Pirates Place Bryan Reynolds on Bereavement List
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates will be without one of their biggest stars for a certain amount of time, after announcing that they are placing All-Star outfielder Bryan Reynolds on the Major League Bereavement List on Thursday.
We have placed OF Bryan Reynolds on the Major League Bereavement List.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) July 25, 2024
We will add another player to the roster for tomorrow's game and will announce that move accordingly.
The Pirates will add a player to the roster for Friday night's game, the series opener on the road against the Arizona Diamondbacks, with first pitch set for 9:40 p.m. (EST). They will announce that move accordingly.
Reynolds missed his first game of the season on Wednesday against the St. Louis Cardinals, due to back spasms. The Pirates managed to defeat the Cardinals, 5-0, thanks to great performances from first baseman Rowdy Tellez and starting pitcher Martin Perez.
Manager Derek Shelton said after the game that he tweaked his back after coming out of his car and that he would travel with the team to Arizona.
The MLB Bereavement List allows teams to replace players who have to tend to a death or serious illness in the family. Placing a player on this list can keep him out from three to seven games, depending on the circumstances of their situation. It is more flexible than the injured list, as days aren't set, allowing a player to come back when ready.
The Pirates recently added outfielder Ji Hwan Bae to the taxi squad, which may come as the player they will call up to replace Reynolds while he is out.
Reynolds has had a fantastic season for the Pirates so far, leading the team with a .288 batting average, 117 hits, 406 at-bats, 18 home runs, 61 RBIs, 197 total bases, a .353 on-base percentage, a .485 slugging percentage, a .839 OPS and a WAR of 3.1.
He was one of two Pirates players to represent the the franchise for at the All-Star game, along with rookie pitcher Paul Skenes, who started the game for the National League.
Reynolds has played most games since coming up to the Pirates in 2019, playing in 134 that season, 55 of 60 in 2020 COVID-19 impacted season, 159 games in 2021, where he was also an All-Star, and 145 games in both 2022 and 2023.
This is a big loss for the Pirates, who face a challenger for a National League wild card spot in the Diamondbacks and then the American League West Division leaders in the Houston Astros afterwards, with both series on the road.
The Pirates will need outfielders like Joshua Palacios, Jack Suwinski, Andrew McCutchen, Michael A. Taylor and Connor Joe to step up in Reynolds' absence if they want to stay in the race for a place in the postseason.
DOMINIC CAMPBELL