Reds' Dynamic Duo of Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart Makes Franchise History

An incredible season from these two.

Sep 1, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds designated hitter Elly De La Cruz (44) and first baseman Sal Stewart (27) stand on the field during a stop in play in the eighth inning against the San Diego Padres at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

More history was made between the Cincinnati Reds' dynamic duo of Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart. The two of them have been the lone bright spots on offense in a year that has the team at the bottom of Major League Baseball in nearly every offensive category outside of home runs. 

After De La Cruz launched his 30th home run of the season on Thursday, he joined Stewart in the 30-home run club. This is the first time in Reds' franchise history that two teammates 24 years old or younger have hit 30 or more home runs in the same season.

They Have Carried The Offense This Season

Sep 24, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (44) hits a home run against the Atlanta Braves during the third inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

De La Cruz has been on an incredible 30-game run. He is now 17th in the league in home runs, 14th in batting average, 15th in on-base percentage, and eighth in slugging percentage. For Stewart, he's 15th in home runs, tied for second in RBI, in the top 50 in batting average, and is the leading candidate to win Rookie of the Year this season. 

For context on how much their contributions have carried the team, the Reds rank fourth in Major League Baseball in home runs this season with 211. Other than home runs, the Reds rank last in hits (1,206), 28th in doubles (215), 25th in triples (15), 26th in RBI (625), 29th in strikeouts (1,514), last in batting average (.228), last in on-base percentage (.305), 23rd in slugging percentage (.395) and 25th in OPS (.700). The Reds have six players batting .215 who receive regular playing time. 

De La Cruz has been playing at an MVP level since mid-August, slashing .391/.466/.739 with 10 home runs, 20 RBI and seven stolen bases. He's just one stolen base shy of recording a 30/30 season; this will make him the fourth Red to do so. The last player in team history was Brandon Phillips in 2007. Barry Larkin is the only shortstop in team history to do so, and Eric Davis was the first Reds player to do so back in 1987. 

Sal Stewart Reflects On Rookie Campaign

Cincinnati Reds designated hitter Sal Stewart (27) comes to bat in the first inning of the MLB Interleague game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Boston Red Sox at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, March 29, 2026. The game was scoreless after three innings. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Stewart has put together a rookie season for the ages. He's the first rookie to record a 30-home run, 100-RBI season since Pete Alonso in 2019, he's tied for second in RBI with 110 and there are still three games left in the season. Stewart went on MLB Network to discuss his rookie season.

"I'm blessed. I had a great year, but I'm not satisfied," Stewart said. "A lot of players, they tell me all the time, ‘You’ve gotta keep your foot on the gas.’ I try to listen to all of them as much as I can. I just want to keep my head down. At the end of the season, I'll look back at it and enjoy the season. At the end of the day, I wanna do this for 10, 15, 20 years to come, so I gotta keep getting better and keep working hard."

The mentality Stewart has at just 22 years old is impressive. He has the mentality of a seasoned veteran and has performed at a high level all season. He was an All-Star in his first season and has the second-most home runs for a rookie in Reds' history. Stewart also opened up on how much manager Terry Francona has influenced him this season.

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sal Stewart (27) checks in with manager Terry Francona (77) after scoring in the eighth inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Colorado Rockies at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Thursday, April 30, 2026. The Reds won 6-4. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

"It's been sort of tough love," Stewart said. "He wants me to earn it, he wants to enforce that and instill that in me, and I appreciate that. Sometimes as a young guy you kind of get upset sometimes, like 'why you picking on me?' but it's just because he wants what's best for me. Understanding that and appreciating that has been great in this season and for my career; it's been great."

The Reds struck gold in Stewart. He was a competitive balance pick in 2022. The Reds received that pick after Nick Castellanos signed with Philadelphia in the 2021 offseason. The Reds have two outstanding offensive talents to build around in Stewart and De La Cruz, as well as Chase Burns in the starting rotation.