With the Cincinnati Reds preparing for Opening Day next Thursday, the team is looking to make some noise in the 2026 season with the young players and additions the ball club has made. As Reds star Elly De La Cruz leads the way, another slugger who will be a huge part of the team is Eugenio Suarez, who is coming off an emotional World Baseball Classic (WBC), though his spot in the batting order is interesting.
It has no doubt been a whirlwind for Suarez recently, representing his country of Venezuela in the WBC, helping them win their first title as the team beat the USA in Miami last Tuesday. In fact, Suarez would hit the RBI-double that gave Venezuela the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth to win the game, 3-2.
As he returns to the team in helping Cincinnati, he has been batting fifth the past few days, as pointed out by Charlie Goldsmith. Batting behind rookie Sal Stewart, manager Terry Francona speaks on whether something should be taken away from Suarez batting fifth.
“We’ll see. I reserve the right to always make a lineup out that day,” Francona said. “The reason we’ve been doing it is I think it sets Geno up to drive in more runs. With Elly hitting third, we separate maybe some strikeouts and also have a guy who can trail Elly. Geno can clean up some of the mess there (hitting fifth). That’s the idea.”
How Reds' Eugenio Suarez can be “more productive” at fifth
While the Reds get ready for the 2026 season, Suarez returns to Cincinnati, where he was from 2015 to 2021, as 2025 was a comeback year for the 34-year-old. Starting with the Arizona Diamondbacks and being traded back to the Seattle Mariners, he hit a total of 49 home runs and 118 RBIs with a .229 batting average, looking to bring that same impact to the Reds.
Francona envisions that Suarez would be “more productive” with him at the fifth spot, though putting out there that he could change his mind. At any rate, Cincinnati's season starts on Thursday against the Boston Red Sox.
