Bryan Reynolds is 2 for 45 over his last 11 games but said today that he believes he can recover like he has in the past.
"It is something I've gone through before. Little bit longer I guess," Reynolds said. "Not something I'm convinced is going to last forever."
Reynolds went 0 for 3 tonight with a walk as the Pirates beat the Mets, 4-0, at Citi Field. Since the beginning of May, Reynolds is hitting .096 and is hitless in 21 straight at-bats. Of qualified major-league hitters, Reynolds has the lowest batting average in May.
"Just struggling a little bit. Just not seeing the ball well. Not moving well," Reynolds said.
In April and May of 2022, Reynolds hit .194 over 19 games and still finished with a .262 average. In July of 2023, he hit .200 over 23 games but rebounded in August and September to hit .263 with a .790 OPS. He has never finished a season below .262, not including the COVID-shortened 2020 season, when he hit .189 over 55 games.
"Not really, not yet," Reynolds said when I asked if he's seen any signs of a turnaround. "But felt some good at-bats. Just haven't strung them together."
Don Kelly said earlier this week that he feels Reynolds is "pressing" to deliver for an offense that hasn't scored more than four runs in 20 straight games and has produced the fewest runs (135) in Major League Baseball.
"Probably part of that. Probably a little bit of confidence. Probably a little bit of all that," Reynolds said.
At the beginning of May, Reynolds said he was adjusting where he places his hands when hitting left-handed and was working on how he loads up when hitting right-handed.
"Yeah, those didn't work," Reynolds said. "I've got something I'm gonna nail down on now that I'm gonna try. I'll let you know if it works."
Despite dealing with a teres major muscle strain in his right shoulder toward the beginning of the season that limited him to just hitting, Reynolds has played in 43 of the Pirates' 44 games. He missed one game, April 7 against the Cardinals, due to the injury.
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
THE ASYLUM
Greg Macafee
10:45 pm - 05.14.2025NEW YORKGoing Deep: Reynolds says slump won't 'last forever'
Bryan Reynolds is 2 for 45 over his last 11 games but said today that he believes he can recover like he has in the past.
"It is something I've gone through before. Little bit longer I guess," Reynolds said. "Not something I'm convinced is going to last forever."
Reynolds went 0 for 3 tonight with a walk as the Pirates beat the Mets, 4-0, at Citi Field. Since the beginning of May, Reynolds is hitting .096 and is hitless in 21 straight at-bats. Of qualified major-league hitters, Reynolds has the lowest batting average in May.
"Just struggling a little bit. Just not seeing the ball well. Not moving well," Reynolds said.
In April and May of 2022, Reynolds hit .194 over 19 games and still finished with a .262 average. In July of 2023, he hit .200 over 23 games but rebounded in August and September to hit .263 with a .790 OPS. He has never finished a season below .262, not including the COVID-shortened 2020 season, when he hit .189 over 55 games.
"Not really, not yet," Reynolds said when I asked if he's seen any signs of a turnaround. "But felt some good at-bats. Just haven't strung them together."
Don Kelly said earlier this week that he feels Reynolds is "pressing" to deliver for an offense that hasn't scored more than four runs in 20 straight games and has produced the fewest runs (135) in Major League Baseball.
"Probably part of that. Probably a little bit of confidence. Probably a little bit of all that," Reynolds said.
At the beginning of May, Reynolds said he was adjusting where he places his hands when hitting left-handed and was working on how he loads up when hitting right-handed.
"Yeah, those didn't work," Reynolds said. "I've got something I'm gonna nail down on now that I'm gonna try. I'll let you know if it works."
Despite dealing with a teres major muscle strain in his right shoulder toward the beginning of the season that limited him to just hitting, Reynolds has played in 43 of the Pirates' 44 games. He missed one game, April 7 against the Cardinals, due to the injury.
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
We’d love to have you!