how the Reds choose to deploy all of these pieces when games tighten up, especially with so many innings in the stretch run still waiting to be decided. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Suddenly Have A Brady Singer Concern They Can't Ignore
Brady Singer gave the Reds a brief scare after sliding during the game and coming away with an apparent bruise on the right side of his rib cage. Even after the contact, he stayed in to pitch for a bit longer before exiting after two more batters, leaving Cincinnati to wonder how much the discomfort might linger.
Terry Francona said Singer was not overly concerned about the injury, and the right-hander is set to be evaluated again the next day. For a rotation that needs every steady outing it can get, the episode was enough to keep the Reds watching closely until they know whether this was a short-term issue or something more significant. [Read more 🡒]