Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sal Stewart has been red-hot at the plate to start the 2026 season. He’s 5-8 with three extra-base hits and a walk. On Saturday, Stewart hit his first home run of the season, crushing a ball over the center field wall.
Stewart is now tied for second in Reds history for the most home runs through the first 20 games of his career, according to Matt Wilkes.
Aristides Aquino, 11
Frank Robinson, 6
Josh Hamilton, 6
Chris Dickerson, 6
Rece Hinds, 6
Sal Stewart, 6
Stewart is also the first Reds player to reach base six or more times in his first two games of the season since Scooter Gennett did it in 2018. He is the first rookie to do it since Jay Bruce is 2008.
All offseason, the thought was that Eugenio Suarez would hit fourth behind Elly De La Cruz. However, after the World Baseball Classic wrapped up, when Suarez returned, Reds manager Terry Francona started experimenting with Stewart at fourth and Suarez behind him. That is also exactly how Tito has rolled out the lineup for the first two games of the season.
“It feels really good to know that Tito has that faith in me,” Stewart said. “That’s a really big compliment. I know that. I definitely don’t take it lightly. I trust Tito. I really do. He is who he is because he knows what he’s doing. Wherever he put me, I would have been happy.”
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