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Main Photo Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Cincinnati Reds Opening Day Roster: 2026 vs 2025

Originally posted on Last Word On Sports | By Ethan Hung | Last updated Mar 26, 2026 2:57 PM ET

Happy Opening Day to all the fellow baseball fans around the world! The long, drawn-out boredom of the offseason has officially come to an end, and fans no longer have to discuss theoreticals to curb their boredom.

For a certain city in Ohio, fans and media are buzzing about the potential of an exciting season. The Cincinnati Reds have finalized their 26-man roster for the 2026 season, and the main talking points have been about the differences between the 2026 version and the 2025 version.

With the Reds’ opener today, what better way to familiarize yourself with this year’s roster than by comparing the opening day lineups from this season and last season? For the Reds fans reading, sit back and enjoy, and for the non-Reds fans reading, sit back and enjoy as well!

2026 Projected Opening Day Lineup

1. TJ Friedl – CF

2. Matt McLain – 2B

3. Elly De La Cruz – SS

4. Sal Stewart – 1B

5. Eugenio Suarez – DH

6. Spencer Steer – LF

7. Tyler Stephenson – C

8. Noelvi Marte – RF

9. Ke’Bryan Hayes – 3B

Andrew Abbott – SP

2025 Opening Day Lineup

1. TJ Friedl – CF

2. Matt McLain – 2B

3. Elly De La Cruz – SS

4. Gavin Lux – LF

5. Jeimer Candelario – 3B

6. Spencer Steer – DH

7. Christian Encarnacion-Strand – 1B

8. Jake Fraley – RF

9. Jose Trevino – C

Hunter Greene – SP

Biggest Differences Between the Two

The one consistent factor in these two renditions of Reds lineups is the top three hitters. The middle infielders (McLain and De La Cruz) are both looking to bounce back after subpar seasons per their standards, while Friedl’s looking to repeat his solid season.

Their expectations for the season are pretty clear, and they’re all comfortably predicted to have good seasons. It’s the hitters after them that are vastly different than last year’s, and their expectations are also more difficult to properly measure.

Sal Stewart vs Gavin Lux

Stewart will be managing the cleanup duties, replacing Lux from 2025’s Opening Day cleanup spot. It is safe to say that, looking back, Lux hitting in the four spot was a hilariously mismanaged decision, as Lux had a poor season all around and is no longer on the team.

Stewart had a brief stint in the big leagues in 2025 and is one of the favorites to take home the Rookie of the Year this season.

Mar 12, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sal Stewart against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

A glance at his batted ball metrics from his impressive, albeit short sample size last year shows the source of this excitement surrounding his name.

.398 xwOBA

.289 xAVG

.626 xSLG

95.4 Avg Exit Velo

17.5 Barrel%

52.5 Hard-Hit%

Eugenio Suárez vs Jeimer Candelario

Moving onto the fifth spot in the lineup, the Eugenio Suarez and Candelario comparison is perhaps even funnier. Candelario was released in the early months of the 2025 season, while Suarez is the big free agent signing.

Suarez’s second-half struggles and overall offensive approach may be concerning, which is why he had to settle for the one-year, $15 million deal from the Reds.

Despite this, he certainly doesn’t need to repeat his 49 home runs from last year (although it would be nice); he simply has to be around 30 to 35 and provide consistent pop in the middle of the lineup.

Spencer Steer vs Spencer Steer

Steer, the 2026 Opening Day left fielder, is miles ahead of Steer, the 2025 Opening Day DH, despite having identical names. All jokes aside, Steer should be coming into the season better than last. Considering he was battling minor injuries at the beginning of the year, he played through them. Hopefully, a healthy Steer can start the year off hot, giving the Reds’ lineup some depth.

Mar 12, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Cincinnati Reds outfielder Spencer Steer against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Tyler Stephenson vs. Christian Encarnacion-Strand

In the seventh spot, catcher Tyler Stephenson, who was injured at the start of 2025, will be taking the at-bats today. In 2025, it was highly touted prospect Christian Encarnacion-Strand, who suffered injuries and poor play, who is now back in the minor leagues.

All of his top prospect pedigree is gone, and his road back to being an everyday player for the Reds seems slim.

Noelvi Marte vs Jake Fraley

We’re starting to see a common theme here, as Fraley joins the group of 2025 Opening Day starters who are no longer on the team. Fraley was let go during the 2025 season, and Marte, the former top prospect infielder, has taken over the right field job seamlessly.

This will be Marte’s position for the year, as his tools make him a viable outfielder already, despite the lack of experience.

Ke’Bryan Hayes vs Jose Trevino

Hayes rounds out this year’s lineup as the Gold Glove third baseman, who will be hitting ninth. Last season, Trevino did a great job here as he started the year off hot at the plate. He cooled down not long after, but earned himself an extension and is the perfect backup catcher for this team.

As for Hayes, he showed flashes of being better than his Pittsburgh days at the plate in the second half of 2025, and hopes are that he can carry the momentum over. Regardless, a good season for his standards will be an 80 OPS+ season, but his defense will continue to do the heavy lifting.

Mar 12, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Cincinnati Reds infielder Ke’Bryan Hayes against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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