The Cincinnati Reds are calling up shortstop Elly De La Cruz on Tuesday. He is the team’s No. 1 prospect and the No. 4 overall prospect at mlb.com. De La Cruz is only 21 years old and is the latest middle infield talent that the Reds will be promoting. In a corresponding move, the team has added IF/OF Nick Senzel to the 10-day injured list with a right knee injury.
The #Reds today recalled SS Elly De La Cruz from Triple-A Louisville and placed IF/OF Nick Senzel (right knee) on the 10-day injured list, retro to Sunday.
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) June 6, 2023
De La Cruz has been ready for his big league debut all season, but Cincinnati has a backlog of talented players at the position. The team already had Jonathan India as its starting shortstop after the team signed veteran Kevin Newman in free agency. The power-hitting Matt McLain has fit right in but also is predominantly a shortstop. With De La Cruz’s promotion, the Reds will likely have to DH one of India, McLain or De La Cruz to fit all of their bats into their lineup.
De La Cruz has played 38 games this year for the team’s Tripla-A affiliate in Louisville. He was mashing the ball, hitting .298 with 11 doubles, three triples and 12 home runs. De La Cruz added 36 RBI and 11 stolen bases, and if he can continue this clip at the big league level, could help turn the season around for Cincinnati.