With the Reds trailing 4-0 against the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday, Elly De La Cruz and newly acquired Eugenio Suarez showed a glimpse of what could be to come this season.
De La Cruz took a second pitch changeup from Carlos Estevez over the center field wall for his first home run and third extra-base hit of the spring. The exit velocity was 107.9 mph.
Next, Eugenio Suarez worked a full count and hit a changeup over the left-center field wall for his first home run of the spring.
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Will Benson, De La Cruz and Suarez have Cincinnati’s three home runs this spring.
Suarez providing protection in the fourth spot in the lineup for De La Cruz is exactly what the front office and Reds fans were excited about when they signed him to a one-year, $15 million deal earlier this month.
“I’m not here to be the superhero, but be my best version and put everything on the field, do my best and try to help the team win games,” Suárez told MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon. “I just came here to help my team be a better team on the field.”
The Reds rallied and scored two runs in the ninth inning to beat the Royals. Sal Stewart, Leo Balcazar, and Edwin Arroyo had three straight singles to tie the game before Michael Toglia hit a walk-off single to right field to end the game.
The Reds will face the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday at 1:05 ET. Nick Lodolo will make his 2026 Spring Training debut on the mound.
Brock Burke, Lyon Richardson, Anthony Misiewicz, Darren McCaughan, Hagen Danner, and Zach Maxwell are all expected to pitch on Wednesday.
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