Reds: How moving Eugenio Suárez to shortstop affects the 26-man roster

David Bell is moving Eugenio Suárez to shortstop; at least for today’s Cactus League game against the Colorado Rockies. The idea has been floated by fans all offseason after the Cincinnati Reds failed to acquire a high-end shortstop this winter to replace Freddy Galvis.

Moving Suárez to shortstop allows the Reds to put their best lineup on the field; moving Mike Moustakas to third base and inserting top infield prospect Jonathan India into the starting lineup at second base.

Shifting Eugenio Suárez to SS allows the Reds to promote Jonathan India.

Obviously, the biggest winner in this shift is Jonathan India. The Reds 2018 first-round draft pick has looked great in spring camp and seems ready to break into the big leagues this season. With Suárez potentially moving to shortstop, Bell could move Moustakas (who has plenty of familiarity at third base) to the hot corner and India could supplant Moose at the keystone.

An infield of Moustakas, Suárez, India, and Joey Votto seems quite formidable. The outfield is likely to be comprised of Jesse Winker (LF), Nick Senzel (CF), and Nick Castellanos (RF), with Shogo Akiyama joining the trio when he retunes from injury. Throw in a platoon of Tucker Barnhart and Tyler Stephenson behind the plate, and Cincinnati has the makings of a potent lineup.

Moving Suárez to shortstop obviously takes Kyle Farmer out of the starting lineup and moves the former catcher into a utility role. While Farmer has made great strides this spring and is a solid defender at shortstop, he’s best served as the team’s top utility infielder. This gives Cincinnati a top-level defender that Bell can deploy late in games. But what about the rest of the Reds’ bench?

Who takes the remaining spots on the Reds bench?

With the Cincinnati pitching staff likely to account for 13 of the 26 spots on the Reds’ roster and eight position players limiting the bench to just five spots, Bell has a few spots left to fill this spring. Farmer, and Stephenson are virtual guarantees to make the cut, so just three spots remain.

Akiyama will fill one of the positions when he returns from his hamstring injury, but until then, it’s fair to assume that Cincinnati will need two additional outfielders. Aristides Aquino, who can play all over the outfield, is likely to take one of the those spots and may find himself in the starting lineup a time or two per week.

Scott Heineman has shown himself to be a solid contributor this spring, and would fill the role of utility outfielder. Heineman also has experience at first base, which would be a plus in the event Joey Votto misses time to begin the season or needs a day off.

That leaves just one spot remaining on the Cincinnati roster. So it essentially comes down to Alex Blandino, Max Schrock, Kyle Holder, Cheslor Cuthbert, Mike Freeman, and Dee Strange-Gordon. I’d say Freeman and Cuthbert are unlikely to make the cut, especially since they’re non-roster invitees. Holder has been unimpressive this spring and will likely be offered back to the New York Yankees.

Schrock is currently injured and could begin the season on the IL, which leaves Blandino and Strange-Gordon as the two most likely candidates fighting for the final spot on the 2021 Cincinnati Reds Opening Day roster.