Eugenio Suárez and TJ Friedl clear waivers

Suárez, who missed games Tuesday and Wednesday, homered in his first at-bat back with the Reds after passing his naturalization test and becoming a U.S. citizen. It was his 21st of the year.

Good luck to Geno. He’s expected to miss another game Wednesday before rejoining the Reds. It’s unclear if there will be a roster move here, but his absence might be part of the reason why the Reds promoted Juan Brito as their September callup. Brito is starting at second base tonight, with Matt McLain at shortstop and Elly De La Cruz DHing for a second game in a row.

Suárez, a free agent at season’s end, has hit .208/.295/.410 with 19 homers and 57 RBI in 410 plate appearances and is a below average third baseman at this point, but some team might be willing to pick up the approximately $3 million he’s still owed in order to add his power. The Mariners and Diamondbacks are both very familiar with him, and the Phillies are short of right-handed power and have time available at both first and third. If Suárez goes unclaimed, he’ll presumably finish out the season as a regular with the Reds.

Friedl, formerly the Reds’ starting center fielder, is batting just .158/.242/.234 in 253 plate appearances this season. He’s owed only about $750,000 for the rest of this season, with no commitment beyond that (though a team could keep him in arbitration). That might entice some team to pick him up as a bench guy. If that happens, the Reds could recall Noelvi Marte to help out in the outfield.

Cincinnati entered the ninth trailing by six, and Suárez’s grand slam made it a one-run game before any outs were recorded. The veteran DH hasn’t had the season Reds fans or fantasy managers hoped for after last year’s 49-homer eruption. On the positive side, Suárez has played enough at the hot corner this season to retain third base eligibility heading into 2027.

This appears to just be a routine day off for the WBC-winning third baseman. Michael Toglia is batting sixth and DHing in Suárez’s absence.

The Reds were held in check by Sandy Alcantara all night, but finally broke through in the sixth inning when Suárez ripped a double to left-center to bring in Tyler Stephenson for the lone run of the game. Suárez has now hit safely in three of his last four games while driving in six runs over that span.

Suárez’ home run was his 16th of the year. He hit a two-run shot off Nationals reliever Max Koranic in the sixth inning. Suárez’ home run accounted for the entirety of the Reds’ scoring on Saturday. His .300 wOBA is on pace to be the worst of his career. Suárez is hitting .204 with a .688 OPS and 43 RBI.

Cincinnati failed to resolve their crowded outfield situation at the trade deadline earlier this week, but made the decision to promote Rodríguez anyway. The dynamic 22-year-old went 0-for-2 with a walk and scored a run against the Athletics in his big-league debut on Tuesday night. He possesses a fantasy-relevant skillset and is worthy of a speculative roster spot in deeper mixed leagues. The big question is whether he’s able to carve out an everyday role over the next few weeks with JJ Bleday, Noelvi Marte, Dane Myers and TJ Friedl still in the mix.

It looks to be just a routine day off for the 35-year-old slugger. Ke’Bryan Hayes will start in his place at the hot corner and will bat ninth for the Reds against Pirates’ right-hander Mitch Keller on Sunday afternoon in Cincinnati.