Team Venezuela and Team Dominican Republic faced off in a highly anticipated World Baseball Classic showdown on Wednesday. Defeating Venezuela 7–5, the Dominican Republic remained undefeated in pool play, going a perfect 4–0. The loss dropped Venezuela to 3–1, but they still advanced to the quarterfinals where they will face Japan on Saturday.
While Wednesday’s contest was not for a spot in the quarterfinals, it was still a game Venezuela wanted to win. And the team made a big mistake. Benching Cincinnati Reds infielder Eugenio Suarez, Venezuela did not have one of its best power hitters take a single at-bat. This was despite having the winning run at the plate with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning. Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez grounded into a game-ending double play, while Suarez watched from the bench.
The decision to bench Suarez is not a first for Venezuela in the WBC. He has appeared in just two of their four games and is tied for eighth on the team with just eight at-bats so far. He has two hits including a home run and could be impacting this offense a lot more than he has been given the opportunity to so far.
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Now, it is important to acknowledge who would need to lose at-bats in order for Suarez to play. Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia has been slotted at third for Venezuela and went 4-for-4 in the loss to Team Dominican Republic, so it is likely he stays put. Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras started at that spot on Wednesday, going 1-for-4 with a walk. Perez was the designated hitter and went hitless in five at-bats.
Those are the three spots Suarez could fill in at, and there is a good argument to be made that he should be starting over either Contreras or Perez.
Venezuela also has the option to move Perez to catcher, as William Contreras has struggled offensively so far in the WBC, going hitless in 11 at-bats.
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However it is that Venezuela can get Suarez in the lineup, the team needs to find a way to do just that. He is coming off a 2025 MLB season where he hit 49 home runs and drove in 118 runs. That came between 106 games with the Arizona Diamondbacks and 53 with the Seattle Mariners. He then signed with Cincinnati in free agency, returning to a place he spent seven seasons at, totaling 916 of his 1,630 career games. In his run with Cincinnati, Suarez hit 189 of his 255 career home runs and drove in 524 runs.
For his career, he owns a 112 OPS+, which is comfortably above league average. Leaving that type of bat on the bench, especially in big moments, is a mistake for Venezuela and one the club needs to avoid making in this upcoming game against Japan that will be incredibly difficult. Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher and reigning World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto is slated to start that game. Venezuela plans to have left-handed starting pitcher Ranger Suarez go for them.
