Elly De La Cruz ended the Reds’ season on a high note, and now he’s got the hardware to match.
The Cincinnati shortstop was named National League Player of the Month for September after ripping through the final stretch with a .348 average, nine home runs, 19 RBIs and a 1.156 OPS. For a Reds team that had very little to celebrate as the season wound down, De La Cruz was the one player who consistently gave fans something to latch onto.
His September surge was about more than just the long ball. The home runs grabbed attention, but the batting average and OPS tell the bigger story: he was locked in, driving the ball, and giving Cincinnati the kind of impact production it needs from its best player.
That kind of run also offers a clear reminder of what De La Cruz can look like when everything clicks. It’s not realistic to expect that level every month, but it does set the bar for what he can bring to the lineup.
The problem for the Reds is that one hot month didn’t change the bigger picture. Cincinnati finished 75-87 and missed the postseason, leaving the organization with plenty to sort through this offseason. De La Cruz is one of the cleanest places to begin.
Terry Francona didn’t hide from how the year played out. He said he appreciated the way the team stayed united through the rough patches, even while making clear the results weren’t good enough.
“Our season did not go anywhere remotely like we wanted it to. I fully understand," Francona told Mark Sheldon of MLB.com.
"We were just talking in the coaches’ room. We need to have a sense of urgency, as we do.
At the same time, I told that room in there how much I appreciated that when things don’t go well, we kind of circled the wagons and tried to get better, and we don’t point fingers at each other."
That unity matters, but it can’t be the end point. The Reds have to turn that togetherness into actual progress this offseason.
“It’s actually a great group. It doesn’t take away that we didn’t do good enough,” Francona said.
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Reds Suddenly Have A Prospect Climbing Faster Than Anyone Expected
Carter Grahams rise has been one of the more dramatic developments in the Reds farm system this year. After previous seasons left him looking like a fringe name and even put him in danger of being exposed to the Rule 5 Draft, he turned in a massive 2026 showing across two levels, hitting .300/.421/.565 with 29 home runs and 31 doubles. That kind of production changes the conversation quickly, and it has pushed him from afterthought territory into the upper tier of prospect lists.
For Cincinnati, the appeal is obvious: Graham suddenly looks like a player with a real path to major league relevance rather than just a depth piece in the organization. The question now is less about whether he belongs on the radar and more about how soon the Reds might have to make room for a bat that has climbed far faster than anyone expected. [Read more 🡒]
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Reds Still Have A Few Reasons For Hope This Frustrating Offseason
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The bigger question now is whether the Reds can turn those individual flashes into actual progress without blowing up the structure around them. The front office is still in place, ownership is not planning to sell, and the teams direction appears set for the moment, which means the pressure shifts to development and smarter decision-making. There is at least a path here, but the margin for error remains thin and the patience around another uneven step is not likely to be endless. [Read more 🡒]