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The Reds reinstated the third goal Mike Moustakas from the 60-day casualty list this afternoon. He’s in the lineup tonight against the Pirates, hitting fifth and starting at third. Utility Mike Freeman was optioned at Triple-A Louisville to remove an active roster spot. To create a 40-player space, Cincinnati transferred the reliever Happy Michel from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day list.
It’s a welcome time for Cincinnati to reclaim Moustakas, as they come into play today after closing the gap on the Padres to 3.5 games in the race for the final National League Wild Card spot. . It will be Moustakas’ first game in nearly three months, as the 32-year-old landed on the shelf with a right heel problem on May 20. the injury in mid-June.
Before the injury, Moustakas was hitting at a decent but unspectacular level. He clocked a .241 / .337 / .437 line on 104 home plate appearances after setting a .230 / 0.331 / .468 mark last season, his first at Cincinnati. The Reds signed Moustakas in hopes of moving the longtime third baseman to second. With Jonathan India now in the majors and very successful at the keystone, Moustakas played exclusively in the infield corner in 2021.
It will continue to be the case, but with a twist from the start of the season. The Reds opened the year with Moustakas third and Eugene Suárez at the shortstop. Suárez, however, struggled to move up the defensive spectrum and returned to third place after the fall of Moustakas (with kyle farmer get most of the playing time short). The generally productive Suárez have also had a miserable season at home, and are now on the verge of losing playing time. Manager David Bell told reporters (including Bobby Nightengale from Cincinnati Enquirer) that the Reds will outfit left-handed Moustakas and right-hander Suárez, at least for the immediate future.
Suárez was one of the game’s biggest power threats between 2018-19, when he hit 0.277 / .362 / .550 and hit 83 combined homers. That high offensive production fell to the league average last season, and he has a mark of 0.177 / 0.260 / 0.379 on 438 home plate appearances this year. Suárez has yet to hit 22 home runs, but he is beating the career-worst 30.4% while walking 8.9% of his trips to plate, his lowest rate since 2016.
With the Reds in a playoff race, it makes sense to reduce Suárez’s workload a bit as he continues to struggle. He’s still under contract for $ 11million per season from 2022-24 under the extension he signed in March 2018. It stands to reason he’ll have another extended look at some point, but installing Moustakas in the line-up against right-hander pitching should boost the offense in the short term.
Feliz’s transfer to the 60-day IL is a formality, as he has been absent since June 8 with a sprained right elbow. He is away for sixty days from his initial placement, so he will be eligible for activation as soon as he is ready to return. Feliz is currently in rehab in Louisville, so he should be back at relatively short notice. This is also true for his colleague in the bullpen Lucas sims, who could be back with the Major League club as early as this weekend, according to Bell (via Nightengale).
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