Bryan

Reynolds

Reynolds went deep for the first time since May 29. He also doubled against lefty reliever Tanner Scott with the Pirates trailing by 10 runs in the ninth inning. The 31-year-old has been ice-cold at the plate since the calendar flipped to June, going 4-for-26 over his last seven games.

Reynolds smacked a two-out double off of Colin Rea in the opening inning, but never advanced past second base. He then walloped a 400-foot (106.6 mph EV) solo shot off of Rea to start the sixth, pulling the Pirates to within two runs at 3-1. With the two-hit attack, the 31-year-old outfielder is now slashing .272/.391/.426 with five homers, 35 RBI and four swipes on the season.

Reynolds opened the scoring in the first inning as he drove in a run with a fielder’s choice. He then delivered a go-ahead two-run single in the fifth inning that gave the Pirates a two-run lead they would never relinquish. The 31-year-old outfielder is off to another very strong start at the plate this season, slashing .266/.392/.418 with three homers, 15 runs scored, 15 RBI and one stolen base in his first 97 plate appearances.

Billy Cook will start in left field and bat ninth on Thursday. There’s a left-hander on the mound, but Reynolds is a switch-hitter and has 27 plate appearances this season against lefties, so this is not a platoon situation. He is a better hitter against right-handed pitching, so there’s a chance that the Pirates get him more off days when lefties are on the mound, but that will be within his normal rest. Reynolds is off to a solid start to the season, hitting .288/.400/.470 with three home runs, 12 RBI, and a 49 percent hard-hit rate. He could still be a bit of a buy-low target if people are focused too much on his poor 2025 season.

The Pirates couldn’t get anything as they were no-hit by Shota Imanaga for the first six innings of the ballgame. That all changed when Imanaga exited in the seventh though. Ryan O’Hearn immediately spoiled the no-hit bid with a leadoff single off of Caleb Thielbar and Reynolds followed by ambushing a first-pitch curveball for a 385-foot (106.1 mph EV) two-run shot that wound up being the only scoring by either team in the ballgame. Reynolds finished the day 1-for-4 and is now hitting .245/.345/.449 with three long balls and seven RBI on the young season.

Reynolds knocked a base hit in the first inning, then reached on an error and scored in the fourth. After drawing a walk in the fifth, he doubled in the bottom of the ninth and scored the game-winning, walk-off run on a double by Nick Yorke. The 31-year-old outfielder is 8-for-34 (.235) with a pair of homers in the early going.

Reynolds reached base with a single in the seventh inning, then scored a run in the tenth as the runner starting on second, the first run of the game for Pittsburgh. He then knocked in a run with his second hit of the game in the 11th. The 31-year-old outfielder is looking to bounce back after posting a career-low .720 OPS last season.

Reynolds didn’t have any runs or RBI, though, as he was removed for a pinch-runner before Tony Blanco Jr. came around to score in his place in the fifth. Reynolds might be a little underrated for fantasy purposes at this point, in part because he’ll have an improved supporting cast this year. He definitely figures to top last year’s marks of 68 runs scored and 73 RBI in 654 plate appearances.

Reynolds drew a walk in the first inning, then took Luis Morales deep for a solo homer to lead off the third. It was the 16th home run of the season for the 30-year-old outfielder. It’ll be his lowest power output since the abbreviated 2020 season. Reynolds has had a disappointing season by his standards, hitting .243/.315/.403 with 63 runs scored and 73 RBI across 626 plate appearances.

After a good month of August, Reynolds has started slow in September, hitting just .200 in 14 games with one home run and 17 strikeouts. He’ll take a break with Nick Yorke moving from second base to right field, Nick Gonzales playing second base, and Cam Devanney in the lineup at third base.