Elly De La Cruz, Paul Skenes & Gunnar Henderson Grace Cover of 'MLB The Show 25'

The future of baseball is stepping into the spotlight in a big way.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes, Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz and Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson will don the cover of "MLB The Show 25," per an announcement on Tuesday. The trio is taking over for Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who was the lone cover athlete for "MLB The Show 24."

It marks the first time ever that multiple athletes will be featured side-by-side on the cover of "MLB The Show," although it is not unheard of in other sports video game franchises. Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose shared the cover of NBA 2K13, while Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady were both on the cover of "Madden 22."

The rollout for the announcement started Monday, when De La Cruz took to social media and told fans that he would be the game's cover athlete. Then, Henderson posted his own video acting confused, claiming he had been told that he would be the cover athlete.

Skenes joined in with a similar post, asking De La Cruz and Henderson to help him sort things out behind the scenes.

The promotional stunt led to the full cover reveal less than 24 hours later.

The stars of today and tomorrow:

Elly De la Cruz ⚡
Paul Skenes 🔥
Gunnar Henderson 💪

Your #MLBTheShow25 Cover Athletes! 😤⚾#ForgeYourJourney and pre-order on February 4th.
Available on March 18.

Learn more at https://t.co/baliy5VGpN pic.twitter.com/5npCRnCTv9
— MLB The Show (@MLBTheShow) January 28, 2025

De La Cruz is the first Reds player ever to be on the cover of "MLB The Show." Skenes joins Andrew McCutchen as the only Pirates to achieve the feat, while Henderson joins Cal Ripken Jr. on the Orioles' side of things.

The three cover athletes are among the brightest young stars in the sport, so featuring them together serves as a love letter to baseball's next generation.

De La Cruz made his MLB debut in 2023, immediately flashing with his unique combination of size, strength and speed. He made his first All-Star appearance in 2024, batting .259 with 25 home runs, 76 RBI, 67 stolen bases, an .809 OPS and a 5.2 WAR over the course of the season.

Henderson got a taste of big league action in 2022, but fully broke out when he won AL Rookie of the Year in 2023. In 2024, Henderson was a first-time All-Star who finished fourth in the AL MVP race, batting .281 with 37 home runs, 92 RBI, 21 stolen bases, an .893 OPS and a 9.1 WAR.

Skenes went No. 1 overall in the 2023 MLB Draft, then got called up to the majors less than a year later. The LSU product finished 2024 with an 11-3 record, 1.96 ERA, 0.947 WHIP, 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings and a 5.9 WAR, starting the All-Star Game for the National League before winning NL Rookie of the Year and placing third in NL Cy Young voting.

De La Cruz and Henderson are just 23 years old, while Skenes is 22.

Pre-orders for "MLB The Show 25" will open on Feb. 4. The game will be available on March18.

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