The Pittsburgh Pirates are struggling offensively with two of their top offensive weapons on the injured list. That battle will get a little bit harder on Friday, as the Pirates made Bryan Reynolds a last-minute scratch ahead of their game against the Colorado Rockies.
According to the Pirates, Reynolds will be sidelined on Friday with left groin discomfort. It is unclear as to when the injury occurred, given that Thursday was an off-day for the team, but the Pirates do not seem overly concerned at this point. Taking his place in the lineup is Esmerlyn Valdez, who will play left field and bat seventh in the Pirates' lineup.
With both Konnor Griffin and Oneil Cruz on the injured list, Reynolds has stepped up and been the Pirates' primary offensive contributor. He's reached base safely in 24 consecutive games, batting .365 with a 1.132 OPS over that span. In his past five games, Reynolds has three doubles, three home runs, and seven RBI.
After a down year in 2025, Reynolds has picked right back up in 2026. He leads the National League with 75 games played this year, and has posted a slash line of .283/.400/.472. Reynolds already has 10 home runs, 47 RBI, and five stolen bases, and has exhibited exceptional patience at the plate, with a 69:49 strikeout to walk (K: BB) ratio.
Reynolds was slated to hit third in Friday's lineup, but the addition of Valdez to the lineup will push slugger Ryan O'Hearn up into the No. 3 spot. The Pirates desperately need some wins in Colorado as they currently sit in fourth place in the competitive NL Central division, 8.5 games back of the first-place Milwaukee Brewers. Pittsburgh is just 1.5 games back of the final NL Wildcard spot, so the team must stay competitive while their stars are on the shelf if it has any chance at making the playoffs.
There is no timeline or mention of the severity of Reynolds' groin injury, and the Pirates have officially designated him as day-to-day. Given that Reynolds was scratched so close to the first pitch, it is likely that he was attempting to warm up and play tonight. His next chance to suit up is on Saturday in the second game of the series at Colorado.
