Six Cincinnati Reds will play in the 2026 World Baseball Classic – Redleg Nation

Six Cincinnati Reds will play in the 2026 World Baseball Classic – Redleg Nation

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The rosters of the twenty teams participating in the 2026 World Baseball Classic were announced on Thursday evening. Six players from the Cincinnati Reds organization are participating and they represent five different countries.

The biggest name on the list is that of the most recent signing, Eugenio Suarez. Suarez, the record holder for home runs in a single season among Venezuelan players, will take the field for his home country in March. The 24-year-old hit 49 home runs with Cincinnati in the 2019 season, breaking Andres Galarraga’s record for a Venezuelan-born player (47 in 1996). Suarez equaled his own record last year. The Reds infielder is third all-time among Venezuelans in MLB home runs with 325. He trails Galarraga (399) and Miguel Cabrera (511). This will be his second time playing for Team Venezuela in the WBC. He went 7-14 with a home run in four games for them in 2023.

The other five players representing their countries from the Reds organization are all minor leaguers. Shortstop Edwin Arroyo, who is on the team’s 40-man roster, will play for Puerto Rico. Cincinnati’s No. 6 prospect played all of 2025 for Double-A Chattanooga. After missing the 2024 season due to shoulder surgery, Arroyo hit .284/.345/.371 for the Lookouts with 23 doubles, four triples, three home runs, 12 steals, 40 walks and 88 strikeouts in 120 games. After the season, he joined Santurce in the Puerto Rican Winter League and the 22-year-old hit .355/.429/.468 as he helped them to the playoffs where they would win the league title. You can view his career stats here.

Ivan Johnson played just 58 games in 2025 and missed more than half the season with an injury. But the 27-year-old has hit .252/.347/.452 with 17 doubles, four triples and 13 home runs in 105 games for Triple-A Louisville over the past two seasons. While he was born and raised in the Atlanta, Georgia area, he will represent Great Britain. You can view his career stats here.

Alexander Vargas is a relative newcomer to the organization. He was released by the Yankees in mid-August 2025 and the Reds signed him four days later, sending him to the High-A Dayton Dragons. He would hit .242/.294/.323 and steal six bases in 18 games with the Dragons before the season ended. The infielder had been with the Yankees since 2019, playing at every level of their farm system except Triple-A. He will represent Team Cuba next month. You can view his career stats here.

David Lorduy turned 22 a month after the end of the 2025 season. The right-handed pitcher spent much of his season in Single-A with the Daytona Tortugas. He made 15 starts and four relief appearances with the club, pitching two rehab games in Arizona for the complex team. Lorduy will pitch for Team Colombia after coming off a 3.78 ERA campaign in 2025, pitching 69.0 innings with 26 walks and 65 strikeouts. You can view his career stats here.

The last player from the organization is perhaps the biggest surprise. Left-handed pitcher Ryjeteri Merite will represent the Netherlands. What makes his inclusion so surprising is that the 20-year-old has only pitched in the Dominican Summer League. His usage was limited as a teenager, pitching just three games in 2024 in his debut, and while he pitched the entire year in 2025, he threw just 33.1 innings in 11 starts and three relief appearances. However, he has been excellent. His ERA is 0.97 for his career and he has 48 strikeouts with 17 walks in his 37.0 innings pitched for the DSL Reds. You can view his career stats here.

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