Former Reds Infielder Calls Out Elly De La Cruz After Costly Defensive Play

Elly De La Cruz has been going through a rough stretch lately, with his struggles showing up both at the plate and in the field. At this point, it may be time for the Reds to give their star shortstop a day off. Terry Francona said during the offseason that he planned to give De La Cruz more rest this season, but that simply hasn’t happened. With De La Cruz clearly struggling right now, a day away from the lineup could be exactly what he needs.

In the eighth inning of Sunday’s 7-1 loss to the Miami Marlins, De La Cruz made an errant throw on what should have been a routine play at shortstop. The out would have ended the inning with Cincinnati trailing just 1-0, but the mistake kept the inning alive and allowed the Marlins to tack on another run, extending their lead to 2-0.

Former Reds infielder Zack Cozart quoted the video of De La Cruz's play on X and had some harsh criticism of the shortstop.

"Lazy," Cozart tweeted.

De La Cruz had another error in the ninth, with the Reds trailing by six on a line drive that hit his glove before falling out. It was his 14th error of the season.

Despite the errors, De La Cruz has still been one of the better defensive shortstops in baseball this season. His 7 Outs Above Average rank in the 95th percentile among MLB defenders.

The Reds have a doubleheader against the Cardinals on Monday, which could provide the perfect opportunity to give De La Cruz a much-needed day of rest. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him sit out at least one of the two games.

Sal Stewart Closing In on Impressive Reds Milestone

Aug 15, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sal Stewart (27) hits a single in the seventh inning against the Miami Marlins at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Sal Stewart is on the verge of reaching 100 career RBI, needing just one more to hit the milestone. If he gets there within his next seven games, Stewart would become the third-fastest Reds player to reach 100 RBI since the stat became official in 1920. Only Hank Sauer, who reached the mark in 136 games, and Jim Greengrass, who did it in 137, got there faster. Stewart has 99 RBI through his first 140 career games.

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