Pittsburgh Pirates Place Bryan Reynolds on IL, Activate Jake Marisnick

The Pittsburgh Pirates have placed superstar center fielder Bryan Reynolds on the injured list and have activated Jake Marisnick from the 60-day IL

Sunday afternoon Bryan Reynolds was pinch hit for and Pirates Twitter was set ablaze. Immediately people began to speculate/worry that Reynolds may have been traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette quickly debunked this by reporting that Reynolds was not pulled due to a trade. The Pirates then Tweeted that Reynolds had left the game due to side discomfort.

Monday afternoon we found out that the side discomfort for Reynolds is an oblique strain. This oblique strain has now landed Reynolds on the 10-day injured list. Oblique injuries can be tricky for hitters and always have the potential to linger, so, hopefully, the Pirates caught this quick enough to where Reynolds can have a short injured list stint.

To replace Reynolds on the active roster the Pirates reinstated veteran outfielder Jake Marisnick from the 60-day injured list. Marisnick had been out since early May due to left thumb surgery. Before his rehab assignment could begin, he was also placed on the COVID IL. To make room for Marisnick on the 40-man roster lefty Cam Vieaux was designated for assignment.

The Pirate lineup is likely in store for some struggles with Reynolds. It’s a lineup that already has some holes and can struggle to score at times, especially when they’re not hitting the long ball, so taking away their best hitter is not a recipe for success.

With Reynolds on the injured list, odds are, Marisnick will be in center field most days while he is flanked by Ben Gamel and Jack Suwinski. This is unfortunate as Marisnick has no future with the team and no real trade value due to his offensvie shortcomings. He should not be playing for the Pirates.

Having Marisnick on the roster as a fourth outfielder with Reynolds out would not be the end of the world. However, someone such as Travis Swaggerty, Cal Mitchell or Bligh Madris should be recalled to start in the outfield every day with Reynolds out.