6 Billy Hamilton CF

Hamilton (knee) is back in the lineup Saturday against the Pirates.

Hamilton did not start Friday due to a sore knee, though his knee was fine enough for him to come on as a pinch runner and steal a base. He's back in action Saturday, batting ninth and playing center field as usual.

Though Hamilton was due for a day off anyhow, he's also dealing with a sore right knee after banging into the center field wall Wednesday night in Kansas City, MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reports.

Reds interim manager Jim Riggleman suggested that Hamilton likely will return for the next two games of the series over the weekend. "If he's going to get a day off, it's a good one," Riggleman said. "He was banging around out there pretty good. I was going to give him one day off in this series, just to keep the other guys sharp. This would be the day. The next two after that, I'm not sure who will be out."

Hamilton is not in the lineup Friday against the Pirates.

Hamilton has struggled greatly at the plate this season, hitting just .190/.281/.278, due largely to a spike in strikeout rate. He's whiffed 30.3 percent of the time, far above his previous career high of 21.0 percent. The speedster is also on pace for just 24 steals after having stolen at least 56 bases in each of the last four seasons. Scott Schebler will slide over to center field in his place, with Jesse Winker and Adam Duvall in the outfield corners.

Hamilton returned to the lineup Sunday with a flourish, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3 with a walk, throwing out a runner at the plate and making two highlight-reel catches in center field. The one hit was a triple and lead to the Reds' first run after they fell behind 2-0.

This game perfectly highlighted the Reds' dilemma with Hamilton. He has the capability to be such a catalyst for them, and is orders of magnitude better defensively than any of their alternatives in center field. But he's also hitting just .193/.287/.284 on the season. His walk rate is up to 11.7%, a very acceptable level if only he could hit for average. Alas, he cannot hit for a decent average, and has struck considerably more than ever this year - 30.9% - a trait that was also reflected in Sunday's game, as he struck out twice. He's also running far less frequently, with only 10 stolen bases so far.

Hamilton is not in the lineup against the Cardinals on Saturday, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Hamilton will take a seat on the pine after going 0-for-4 with one walk during Friday's loss. In his absence, Scott Schebler will start in center field and Jesse Winker in right.