Cincinnati Reds: Nathaniel Lowe stepping up with power surge in place of Eugenio Suárez

When Cincinnati Reds designated hitter Eugenio Suárez landed on the injured list last weekend, the Reds had an experienced veteran slugger ready to fill that role in the short term.

While it’s never ideal to play without Suárez, Nathaniel Lowe is making more starts now at DH. All year, Lowe has impressed the Reds. The 30-year-old doesn’t even feel like he’s playing his best yet.

“The ball isn’t flying exactly the way I want it to yet,” Lowe said. “That’ll come with getting in a rhythm with more at-bats. I’m getting the ball in the air without trying to get the ball in the air. If you do something simple like that, good things are going to happen.”

Suárez injured his oblique during batting practice last Friday, and he went on the injured list on Saturday. The oblique injury is believed to be mild.

McCoy: Seventh inning spells doom for bullpen in Reds in 8-3 loss to Tigers

“He didn’t think it was anything,” manager Terry Francona said. “We said let’s get you looked at. The doc saw him. He went and got an MRI. He has a low-grade oblique. The hope is that after possibly five or six days, if symptoms are gone, we’ll get him imaged again and start to build him back up.”

That timeline would allow Suárez to start ramping up near the end of this week.

In the meantime, Lowe has been on a power surge.

He has an impressive track record with a Silver Slugger award and a Gold Glove on his resume. Between 2021 and 2024, Lowe was one of the most consistent first basemen in all of MLB and was a standout player on the Texas Rangers.

The Nationals traded for him in 2025. While Lowe was as good as he has ever been against right-handed pitching, he slumped against left-handers and had a down statistical year. With MLB teams prioritizing giving chances to younger players, Lowe had to settle for a minor league free agent deal with the Reds in February.

The Reds were honest with Lowe from the start.

Ask Hal: Should the Reds avoid long-term contracts?

“In the whole free agency process, they shot me straight,” Lowe said. “Tito shot me straight. Brad (Meador) shot me straight. The guys understand that I might not be an everyday factor. But there are chances where I can help the team win.”

Lowe went on to earn the final spot on the Opening Day roster. When he learned that he had made the team, Francona and Meador told him that he wouldn’t be making a ton of starts with the team situated how it was. Lowe was patient, and he impressed the Reds in limited pinch-hit at-bats.