Pirates' Bryan Reynolds Gives Good Sign With Injury
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have had some bad luck with recent injuries and had another issue ahead of their most recent game.
The Pirates scratched left fielder Bryan Reynolds from the lineup ahead of their series opener vs. the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on June 19, due to left groin discomfort, putting rookie Esmerlyn Valdez in his place.
Reynolds eventually came in the game later on to pinch-hit and hit an RBI-single, tying the game up 2-2-2 in the eighth inning of the 4-3 loss to the Rockies.
He said postgame that the pain was a surprise and that it wasn't caused by anything in particular, but wanted to take precaution and avoid making the injury more severe than it was.
“I don’t know. My leg just started bothering me randomly," Reynolds said. "I didn’t do anything. Bothering me running around and stuff. Thought it was smart to not play the outfield.
Reynolds Lack of Injury History with Pirates
Reynolds is the longest tenured player on the Pirates and he's hardly missed any time with injury since making his debut in 2019.
He's played as little as 145 games a season, 2022 and 2023, which was the last time he went on the injured list.
Reynolds went on the 10-day injured list with low back inflammation on June 22, 2023, returning back on July 2, missing nine games. He also went on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain on July 11, 2022 returning two weeks later on July 25.
He's missed some time on the Paternity List in 2020, 2023 and 2025, and went on the Bereavement List in 2023 as well.
Reynolds has taken pride in being available throughout his career, so he was happy he could provide a hit off the bench, which he said felt fine.
“Yeah I mean that’s a big thing. Want to be out there every game," Reynolds said. "Sometimes you can’t. Sometimes you can just have a little pinch-hit, help out the team that way.”
Reynolds Playing Big Role on Pirates in 2026
The Pirates have needed Reynolds as a veteran leader on and off the field and he's shown that this season.
Reynolds is slashing .285/.402/.474 for an OPS of .876, with 77 hits, 17 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs, 48 RBI and 49 walks to 69 strikeouts.
He has a 25-game on base streak, tied second-longest in baseball, with his .402 on-base percentage and his 49 walks ranking fifth-best and seventh-best in MLB, respectively. His OPS is also 12th-best in the National League and 20th-best in MLB.
Reynolds is also having a great month of June, slashing .317/.397/.600 for an OPS of .997, with 19 hits in 60 at-bats, five doubles, four home runs, 10 RBI and seven walks to 14 strikeouts.
He's also shown improvements defensively, robbing three home runs on the latest homestand, including Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani.
The Pirates have already lost center fielder Oneil Cruz and shortstop Konnor Griffin to injuries and they can't afford Reynolds to miss much time.
Pirates manager Don Kelly said that Reynolds told him he was good to go to pinch-hit and that he'll always trust his veteran in those moments and to come through at the plate.
“Going into the game we weren’t sure and he was going to get some treatment and see how it went. Anytime we can have Bryan hit, definitely we’ll have Bryan up there,” Kelly said.
Reynolds is optimistic he won't miss much time and that this injury won't hamper him for long.
“Yeah I mean I know where it’s hurting, but I’m not expecting it to linger," Reynolds said. "I think it’s just a one-off weird kind of thing."
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.