Cincinnati Reds outfielder Will Benson is starting in center field and batting second against right-hander Josiah Gray and the Washington Nationals on Opening Day.
Reds manager David Bell previously indicated that Elly De La Cruz would bat second, but Benson is there to start the season. De La Cruz will hit sixth instead on Thursday afternoon. Nick Martini will serve as the designated hitter and bat eighth, while Jonathan India will bat leadoff. TJ Friedl (wrist) and Matt McLain (shoulder) are both starting the season on the injured list, and Noelvi Marte is serving an 80-game suspension.
numberFire’s models project Benson ($2,700) for 9.2 FanDuel points on Thursday. Per our MLB Heat Map, the Reds have the second-highest implied total (4.86) on the Main slate, while the game total (9.0) is the highest on the board.
Source: MLB.com