Reds Get Major Boost with Elly De La Cruz's Return, Send Down Outfielder in Surprising Move

De La Cruz was activated on Tuesday.

May 31, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly de la Cruz scores a run against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

The Cincinnati Reds are getting their superstar back. On Tuesday, they activated Elly De La Cruz from the injured list. In a corresponding roster move, the Reds sent Will Benson to Triple-A Louisville.

While the Benson move is surprising, he didn't pinch hit against a right-handed pitcher in a one-run game last night. If Terry Francona isn't going to use him in that spot, he clearly has no desire to use him at all.

De La Cruz has been on the injured list since the end of May. Prior to going on the injured list, De La Cruz was having the best season of his career, slashing .280/.346/.509 with 27 extra-base hits and 10 stolen bases.

Without De La Cruz, the Reds have gone just 7-12 and their offense has struggled.

Over the weekend, he played in three games with Triple-A Louisville, going 2-8 with a home run.

The Reds need De La Cruz healthy if they're going to contend for a playoff spot. Getting him back and keeping him healthy is an important step for this team to potentially get hot and go on a run.

Brady Singer Having a Fantastic June

Jun 22, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Brady Singer (51) pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers in the first inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Brady Singer pitched seven scoreless innings in Monday night's loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. He's been fantastic in June. In four June starts, Singer has an ERA of 1.64, opponents are hitting just .188 against him, and he has a WHIP of 1.09.

After the game, Reds manager Terry Francona spoke highly about Singer.

“Boy, he looks a lot more like Singer," Francona said. "You can tell his confidence is growing, and he’s been working hard. He got some swings below the zone on his breaking ball, got some up high on his fastball – changed their eye levels.”

The only trouble Singer ran into was in the second inning when he walked the first two batters he faced. However, he got out of the jam and dominated the rest of the game.

“I just honestly lost kind of the feel in the second, just felt a little out of whack," Singer said. "I just tried to stay competitive in the zone. The sinker was moving a lot. Once I kind of saw them taking some inside, I was able to use that to my advantage. I just tried to lock back in and not let that inning kind of unravel.”

With that type of performance, you'd hope to walk away with a win, but the offense let him down.

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