Cincinnati Reds: Who plays third base while Eugenio Suárez recovers?

5. Josh VanMeter

This, in my opinion, is the worst of the five options to take over at third base. That’s going to sound harsh, but I just don’t think Josh VanMeter has the chops to play third base on a regular basis. Now, if Mike Moustakas takes over the duties at the hot corner, I’m all about VanMeter getting regular playing time at second base until Eugenio Suárez returns.

VanMeter was David Bell‘s go-to, as the season progressed, to play multiple defensive positions. VanMeter saw time at both corner outfield spots, both corner infield spots and second base. Appearing at third base just six times, the only other position VanMeter had less exposure to in 2019 was right field where he played two games.

In the same vein as Kyle Farmer, Josh VanMeter’s biggest asset to the club is his versatility. As mentioned earlier regarding Farmer, if VanMeter becomes a regular in the lineup, you take away one of his primary functions as a member of next year’s team. thee difference between VanMeter and Farmer, other than Farmer’s superior defense, is that VanMeter is left-handed.

In limited action last season, we saw VanMeter have much greater success against right-handers than left-handers. The Indiana native slashed .250/.336/.431 against right-handed pitchers, while putting up a paltry .125/.250/.208 slash line against southpaws. All of VanMeter’s home runs came against right-handed pitching last season.

To be clear, there’s no one on the Cincinnati Reds roster who can replace Eugenio Suárez. However, with the plethora of talented infielders, combined with the versatility of several others on the club, Cincinnati has the horses to weather the storm until Geno returns. Suárez has always been quick to return from injury, so perhaps all this worry is all for naught.