Elly De La Cruz keeps stacking up headline moments, and Tuesday night in Los Angeles was no exception.
The Cincinnati Reds star went deep for the fourth straight game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, extending a blistering run at the plate and adding another entry to a growing list of accomplishments. That homer also moved De La Cruz into rare territory in Reds history, where he now stands as one of just 11 hitters to record multiple streaks of at least four straight games with a home run during their Cincinnati careers, according to Matt Wilkes.
That group is loaded with familiar names: Johnny Bench, Jay Bruce, Adam Dunn, Ken Griffey Jr., Ted Kluszewski, Tony Perez, Frank Robinson, Eugenio Suarez, George Foster, and Joey Votto.
For a Reds team that has slipped out of postseason contention, De La Cruz has been one of the few consistent reasons to tune in. He’s also continued to make a strong case that he’s among the most gifted players in baseball.
His work against left-handed pitching has been especially eye-opening. Entering Tuesday, De La Cruz was hitting .352 against lefties with a .662 slugging percentage and a 1.082 OPS.
All three numbers led Major League Baseball. For a player who struggled in that split earlier in his career, that’s a major shift.
And the bat wasn’t the only thing making noise.
In the same inning as his homer, De La Cruz came through with a huge defensive play. Teoscar Hernandez lined a ball to center field that Dane Myers dove for and missed, allowing it to roll to the wall. JJ Bleday tracked it down in left and sent it back toward De La Cruz, who unleashed a 105.3 mph throw to the plate to nail Hernandez, according to Statcast.
The Reds’ playoff chances may be all but gone, but De La Cruz is still giving fans plenty to watch. Night after night, he keeps finding a way to deliver something memorable.
In Other News...
Reds Bullpen Shakeup Just Created Another Lefty Relief Problem
The Reds bullpen overhaul keeps taking on a new shape, and Sam Moll is the latest familiar arm to come off the board. Cincinnati has placed the left-hander on waivers, and according to MLB insider Jon Heyman, Moll has elected free agency even though the club has not formally announced it. Moll had been with the Reds for four years and gave them useful innings along the way, logging a 3.88 ERA over 137 innings, but his recent struggles made him vulnerable as the team kept sorting through relief options.
For a bullpen that has already seen Caleb Ferguson traded, losing Moll only deepens the left-handed relief concern. The Reds have been trying to patch together a workable late-inning mix all season, and moves like this underline how unsettled that group still is. The roster churn may clear space for other options, but it also leaves Cincinnati with one less proven lefty at a time when every bullpen decision seems to carry extra weight. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Are Still Paying For A Third Base Bet Gone Wrong
The Reds made a familiar kind of bet when they went after a veteran third baseman, banking on steady defense to help stabilize the left side of the infield and shifting top prospect Sal Stewart to first base in the process. It was the sort of move that can make sense on paper for a club trying to keep its lineup and defense in balance, especially when the alternative is waiting on youth to sort itself out at the major league level.
Instead, the move has become another reminder of how tricky that corner of the diamond has been for Cincinnati. The veteran has struggled at the plate and dealt with health issues, and the club recently sent him to Arizona for swing work in an effort to get him back on track. It also fits an unfortunate pattern for the Reds, who have had more than one veteran third base addition fail to deliver, leaving them to keep searching for answers in a spot that has long been tied to their postseason frustrations. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Face A Tough Eugenio Surez Call After His Late Surge
Eugenio Surez has given the Reds plenty to think about as the winter picture starts to come into focus. His recent offensive numbers have been down, with a low batting average and slugging percentage in the more recent stretches, but he did show some improvement in the second half of the 2026 season and still has a track record of coming through in big spots.
The contract wrinkle is what makes the conversation more interesting for Cincinnati. The club holds a mutual option for 2027 that it can turn down without paying a buyout, and while there is some belief the Reds could try to bring him back at a lower price because the free-agent market looks thin, Surez has also kept showing the kind of clutch bat and clubhouse presence that make a clean break harder to justify. [Read more 🡒]