CINCINNATI – The Reds will be without one of their big bats in the middle of the lineup for a while. Designated hitter Eugenio Suárez was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a left oblique strain.
Suárez was taking batting practice on the field before Friday's series opener when he felt something on his side.
"And then he took his last swing and he kind of felt it. He didn’t think it was anything," said manager Terry Francona. "And we said, ‘Let’s just get you looked at before we turn you loose.’”
Suárez – who was signed to a one-year, $15 million contract on Feb. 3 – was scratched from the starting lineup about an hour before first pitch and replaced by Nathaniel Lowe.
An MRI revealed a low-grade oblique strain, according to Francona.
“The hope is that after possibly five, six days – if symptoms are gone – we’ll get him imaged again and then start to build him back up. He’s going to be an IL," Francona said.
Outfielder JJ Bleday was recalled from Triple-A Louisville with Suárez landing on the IL.
Suárez, 34, is batting .231 with a .663 OPS, three home runs and 11 RBIs in 25 games this season.
Lowe turned out to be a hero for the Reds on Friday with two home runs -- including a walk-off two-run shot -- in their 9-8 win over the Tigers.