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Reds' Suarez could miss Opening Day after swimming pool injury

Norm Hall / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The Cincinnati Reds may be missing a key piece of their lineup on Opening Day.

All-Star third baseman Eugenio Suarez underwent surgery to remove cartilage in his right shoulder on Tuesday after suffering an injury in a swimming-pool accident, the team confirmed to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com.

"He came up and had an exam in Cincinnati, and we knew basically he was going to have surgery today on Friday," general manager Nick Krall said. “He’ll be in a sling for 3-5 days and start his rehab right away."

Suarez will be limited in spring training, but he is expected to be ready for game action near the beginning of the regular season.

The 28-year-old has emerged as an indispensable slugger for Cincinnati. An All-Star in 2018, he's slashed .277/.362/.550 with 83 home runs over the last two seasons. He finished 15th in NL MVP voting in 2019 after hitting a major league-leading 29 homers in the second half of the campaign.

It's unclear who would fill in for Suarez should he miss time, but Krall doesn't expect it to be Nick Senzel.

"I don't see Nick Senzel going to play third base at the beginning of the season," Krall said, according to C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic.

Senzel recently converted to the outfield after taking the bulk of his minor-league reps at the hot corner. The 24-year-old has also seen his name appear in trade rumors since the Reds signed outfielder Nick Castellanos to a four-year contract on Monday.

Mike Moustakas - signed to serve as the club's second baseman - represents another hypothetical option considering he played most of his career at third before appearing in 47 games at the keystone with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2019.

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