Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz provided all the offense the Reds needed in their 5-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. He went 1-for-4 with a two-out grand slam off of Pirates' starter Andrew Heaney in the third inning. The 23-year-old switch-hitter is hitting .237 (14-for-59) with three home runs and three stolen bases through his first 15 games of the season. He isn't quite firing on all cylinders yet, but his grand slam was enough to deliver the win for his team on Saturday and move the team to within one win of .500 as they look to close out a sweep of their division foe on Sunday afternoon.

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz posted a huge game in a 14-3 win over the Texas Rangers on Monday. De La Cruz went 4-for-5 with a double, two homers, four runs, seven RBI, and a stolen base in the blowout win over Texas. The speedy infielder hit his first homer off Kumar Rocker in the second inning, a three-run shot, and later ripped a two homer homer in the seventh. It has been an encouraging start to the season for De La Cruz, who is now hitting .438 with two homers, eight RBI, and one steal. De La Cruz emerged as an elite power/speed fantasy asset in 2024, hitting 25 homers and swiping 67 bags across 160 games. He remains a must-start in fantasy leagues.

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz has a new batting stance heading into the 2025 season. De La Cruz's new stance is more open, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer's Charlie Goldsmith, while he also stands a bit taller. The stance is a more "controlled aggression" that is aimed at cutting down his strikeouts moving forward. The 23-year-old is already one of the most exciting young players in baseball, but he led the league with 218 strikeouts in 2024. In addition to leading MLB in K's, he led the league in errors (29), times caught stealing (16) and non-stealing outs on the bases (15), so he still has plenty to work on. De La Cruz had 25 home runs and a league-high 67 stolen bases as well, and if he can cut down on his strikeouts in 2025, he'll easily pay off his price as a top-five overall fantasy selection on draft day this spring.

Cincinnati Reds All-Star shortstop Elly De La Cruz is looking to reduce his strikeouts in 2025 with the help of new hitting coach Chris Valaika. At only 23 years old, De La Cruz is already one of the best players in baseball after leading MLB with 67 stolen bases in 2024 and leading the Reds with 25 home runs, 36 doubles and 10 triples in 160 games. However, he also led all of baseball in strikeouts (218), errors (29), times caught stealing (16) and non-stealing outs on the bases (15). The positives for De La Cruz outweighed the negatives, though, and he finished as the No. 5 fantasy hitter in rotisserie formats last year. With a ceiling as high as any in the big leagues because of his five-tool profile, De La Cruz should be considered a top-five fantasy selection in 2025 drafts, especially if he's able to make more contact at the plate in his second full season.

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz showcased his game-breaking speed on Sunday, going 1-for-5 with a triple and two stolen bases in a 3-0 win over the Chicago Cubs. De La Cruz finishes the season with 67 stolen bases, easily good enough for first in the majors. Interestingly enough, though, Elly only stole 10 bags in August and September combined, which equates to a 30-steal pace. That's not bad at all, but it's also not what fantasy managers would expect from the speedster. It was still a great season for the 22-year-old, who showed major improvements at the dish and contributed some power to go along with the speed. He will be a top-20 pick in most drafts next year and could rocket into the top 10 for those chasing upside.

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz had a monster day at the plate on Saturday, racking up three hits and four RBI in the Reds' 7-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. De La Cruz smashed a three run shot off Jared Jones in the fourth inning, his 25th HR of the season. His final statline was 3-5 with four RBI and two runs recorded. The 22-year-old's sophomore season continues to be a stellar one. Though he won't win the NL MVP, he's very likely to receive MVP votes and finish in the top three along with likely winner Shohei Ohtani and Francisco Lindor. Fantasy managers have to be thrilled with De La Cruz's 2024 season and should look for more continued success in 2025 from the young superstar. He'll look to continue adding onto his impressive numbers on Sunday when he faces off against the Pirates' stellar rookie Paul Skenes.

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz hit his first career grand slam in Friday's 8-4 win over the Twins. It was the 22-year-old's only hit of the night but gave the Reds a 7-1 cushion before they added another run an inning later. The dynamic youngster set the Reds' single-season record for home runs by a switch-hitter, now with 24 on the year. He's been scuffling at the plate recently, going just 5-for-32 (.156) over the last nine games. Still, he's put together a fine season, as the 2024 All-Star now has a .259-24-69-97-64 line with a .351 wOBA and 120 wRC+.

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz joined the exclusive 20/60 club of just five players since 1900 in Wednesday night's win over the hosting Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre, tallying three hits, his 22nd homer of the year, three runs, three RBI, and his 60th steal of the season in the victory. After singling to center field in the fifth inning to score Noelvi Marte and Jonathan India and make it 6-5 Reds, De La Cruz hit a solo homer off Blue Jays right-hander Zach Pop to left field in the eight frame to make the score 11-6 Cincinnati over Toronto on Wednesday. The 22-year-old switch-hitting phenom is now slashing .262/.345/.493 with 28 doubles, eight triples, 82 runs scored, and 56 RBI in 541 plate appearances (125 games) in his second season in 2024.

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz went 2-for-4 with a double and a solo shot on Monday as his team defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 6-1. De La Cruz has had an impressive season so far and has been extraordinarily hot as of late. In his last seven games, he is slashing .333/.394/.533 with one home run, three RBI, five runs, and two stolen bases. Overall, the 22-year-old is slashing .266/.350/.499 with 21 home runs, 51 RBI, 78 runs, and 59 stolen bases over 117 games. His 2024 season has improved over his 2023 rookie campaign. However, De La Cruz is still far from a perfect baseball player and has room to improve. Still, he remains a very valuable fantasy asset and a must-start in all leagues.

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz collected another excellent offensive outing in Tuesday's 8-2 win over the Marlins. De La Cruz went 4-for-5 with two singles, two doubles, two RBI, and a strikeout. He also stole his 58th base of the season. The 22-year-old has posted back-to-back four-hit games and has had a stellar start to August, slashing .381/.409/.857 with two home runs and three stolen bases in 21 at-bats. De La Cruz has seen increases in both batting average and power this season. These have been welcome surprises to fantasy managers, who were likely expecting a mediocre batting average with decent power and excellent speed.

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz had another electric game at the plate in Monday's 10-3 win over the Marlins. De La Cruz went 4-for-5 with two doubles, a solo home run, and a two-run HR. The 22-year-old got things started by driving a first-inning Roddery Munoz cutter over the right-field wall for a two-run shot and added an even deeper drive to right field in the eighth inning off of Shaun Anderson. He had gone hitless in August, so it was nice to see a big game. De La Cruz has provided everything fantasy managers were hoping for, slashing .261/.347/.496 with 20 HR, 73 runs scored, 48 RBI, and 57 stolen bases in 474 plate appearances.

The Cincinnati Reds are giving shortstop Elly De La Cruz the day off on Monday in the series opener against the visiting division-rival Chicago Cubs. Manager David Bell promised De La Cruz that he'd get him a day off shortly after the All-Star break, and that day will come to begin the week. The 22-year-old phenom will start on the bench for only the third time this season. He picked up three hits and stole four bases on Sunday and now leads the big leagues with a whopping 55 steals in 104 games in his second year in the big leagues. De La Cruz can do it all, but he's also leading the league with 138 strikeouts in 448 plate appearances while slashing .263/.352/.490 with an .842 OPS, 18 home runs and 45 RBI. The first-time All-Star is a must-start in all fantasy lineups when he's in Cincy's starting lineup despite all of his strikeouts.

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz went 3-for-4 Sunday with four stolen bases in a 2-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. The Reds' dynamo created havoc on the base paths and added to his season-long stolen base total (55). De La Cruz is by far the league leader in the steals category and is single-handedly carrying fantasy managers in that department. Overall, the 22-year-old is hitting .263 with 18 homers and 45 RBI in his stellar season.

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz stayed scalding-hot in Wednesday afternoon's win over the hosting Atlanta Braves, homering and stealing two bases in the victory. De La Cruz connected for a solo home run off Braves right-hander Allan Winans to right field, extending the Reds' lead to 5-3 during the third inning on Wednesday. The 22-year-old rising superstar has already reached the 50-steal mark through 101 contests overall for Cincinnati this season. Over his current 10-game hitting streak, De La Cruz is batting .357 (15-for-42) with three homers, five RBI, eight runs scored, and six stolen bases.

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz continued to show off his blazing speed in Monday's 4-1 win over the Braves. De La Cruz went 2-for-4 with a single, a triple, a walk, two strikeouts, and a stolen base. The 22-year-old has been by far the top base stealer in baseball this season, slashing .258/.350/.487 with 17 home runs, 67 runs scored, 44 RBI, and 49 stolen bases in 431 plate appearances. His lone blemish is his 31.1% strikeout rate, a facet of his game that has always been lacking. However, he offers so much else for fantasy managers that he is still a top fantasy performer. Even if he were only to play 150 games this season, that would put De La Cruz on a 74-steal pace.

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz will get a day off for the series finale on Thursday against the visiting Colorado Rockies. Santiago Espinal will replace him at shortstop for the Reds and will bat in the eight-hole against Rockies left-hander Austin Gomber. With a southpaw on the mound for the Rockies, De La Cruz will get just his second day off of the season. The 22-year-old has been dealing with a minor hand injury recently, but his absence from Cincy's lineup has nothing to do with that. The first-time All-Star is hitting just .235 (8-for-34) with a homer, two doubles, a triple, three RBI, 13 strikeouts and five stolen bases in nine games so far in July but is a must-start in all fantasy lineups when he's active. De La Cruz currently leads the league in triples (six), stolen bases (45) and strikeouts (124) in 93 games played.

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz continued to show off his speed in Monday's 6-0 win over the Rockies. De La Cruz went 2-for-3 with a single, a double, an RBI, a walk, and two stolen bases. He was also caught stealing once. The 22-year-old has provided the power-speed combination fantasy managers were dreaming of, slashing .251/.344/.469 with 15 home runs, 62 runs scored, 40 RBI, and 45 stolen bases in 389 plate appearances. He has been a high-end fantasy performer and has his first All-Star appearance nod to show for it.

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz smacked a two-run homer and picked up a triple with another run scored Tuesday night in a 5-4 victory against the New York Yankees. The home run was De La Cruz's 15th on the season and with 40 stolen bases at roughly the halfway mark, he's well on pace to have an incredible season. His .254 batting average isn't horrible, but also nothing to write home about, though his .343 OBP is an encouraging improvement over the .300 OBP he accrued during his rookie season. It's inevitable the young superstar will have his fair share of ups and downs throughout the season, but his ceiling is so high it's worth every amount of risk that he carries with him.

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz had another solid offensive game in Monday's 11-5 win over the Pirates. De La Cruz went 3-for-5 with a single, a double, a two-run home run, and three RBI. The 22-year-old obliterated a sixth-inning Daulton Jefferies offering deep to center field for his 14th long ball of the season. De La Cruz has provided the power-speed combo fantasy managers were hoping for, slashing .249/.342/.464 with 52 runs scored, 35 RBI, and 37 stolen bases in 332 plate appearances. His batting average is mediocre and he is still striking out too much at a 31.0% clip, but fantasy managers will easily overlook this given his elite counting stat production.

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz posted three hits in a 4-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Saturday. Cruz went 3-for-5 with a solo homer but was caught stealing in his team's loss to Boston. The solo homer came off Boston starter Nick Pivetta in the third inning and traveled 407 feet with an exit velocity of 104.3 MPH. De La Cruz is putting together a productive sophomore season for the Reds, hitting .240 with 13 homers, 48 runs, 32 RBI, and 37 steals across 279 at-bats. While his batting average is a little rough, De La Cruz brings a dangerous power/speed element to the game, keeping his fantasy value high.