Elly De La Cruz Is Doing Things the Cincinnati Reds Haven’t Seen in Decades

Elly De La Cruz is absolutely on fire.

The Cincinnati Reds shortstop homered for the fifth consecutive game on Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers, setting a new career high and putting himself within striking distance of franchise history.

De La Cruz's five-game home run streak is tied for the second-longest in Reds history. Joey Votto owns the franchise record after homering in seven consecutive games during the 2021 season.

But the home runs are only part of what De La Cruz has been doing lately.

De La Cruz Has Been Getting on Base Consistently

Sep 9, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly de la Cruz (44) runs around bases after hitting a home run during the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

He has now reached safely in 17 consecutive games dating back to Aug. 22. During that stretch, De La Cruz is slashing an absurd .449/.500/.812 with six home runs and 13 RBI.

And he's making some history along the way.

Wednesday's home run was De La Cruz's 26th of the season, setting a new Reds single-season record for a switch-hitter. The previous record? Also De La Cruz, who hit 25 home runs during the 2024 season.

De La Cruz also has 222 extra-base hits in his career, tying Dmitri Young for the third-most by a switch hitter in Reds history.

Maybe even more impressive is what he's accomplished through his first four seasons.

De La Cruz's 222 extra-base hits are the second-most by any Reds player through his first four seasons since 1900. The only player ahead of him is Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, who had 267.

There's another piece of history within reach before the season ends.

De La Cruz is five stolen bases away from becoming the first player in Reds history and just the eighth player in Major League Baseball since 1900 to steal at least 30 bases in each of his first four seasons. Bobby Witt Jr. most recently accomplished the feat from 2022 to 2025.

Hitting Lefties

Sep 8, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly de la Cruz (44) heads off the field in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

And perhaps the most encouraging number of all is what De La Cruz has done against left-handed pitching.

After slashing just .236/.276/.342 with a .618 OPS against lefties last season, De La Cruz is hitting .350 with a .657 slugging percentage and 1.075 OPS against left-handed pitching this year. All three of those lead qualified Major League hitters.

There have always been flashes of what De La Cruz could become. Right now, we're seeing what it looks like when everything starts coming together.

And with five straight games with a home run, he has a chance to add another piece of Reds history this weekend against the Brewers.

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