Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz has been on a tear.
Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz has climbed to No. 2 in MLB’s latest Hitter Power Rankings trailing only Chicago Cubs center fielder and MVP frontrunner, Pete Crow-Armstrong. De La Cruz was left off the previous poll entirely from two weeks ago. However, De La Cruz has exploded in the month of September.
At 71-82 and last in the National League Central, Cincinnati has been out of the wild card race for quite some time now. As a result, the final nine games are less about the standings and more about De La Cruz chasing history and gaining momentum for the 2027 season.
That history is a 30-30 season. De La Cruz sits on 28 home runs and 26 stolen bases. Therefore, he needs just two more homers and four more steals over the final nine games. It would be the first 30-30 campaign of his career.
Through 134 games, De La Cruz is hitting .284 with a .362 on-base percentage and an .879 OPS. His 26 steals also give him at least 20 stolen bases in each of his first four big-league seasons.
Most striking, though, is his work against left-handed pitching this year. De La Cruz owns a 1.041 OPS versus lefties, second among qualified MLB hitters. That marks a massive leap from the .618 mark he posted a year ago. The rankings singled out that improvement as the most impressive part of his game.
“He’s on time. He’s got balance,” manager Terry Francona said per Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Francona added that the switch-hitter now leverages the ball and uses the whole field.
Durability has mattered here, too. A right hamstring strain cost De La Cruz roughly three weeks earlier in the season. Since returning, however, he has shown no lingering effects during this hot streak. De La Cruz also dealt with a lingering left quad issue in 2025 that harmed his power. De La Cruz’s recent run has made it clear he is one of the league’s best hitters.
For Cincinnati, they face quite a bit of uncertainty moving forward. Missing out on postseason play this year and taking a step back record-wise signal that they may be heading toward a more serious rebuild.
While the Reds hope that De La Cruz is part of those plans, they simply may not be able to afford his next contract. The two sides had tried to get a long-term extension done last spring training but were not close and this likely means De La Cruz will test the market.
