PHOENIX — The Cincinnati Reds were blown out by the Diamondbacks on Saturday night, and manager Terry Francona started pulling regulars to give them innings off. Elly De La Cruz requested one more at-bat and lined a double before being pinch-ran for.
De La Cruz’s timing has improved in recent play, and he’s had a productive week. Yet, in August he’s hitting .229 with a .586 OPS and has not homered. He also didn’t hit a homer in July. “I don’t worry too much about him — if he’s healthy, you run him out there,” Francona said. “I don’t get too caught up in that homerless streak. You want to see good at-bats. He’s an ultra-aggressive kid to begin with. Sometimes, he starts chasing the breaking ball out of the zone. When he gets pitches in here, he’s usually OK. I also think he gets pitched really tough as most good hitters do.”
De La Cruz is having a quieter summer and has been managing a quad injury. He has two steals in August and 31 steals on the season (he swiped 67 bases in 2024). His sprint speed, while elite, sits in the 92nd percentile in MLB, a step back from what many expected for the fastest man in baseball. The injury has made the summer feel more like a grind, though he’s still in the lineup every day.
“He has handled it really well,” Francona said. “If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be playing every day. I love the fact that he wants to do that. I don’t know if that’s always in a player’s best interest. I used to do that with Rolen. Anyone around Scotty knows how much he wanted to play. But he’d run himself right into the ground. I don’t see that with Elly. If I thought that was happening, I’d give him a day regardless of how much he yelled at me.”
Despite the dip in August power, De La Cruz remains a key piece of the Reds’ offense. His OPS entering Sunday matched his 2024 figure at .809, and he finished eighth in NL MVP voting a season ago. He’s also playing cleaner defense and forcing fewer outs on the bases. This week has offered some bright highlights, including scoring from first base twice in Anaheim, a demonstration of his top-end sprint speed. He has two triples this week and has connected for exit velocity of 100 mph or more on 14 August contact attempts, seven of which have come since Aug. 16. “Guys don’t hit .350,” Francona said. “There are ups and downs and swings. There are different reasons. Sometimes, you run into pitching that’s pretty good and maybe you’re not quite where you want to be.”
De La Cruz’s ability to score from first on two occasions in Anaheim previewed a skill the Reds would like to refine next spring. “The last piece for him is when he steals, he doesn’t pick up the ball,” Francona said. “Next spring, that will be a focus for us. Some guys have trouble doing that.” There are moments, for example, when De La Cruz dives into second on a steal and doesn’t realize the pitch has been fouled off. “Next spring, that will be a focus for us,” Francona said. “When you know where the ball is, you can see how devastating he can be. We can’t do it now — we can’t start practicing stealing bases in August. If the majority of our guys, when they take that second step, can glance in and get used to it, they’ll be much more intelligent base runners because they’ll know where the ball is.”
Other Reds discussed included Hunter Greene’s season turnaround after a standout start against the Angels last week. “I’m just feeling good,” Greene said. “We’re in a crucial part of the season making this push. Every game matters from now on.” He’s hoping a strong finish can change how the year is viewed.
Nick Lodolo is finally putting a blister issue behind him. For the third time in five years, Lodolo was sidelined by a blister, but it appears to be the least worrisome of the bunch, and he’s on track to return from the injured list and start on Wednesday. He managed the blister early in rehab and used a plyo ball to keep his fingertips fresh without irritation.
Tyler Stephenson is optimistic about a timeline to return from the IL after meeting with a hand specialist in Arizona. He’s received a new thumb guard to protect a fracture in his left thumb and has not been hitting recently, though he did take batting practice. He’ll test catching in the bullpen on a Monday session, with catch work seen as the biggest hurdle before a return. “Catching in the bullpen is the biggest test,” Stephenson said. “If that feels good, that’s going to be as close to game reps as we’re going to get. It’ll be sooner than later.”
Brent Suter enjoyed a personal best of sorts, bouncing back to velocity around the 92 mph mark. He entered the night with two of his three fastest pitches of his career, including a 92.8 mph fastball, a pace he hadn’t reached before this season. The previous 92 mph effort came in a recent racetrack game, underscoring a notable leap in his fastball effectiveness.
Overall, the Reds are juggling playing time, injuries, and on-field performance as they push toward the stretch. De La Cruz’s flashes of speed and ceiling keep him central to the club’s plans, while the club hopes health returns for Lodolo and Stephenson and continued improvement from Greene and Suter help sustain a playoff push.
Summary: The Reds are navigating a mix of injuries and opportunities, with De La Cruz showing moments of elite speed and potential while fringe injuries and August slumps test consistency. Improvements in base-running awareness, together with return-to-form pitching from Lodolo and Stephenson’s rehab progress, could help Cincinnati finish strong this season.
Additional notes and context:
– Watch for De La Cruz’s baserunning development next spring, especially how he reads pitches on steals and his ability to translate that into more aggressive yet controlled baserunning.
– Lodolo’s return could stabilize the rotation down the stretch; his blister history will be watched closely to determine any workload restrictions.
– Stephenson’s progression will be a key factor for the Reds’ offense and defense once he’s back behind the plate.
– If the Reds are in playoff contention, a strong finish from Greene and Suter’s velocity resurgence could provide a meaningful boost.
Negative sentiment: none