Elly De La Cruz Earns MLB Honor After 4th Cincinnati Reds Season

Elly De La Cruz just had the best offensive season of his career. The 24-year-old Cincinnati Reds shortstop earned a spot on the 2026 All-MLB Second Team on Wednesday at the MLB Awards ceremony.

De La Cruz became the fourth player in Reds history to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in the same season and the first to do it since Brandon Phillips in 2007. He also set a franchise record for home runs by a switch-hitter, surpassing the 25 he hit in 2024.

Across 143 games, De La Cruz hit .283 with 30 home runs, 79 RBI, 30 stolen bases and an .880 OPS. He drew 72 walks, the most of his career, and scored 99 runs. He also made huge strides against left-handed pitching, hitting 10 home runs with a .990 OPS against lefties after posting a .618 OPS and five home runs against them in 2025.

A right hamstring strain sent him to the injured list on June 1 and ended a streak of 276 consecutive games, but he came back and finished strong. He secured his 30th stolen base on Sept. 25 against the Toronto Blue Jays and hit nine home runs in September with a 1.156 OPS, earning NL Player of the Month.

Unfortunately, De La Cruz's individual success did not translate to the rest of the team. The Reds took a step backwards, missing out on postseason play. De La Cruz still has not seen any success on baseball's biggest stage since he signed with Cincinnati.

De La Cruz signed with the Reds out of the Dominican Republic for $65,000 in 2018. He debuted five years later in June 2023, hitting for the cycle 17 days into his career. He led the majors with 67 stolen bases in 2024. He played through a quad injury in 2025, which is part of the reason why he struggled in the second half of that season. 

Bobby Witt Jr. earned the First Team shortstop spot, which pushed De La Cruz to the Second Team. De La Cruz was not the only special player in the everyday lineup in 2026. Sal Stewart won NL Rookie of the Year and he has emerged as another building block. Still, the Reds have a ton of work to do this offseason.

De La Cruz is now one of the best shortstops in baseball. The Reds need to build a roster around him before it's too late.