Bryan Reynolds was scratched from Friday’s Rockies game because of left groin discomfort, and Esmerlyn Valdez slid into the starting lineup in left field. The move cut short a hot stretch for Reynolds, who had been carrying the bat for recent games.
Bryan Reynolds and the Rockies
Reynolds had slashed.405/.463/.838 across his last nine games, with four homers, eight RBI and eight runs. That run made his absence in the Rockies game more than a routine lineup tweak; it removed one of the most productive hitters from the Pirates’ order on the same night he was unavailable.
The change also gave Valdez a direct path into left field. For a lineup card, that is the immediate tradeoff: one established bat out because of discomfort, one replacement starter asked to cover the spot without changing the rest of the game plan.
Esmerlyn Valdez Starts
Manny Randhawa of MLB.com reported the lineup change, which centered on Reynolds and the opening Valdez received. The practical effect was simple and immediate. Left field belonged to Valdez for Friday, while Reynolds sat out after the groin issue surfaced.
What stands out here is the split between production and availability. Reynolds had been hitting.405 over his last nine games, but the discomfort still kept him out of the Rockies game. That leaves the main question on the next lineup card: whether his bat returns quickly enough to keep that recent surge from stalling.
Friday's Lineup Shift
For readers tracking the Pirates’ lineup, the only actionable change was the one at left field. Valdez started, Reynolds did not, and the decision was tied directly to the groin discomfort rather than to a slump or a rest day.
The immediate takeaway is that Friday’s Rockies game began without one of the team’s hottest hitters, and the replacement was already in place before first pitch. Whether Reynolds is available next is the part that will matter most after a stretch in which he posted four homers and drove in eight runs across nine games.
