Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz accomplished a historic feat.
The Cincinnati Reds are not having the season that many fans were hoping for. After making the MLB postseason last year, the future looked bright in Cincinnati.
Unfortunately, they have been incredibly underwhelming this year after a promising start. Despite winning Friday's series opener against the Chicago Cubs, there is still plenty of work to do to get back into not only the National League Central division race but also the NL wild card race.
However, they have to like their chances with Elly De La Cruz leading the charge. The 24-year-old switch-hitting shortstop is having an excellent season.
Across 74 games, he has posted a .272 batting average, .345 on-base percentage and .842 OPS, all of which would be career highs if the season ended today.
He has also collected 15 home runs and 44 RBIs. On Friday, De La Cruz had another solid performance, going 2-for-5 and hitting a solo home run, his 15th of the season, and that blast ended up placing him in MLB history.
"Elly De La Cruz is the 2nd player in MLB history to record at least 75 HR and 150 SB within his first 500 career games ⚡️," the Reds wrote on X.
The only other player in MLB history to accomplish that feat was Eric Davis, who also happened to play for the Reds, making the milestone even more meaningful for the Cincinnati fanbase.
De La Cruz dealt with a left quadriceps injury last year that completely sapped his power and ability to steal bases, so reaching this mark is especially impressive given the setbacks he has had to navigate. Last year in the second half, he had just four home runs and 12 stolen bases in 65 appearances.
He also missed time in June this year due to a hamstring strain, which ultimately cost him an All-Star Game selection despite being well deserving. Instead, CJ Abrams of the Washington Nationals will get the start, with Otto Lopez of the Miami Marlins serving as the reserve and backup.
De La Cruz will use the break to prepare mentally for an important second half. At 43-50, there is plenty of work to do, and he cannot do it alone.
But for a team searching for reasons to believe, having one of the most electric players in baseball healthy and performing at a historic level is about as good a reason as any.
