Elly De La Cruz Called Up By Reds; MLB's No. 4 Prospect to Debut vs. Dodgers

After a lot of speculation about his potential call-up to the big leagues, Elly De La Cruz is joining the Cincinnati Reds.

The club announced it has called up the 21-year-old shortstop ahead of Tuesday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

MLB.com has De La Cruz ranked as the No. 4 overall prospect in baseball. The Dominican signed with the Reds as an international free agent in July 2018.

At 6'5" and 200 pounds, De La Cruz faces questions about his long-term viability as a shortstop. He's got the arm talent and actions for third base but could also shift to second base if needed.

Reds general manager Nick Krall told Jim Bowden on SiriusXM MLB Radio they expect De La Cruz will likely see time at shortstop and third base.

For now, though, there's no reason for the Reds to keep him away from shortstop. Even if he has some defensive issues, the offensive upgrade could be significant. Nick Senzel's knee injury, which landed him on the 10-day injured list Tuesday, has left an opening at third base.

José Barrero, who has been Cincinnati's primary starter at short, is hitting .224/.305/.336 with 10 extra-base hits in 125 at-bats this season. Senzel was hitting .258/.332/.380 prior to his injury.

De La Cruz has appeared in 38 games at Triple-A Louisville this season. He owns a .297/.398/.633 slash line with 12 homers in 158 at-bats. He had 28 homers and 47 stolen bases in 120 games across two minor league levels in 2022.

The Reds have been better than expected so far this season. Their 27-33 record entering Tuesday has them in third place in the NL Central, 5.5 games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates for the top spot.

If De La Cruz comes close to reaching his potential right away, it could make Cincinnati a borderline playoff contender in the NL.