Spotlight: Elly De La Cruz
May 22 2026
Welcome back to our F/F Spotlight series for 2026, where we will take a bi-weekly deep dive through mid-August on players whose stats and skills have shown a transformation this season.
Our initial spotlight shines on the electric Elly De La Cruz (SS, CIN), who is showing signs of turning into a true five-category bat:
| As of Date | BA | HR | RBI | SB | OPS |
| May 19, 2024 | .256 | 9 | 22 | 30 | .829 |
| May 19, 2025 | .251 | 8 | 33 | 16 | .743 |
| May 19, 2026 | .297 | 11 | 32 | 9 | .903 |
Is De La Cruz’s uptick in production and elevated batting average sustainable? And will his wheels ever be elite again? Let’s take a deeper look.
Background
Elly De La Cruz was an unheralded international signing back in 2018 from the Dominican Republic, when he agreed to a deal with the Reds for a modest signing bonus of...
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