Reds Star Elly De La Cruz Reveals Status for World Baseball Classic

On Friday night at Redsfest, Elly De La Cruz revealed that he will not be playing in the World Baseball Classic, after originally committing to the event earlier in the offseason.

"Elly De La Cruz says he will not be playing in the World Baseball Classic for the Dominican Republic," Reds beat writer Mark Sheldon posted on Blue Sky. "The decision was made in conjunction with the Reds because he is coming off of last year’s left quad injury."

In November, Reds President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall said De La Cruz was dealing with a partially torn quad in the second half of the season.

"Toward the end of July, he was dealing with a partially torn quad," Krall said. "He has been rehabbing. He was at the ballpark today. He has been rehabbing this whole offseason. To his credit, he played every day. He tried to grind through it. He tried to play through it."

In the first half of the season, De La Cruz was fantastic, slashing .284/.359/.495 with 39 extra-base hits and 25 stolen bases.

In the second half, he struggled big time, slashing .236/.303/.363 with just 21 extra-base hits and 12 stolen bases.

As much as De La Cruz probably wanted to play and support his country, it was probably a smart decision by the Reds to shut him down and make sure he's fully healthy heading into Spring Training.

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