Reds news: Eugenio Suarez is 100 percent and Nick Senzel is doing good

It sounds like Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez is ready for the season.

Regardless of when the 2020 baseball begins, it sounds as though Cincinnati Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez will be on the field and ready to play. According to Reds president of baseball operations Dick Williams, Suarez is 100%. Williams also said that Nick Senzel is doing good.

Reds fans had been assuming since the sport was shutdown back in March that Eugenio Suarez would be back on the field once play resumed in 2020, but yesterday’s announcement from Williams all but sealed the deal. Once Major League Baseball and the Player’s Association figure out the parameters for the upcoming season, fans can expect Geno to be at the hot corner.

Last year, Suarez emerged as Cincinnati’s best player. After nearly a decade of Joey Votto holding that title, Suarez’s 2019 season all but placed him above the 2010 MVP. Suarez led the Reds in nearly every offensive category and was second in MLB in home runs with 49.

Williams also spoke about the health of last year’s rookie Nick Senzel. Though an injury slowed Senzel’s path to the 25-man roster last season, once he made his debut in May, the 24-year-old never relinquished his job as the team’s starting centerfielder until injuring his shoulder during the final weeks of the season.

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft, Senzel didn’t burst onto the scene as many thought he would. However, the future seems bright for the former first-round pick, though he’ll have some competition in the outfield this season.

Over the winter, Williams and general manager Nick Krall signed Japanese outfielder Shogo Akiyama to a three-year/$21M contract. The Reds also signed slugger Nick Castellanos to a four-year deal.

While Castellanos has the ability to opt out of his contract following both the 2020 and 2021 seasons, given the current economic climate, there’s a chance that he could be in the Queen City for the long haul. What that means for Senzel is anyone’s guess, however, the addition of a universal designated hitter will certainly alleviate some pressure on David Bell to play his top talent.

With Eugenio Suarez back in the fold and Nick Senzel on the mend, the Cincinnati Reds have a formidable lineup to deploy once the union and the owners come to an agreement. Hopefully a resolution comes sooner rather than later. Williams seemed confident in that as well, saying an agreement is “very close” (via Twitter account of The Athletic’s C. Trent Rosecrans).