The rosters for the 20 teams participating in the 2026 World Baseball Classic were revealed on Thursday night. Six players from the Cincinnati Reds organization will be participating and they will be representing five different countries.
The biggest name on the list is that of the most recent signing, Eugenio Suarez. The single season home run record holder among players from Venezuela, Suarez will be taking the field in March for his home country. The 24-year-old hit 49 home runs with Cincinnati in the 2019 season to break the record set by Andres Galarraga by a Venezuelan-born player (47 in 1996). Suarez matched his own record last year. The Reds infielder is 3rd all time among Venezulean’s in MLB home runs with 325. He trails Galarraga (399) and Miguel Cabrera (511). This will be the 2nd time he has played for Team Venezuela in the WBC. He went 7-14 with a home run in four games for them back 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 be playing for Puerto Rico. Cincinnati’s #6 prospect spent all of 2025 playing for Double-A Chattanooga. Coming off of a missed 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. Following the season he joined Santurce in the Puerto Rican Winter League and the 22-year-old hit .355/.429/.468 while helping lead them to the playoffs where they would win the league title. You can see his career stats here.
Ivan Johnson only played in 58 games in 2025, missing more than half of 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 previous two seasons. While he was born and raised in the Atlanta, Georgia area he will be representing Great Britain. You can see his career stats here.
Alexander Vargas is a relative newcomer to the organization. He was released by the Yankees in mid-August of 2025 and the Reds signed him four days later and sent him to join the High-A Dayton Dragons. He would hit .242/.294/.323 and steal six bases in 18 games with the Dragons before the season came to an end. The infielder had been with the Yankees since 2019 playing at every level of their farm system except Triple-A. He will be representing Team Cuba next month. You can see his career stats here.
David Lorduy turned 22 a month after the 2025 season came to an end. 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, and pitched two rehab games in Arizona for the complex level team. Lorduy will be pitching for Team Colombia as he comes off of a 3.78 ERA campaign in 2025 that saw him throw 69.0 innings with 26 walks and 65 strikeouts. You can see his career stats here.
The final player from the organization is perhaps the biggest surprise. Left-handed pitcher Ryjeteri Merite will be representing the Netherlands. What makes his inclusion so surprising is that the just turned 20-year-old has only pitched in the Dominican Summer League. As a teenager he was limited in his usage, pitching just three games in 2024 in his debut and while he pitched all year in 2025 he threw just 33.1 innings in 11 starts and three relief appearances. He has been outstanding, though. His ERA is 0.97 for his career and he has 48 strikeouts with 17 walks in his 37.0 innings for the DSL Reds. You can see his career stats here.
