After playing the waiting game far longer than he imagined he could, Eugenio Suárez was activated from the injured list May 22 only to have his would-be first game back rained out.
The wait to play would have to continue for at least one more night’s sleep, and waiting was the hardest part of Suárez’s injury, a left oblique strain that the Cincinnati Reds always said they’d be cautious with.
“I didn’t enjoy it because it was something I never had in my life,” Suárez said prior to the Reds’ 8-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in the first game of the Saturday, May 23 day-night doubleheader. “I had no idea how to handle it, you know what I mean? I think the trainers helped me and the club helped me to be 100%. I tried my best to be back soon but on that injury, you’ve got to be careful and they helped me in that way because I was the guy who wanted to be back.
“At the same time, I understand how important it is to be 100%.”
For a player of Suárez’s importance, the Reds bit the proverbial injury bullet once and dealt with it properly the first time. Getting the injury situation wrong and potentially prolonging Suárez’s absence could have meant risking a player that factored heavily into the club’s 2026 plans.
Suárez still missed 25 of the Reds’ first 50 games. The club was 16-9 with him on the active roster, including a 4-2 record in April after he went on the 10-day IL.
Cincinnati went 10-15 over its next 25 games in Suárez’s absence.
The Reds’ slide wasn’t due entirely to Suárez being out but it certainly didn’t help. The lineup lost length and dangerous pop without Suárez’s bat. Minus his glove, the team lost defensive versatility, too.
Suárez was the big offseason free-agent signing for Cincinnati, and he was thought of as the power bat that could unlock the entire projected lineup. His one-year, $15 million contract was also significant for a Reds roster that doesn’t feature many head-turning salaries.
Suárez finally returned for Cincinnati Saturday, May 23, and just in time for the club to begin in a three-game series at Great American Ball Park with a St. Louis Cardinals team that had exceeded outside expectations up to that point. The Reds owned a 1-9 record in games against National League Central opponents, with the lone victory coming March 30 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
“Today is the day,” Suárez said. “I feel great. I feel good. My oblique feel great and I just want to be outside with the guys playing games… I will do my best to help them. I will do my best to help them. My best is being on the field every day and not try to be a superhero. Just be myself.”
On May 23, Suárez started the first game of a split doubleheader at third base and hit fifth − the spot the club settled on for the slugger late in spring training. He went 0-for-2 with a walk.
Suárez was hitting .231 with 21 hits and 11 RBIs, and he had timely hits that directly helped lift the Reds to wins in April. He was a late scratch prior to an April 24 games against the Detroit Tigers, and last played April 22.
The Reds will remain cautious with Suárez in the days to come, manager Terry Francona said during a news conference following the postponement of the May 22 game.
“We’re gonna have to pick our spots a little early. We don’t want to run him into the ground,” Francona said. “He had two rehab games, and we told him that even before he went on his rehab. He’ll probably play two-out-of-three this weekend… We’ll have to balance all that. We’re gonna probably have to do that with everybody anyway.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Eugenio Suárez is finally back for the Reds, but they fall in opener
Reporting by Pat Brennan, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
