Reds' Elly De La Cruz might finally be back after power outage in 2025 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Cincinnati Reds are a strong 18-10 on the season, sitting atop the National League Central despite their run differential being a positive one run.
A huge reason for the success of the team this season, other than Sal Stewart's breakout, is the return of Elly De La Cruz. He's back to his prime form, and it's exactly what this team needed.
As ESPN's David Schoenfield highlighted, De La Cruz is "back" for the Reds, and it's thanks to the 74-game power-outage during last season being firmly put behind him.
"He's back! De La Cruz went into a shocking home run slump last season, hitting one home run over a 74-game stretch over the summer," Schoenfield writes. "... He's just entering his prime. With nine home runs and six stolen bases so far, a 40/40 season could be in play."
De La Cruz is off to a roaring hot start this season, with 1.3 bWAR in 28 games with 31 hits, 24 runs scored, five doubles, nine homers, 20 RBIs, six stolen bases, 13 walks, a .274 batting average, and a .907 OPS.
He has some incredible power, but has struggled to tap into it at times during his professional career. If he keeps up this pace, a 40-homer season is well within reach.
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He hit 22 home runs last season and 25 the year before. He has nine already in 2026, and while he might have too much of an uphill battle to surpass his 67 stolen-base total from 2024, he's on his way to a top-10 MVP finish this season if he plays like this all year.
De La Cruz returning to his 2024 form would be huge for the Reds. If he can fully tap into his speed and power potential, he has a case as the best shortstop in the Major Leagues, as Schoenfield highlighted by naming him the All-Star shortstop this year.
The 74-game homerless streak last year was a major concern for De La Cruz. But, with reporting of the young infielder playing through injury, and his power surge this season, he looks to finally be back to his peak self at the right time for the Reds.
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