Elly De La Cruz Quietly Putting Together Historic Start to Reds Season

The Cincinnati Reds rookie is on pace for a 30/30 season, but his impressive start has been overshadowed by teammate Sal Stewart's breakout.

Apr. 13, 2026 at 7:09pm

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A cubist, geometric painting depicting a baseball player's batting motion, with sharp, overlapping planes of bright red, royal blue, and white, capturing the raw energy and athleticism of the sport.Elly De La Cruz's explosive start to the season has been overshadowed, but his blend of power and speed could make him a future star for the Reds.Cincinnati Today

Cincinnati Reds rookie Elly De La Cruz is off to a blistering start to the 2026 season, slashing .281/.361/.563 with 5 home runs, 5 stolen bases, and 3 doubles. Despite his production, De La Cruz's impressive start has been overshadowed by teammate Sal Stewart's own breakout. De La Cruz is on pace for a 50/50 season and could join the 30/30 club, but his improved play against lefties and on defense has gone largely unnoticed.

Why it matters

De La Cruz's hot start is a bright spot for the struggling Reds, who have one of the worst offenses in baseball this season. If De La Cruz can sustain this level of production, he could cement himself as one of the game's rising young stars and help turn the Reds' fortunes around.

The details

After suffering an injury around the midway point of last season that sapped his power and speed, De La Cruz has bounced back in a big way in 2026. He's slashing .281/.361/.563 with 5 home runs, 5 stolen bases, and 3 doubles, putting him on pace for a 50/50 season. De La Cruz has also shown marked improvement against left-handed pitching, slashing .318/.348/.909 with 4 home runs in just 22 at-bats. Defensively, he's worth 1 Fielding Run Value and 1 Out Above Average, closer to his elite 2024 season than his slightly below-average 2025 campaign.

  • De La Cruz suffered an injury around the midway point of last season.

The players

Elly De La Cruz

A rookie outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds who is off to a blistering start to the 2026 season, putting up impressive power and speed numbers.

Sal Stewart

A Reds teammate of De La Cruz who has also broken out this season, stealing some of the spotlight from De La Cruz's impressive start.

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The takeaway

Despite his impressive start, Elly De La Cruz's breakout season has been overshadowed by his Reds teammate Sal Stewart. However, if De La Cruz can sustain this level of production - including his improved play against lefties and on defense - he could cement himself as one of the game's rising young stars and help turn the Reds' fortunes around.