When Cincinnati Reds right fielder Nick Castellanos came off the injured list for Thursday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Reds starting lineup was suddenly deeper than it had been in a while.
Shortstop Kyle Farmer, who entered the game hitting .366 since July 1, was batting sixth in the order. Center fielder Tyler Naquin, a power hitter who has 57 RBI this season, was batting seventh. And third baseman Eugenio Suárez, who’s tied for the team lead in home runs, was batting eighth for the first time since 2015.
"If you have the Venezuelan home run king hitting eighth," Farmer said, "Then your lineup is pretty stacked.