Reds fans pushed for Eugenio Suarez to take No. 7 but he chose differently

When word broke of Eugenio Suárez's return to Cincinnati, surely there were several Reds fans who went to their closet, dusted off their old No. 7 jersey, and wore it proudly. Suárez reunited with the Cincinnati Reds on a one-year, $15 million deal earlier this week after having spent seven years with the organization earlier in his career; all of which came while wearing the No. 7.

But that jersey number now belongs to Spencer Steer, and that's who'll don the No. 7 for the Reds in 2026. During his introductory press conference, Suárez was adamant that he would humbly accept the No. 28 — the number he'd worn with the Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks in recent years.

"I'm not going to be number seven," Suárez told the Cincinnati press corps earlier this week. "Number seven is Steer. He's been really good (wearing) that number the last couple of years, the last three years, and there's no way I'm going to take that number from him. And they said they have the number 28 open, so I will keep 28. I've been wearing it for the last five years."

Eugenio Suárez has no plans to take jersey No. 7 away from his Reds teammate

Reds fans might remember Brady Singer coming over from the Kansas City Royals last winter and taking the No. 51 from Graham Ashcraft. Singer had worn No. 51 throughout his college and professional career and hoped to keep it after being traded to the Reds. At the time, Singer said, "Yeah, definitely some negotiations went on there."

Fans will soon see several Reds players wearing new jersey numbers when they arrive in spring training later this month. Ashcraft, switched to No. 23 last season. Luis Mey will be trading in his No. 62 for No. 47. Noelvi Marte is swapping out No. 16 for No. 4. Sal Stewart is ditching No. 43 for No. 27 — though he'd prefer the No. 13 in honor of his idol Manny Machado. Of course, the No. 13, previously worn by Reds Hall of Famer Dave Concepción has been retired since 2007.

Numbers matter to some players, but for Suárez, the only number that matters will be the number of wins the Reds compile in 2026. Geno is hoping this homecoming will help Cincinnati return to the playoffs and perhaps he's the missing link that can help the Reds advance in the postseason for the first time since 1995.