The Reds announced today that infielder has been activated from the suspended list, having now served his 80-game PED suspension. In corresponding moves, they optioned infielder and transferred right-hander to the 60-day injured list. Mart, 22, had an excellent debut for the Reds last year. Long considered one of the top prospects in the league, he was called up in August of last year and hit .316/.366/.456 in his first 35 games at the major league level. That set him up to be a key part of the 2024 club but he was hit with an 80-game suspension in early March after testing positive for Boldenone. That has been just one of several notable absences for the Reds Tucupita Marcano Jersey this year. , and have all mi sed significant time due to injury, with several pitchers having spent time on the IL as well. Those health problems and Marts suspension have left the club fairly hamstrung so far on the season. Those i sues have contributed to a fairly lackluster performance from the club, as the Reds are currently 37-43. That leaves them only 4.5 games out of a playoff spot in the fairly weak National League Wild Card race, but many expected better results this year after the club seemed to be overflowing with young talent towards the end of last year. The return of Mart could perhaps give them a boost, though for what its worth, he hasnt been in good form after his layoff. He began a rehab a signment a couple of weeks ago and hit .151/.151/.170 in 15 Triple-A games. Thats a small sample size and perhaps some rust is expected after mi sing time, but the Reds will obviously hope for better than that going forward. The Reds still have McLain, Friedl and Encarnacion-Strand on the injured list while and are each dealing with minor ailments. Despite Marts poor form during his rehab, he might get some runway to get in a good place with so many other players ailing. He was primarily playing third base during his rehab, which has been Candelarios home for much of this season. has been covering that spot lately but is hitting just .203/.253/.297 on the year. Even when Candelario is healthy again, he is capable of moving over to first base, while regular first baseman could perhaps move into the corner outfield mix. As for Pagn, he landed on the 15-day injured list June 9 due to a right lat strain. This transfer suggests the Reds dont expect him back until early August in a best-case scenario. He signed a two-year, $16MM deal in the offseason, with the chance to opt out after one year. He has a mediocre 4.43 earned run average on the year and seemingly wont have a ton of time to improve that number after this IL stint. The Reds could look to improve their bullpen prior to the trade deadline, but their aggre sivene s in that department will depend on how the club plays over the next month. Wally Joyner Jersey