Reds' Elly De La Cruz Already Turning Heads With Dominant Spring Start

The Cincinnati Reds have a lot to be excited about this season, but when a vast majority of the baseball world thinks about the Reds, they think about superstar shortstop Elly De La Cruz.

De La Cruz took the league by storm in 2023, as he entered the big leagues with some of the best raw tools imaginable. He was routinely hitting home runs over 110 miles per hour off the bat. He uncorked a few throws near 100 miles per hour. He was statistically the fastest man in the game for a few months. It'e clear why the Reds and the baseball world has been so hyped up over De La Cruz.

But he's now finished his third year in the league and his second full season. This spring, he heads into year No. 4 after playing in all 162 games last season. There are a lot of eyes on De La Cruz, and Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter recently ranked him the No. 6 best player in baseball younger than 25 years old.

Elly De La Cruz is off to a very hot start to the spring

Cincinnati Reds infielder Elly De La Cru — Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (44), right, gestures while being interviewed by Liam Holland, of Bat Boys Baseball, during spring trianing, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, at the Cincinnati Reds Player Development Complex in Goodyear, Ariz. | Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"No player in baseball boasts a collection of pure tools that stack up to De La Cruz, who ranked near the top of the leaderboard in bat speed (84th percentile), sprint speed (91st percentile) and arm strength (93rd percentile)," Reuter wrote. "His production cratered during the second half of the season last year, but it was later revealed he was playing through a quad injury. The 24-year-old is still raw, but the 30/30, 5-WAR upside is well within reach."

This spring, De La Cruz has gotten off to a very hot start. Coming into Thursday's spring training game against the San Diego Padres, De La Cruz was 3 for 6 with two doubles and a monster home run. He continued to put on a show against the Padres.

Elly De La Cruz & Eugenio Suárez with back-to-back homers ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/djMbXkK42n
— MLB (@MLB) February 24, 2026

During Thursday's game against the Padres, De La Cruz showed off the power and speed with a rocket triple to begin the day. Later on, he added a double to finish the day 2 for 3 with five total bases. For those counting, that makes De La Cruz 5 for 9 with a home run, a triple, and three doubles in three games this spring.

44 glides around the bases with ease @ellylacocoa18 pic.twitter.com/03rAGNCabo
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) February 26, 2026

De La Cruz looks healthy for the first time since early last year. He dealt with a handful of lower body injuries as he played all 162 regular season games for the Reds. This season, De La Cruz has the chance to put together a huge campaign if he can stay healthy and consistent all year. He's already flashing his superstar potential in spring training.

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