Reds quietly backing off original plan for Eugenio Suárez thanks to Sal Stewart

The Cincinnati Reds have a balancing act they need to figure out in order to manage all of the quality corner infielders they have. Between Eugenio Suárez, Spencer Steer, Sal Stewart, and Ke'Bryan Hayes, a lot of calculations were required to find a spot for everyone.

Start with the easy. Hayes is one of the best defenders, regardless of position, in the entire league. He plays third every day. Suárez's biggest allure is his power. Peg him at DH, and let him get some run at the hot corner when Hayes needs a breather, and you've got a perfect deployment method for one of the game's best sluggers. That leaves first base for Stewart and allows the Reds to tap into Steer's versatility in a utility role.

For some reason, the Reds felt the need to avoid the easiest solution early on in spring training. They planned to give Suárez reps at first base, adding an unnecessary level of complexity to an already complex situation.

Thankfully, logic has prevailed, and while Suárez has been away at the World Baseball Classic, they have decided to nix the first base experiment without much fanfare. Stewart's 1.100 OPS during Cactus League play certainly helped in the decision making.

Reds succumb to logic, end plan to add first base to Eugenio Suárez's plate

In addition to making the lineup math more difficult, the proposed strategy could have brought adverse effects in unexpected ways. Players can bring defensive struggles into the batter's box with them, and there's no better way to invite defensive miscues than playing guys at positions that they're unfamiliar with.

That would have affected Suárez, but also likely would have impacted Stewart as well. Part of making Suárez at the cold corner work involved playing Stewart at second base as well. Geno is a vet who likely can compartmentalize fielding challenges from his work at the plate, but for an NL Rookie of the Year candidate like Stewart, it's an unnecessary hurdle to add to his path.

If Cincinnati is going to contend as planned, it needs both the veteran slugger and the prized youngster to come together and provide the thump needed to elevate the offense from where it was last season. Unnecessary obstacles only serve to distract from this goal.

Fortunately, Matt McLain has been ridiculously hot this spring. That's providing hope that he can return to his 2023 form and become yet another threat in the lineup. Without having to worry about a black hole at the keystone, the Reds are able to go back to the much more logical Plan A.

Now, everyone gets their at-bats, and no one needs to play out of position. This convoluted strategy was never about finding extra opportunities for Cincinnati's top hitters. The point was to ensure the best nine hitters were in the lineup card as often as possible. Now, it looks as if they will be without the positional gymnastics. That bodes well for the Reds' 2026 dreams coming true.