The Cincinnati Reds took a huge leap forward in 2025 under veteran Manager Terry Francona, and with such a young team, the future is looking very bright. While they’re just three games under .500 at 32-35, the team are sitting in last place in baseball’s most competitive division the NL Central, and as a result, they need someone to spark this team.
That may be all down to young shortstop Elly De La Cruz, who has established himself a one of baseball’s most exciting young players, and that’s continued in 2026, as he has posted a .280 average with 12 home runs and 37 RBI through his first 58 games. As usual, he’s been electric on the base paths as well, with 10 steals and an .850 OPS showing how crucial he is to this lineup and their potential success in 2026.
Elly De La Cruz Misses Time due to Injury
GettyElly De La Cruz of the Cincinnati Reds.
Unfortunately, he hasn’t played since May 31st after he sustained a right hamstring strain against the Atlanta Braves, being placed on the 10-day Injured List as a result of the injury.
Without him in the lineup, the Reds have managed to win just two of their last nine games, and given how important every single game in the National League Central is going to be down the stretch, they would love to get him back over the weekend as they start a series with the Atlanta Braves.
Terry Francona Provides Positive Update on Elly De La Cruz
Heading into that series, Francona provided some positive and not so positive news on his star shortstop, revealing that right now, his injury is ‘90% healed’, suggesting that a return could come in the near future.
While that is promising, hamstring injuries aren’t ones to rush or take lightly, and given how much emphasis in Elly’s game is on the speed and how he wreaks havoc on the base paths, the team don’t want to risk rushing him back too early. That doesn’t seem to bother the 24-year-old, as Francona revealed he was pushing to play on Friday in the series opener with Atlanta, but cooler heads have seemingly prevailed with the coaching staff.
“We will put our heads together on Sunday and see where we think he’s at,” said Francona. “Certainly, he has an opinion. We just need to try to temper that sometimes because he wants to play so bad. It’s appreciated, but we don’t want to hurt him.”
As Francona mentions in his comments, there’s a chance that the Reds could look to have the speedy shortstop play rehab games in the minor leagues, but right now, all signs are pointing towards him returning after this series with a rehab stint not likely to be needed. Reds fans will now have to wait another few days until an official decision comes on the 24-year-old, but with the young star pushing to get back into the lineup, the hope is he will be back very, very soon.
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