Did Elly De La Cruz injury scare force Reds to make last-minute change vs. Royals?

There's no official word from Cincinnati Reds that Elly De La Cruz is injured, but the shortstop doesn't look to be 100%. Lance McAllister of 700 WLW even made the observation on X during Monday's game against the Kansas City Royals stating, "Yea, Elly is clearly not full speed." Is De La Cruz hurt?

The Reds initial lineup for the team's Memorial Day game in KC had De La Cruz in the starting lineup at his usual spot — playing shortstop and batting third. However, Reds manager Terry Francona amended the lineup a couple hours before the first pitch and De La Cruz served as the Reds' DH while Garrett Hampson played shortstop.

Seeing as how De La Cruz has started every game for Cincinnati this season, it was hardly surprising to see Francona give his superstar a "day off" from the field. But based on De La Cruz's effort during Monday's contest, one has to wonder if there's something more going on.

Was last-minute Reds lineup change vs. Royals a sign that Elly De La Cruz is hurt?

De La Cruz appeared to come up lame while scoring during the fifth inning of Sunday's game against the Chicago Cubs. A rocket down the line by Austin Hays plated both TJ Friedl and De La Cruz, but there was a noticeable limp just as Elly crossed home plate — he also appeared to grimace as he headed toward the Reds' dugout.

The last thing the Reds need is De La Cruz on the injured list. The team is already without Noelvi Marte — their most serviceable backup shortstop — and Cincinnati's lineup would take a major hit without De La Cruz anchoring the top-third of batting order. De La Cruz's best asset, however, is his speed, and if he's hampered in any way, that will inevitably affect his output.

It's notable that Monday's game was played on a wet surface, and there was consistent rain throughout the evening in Kansas City. Was Francona protecting De La Cruz by keeping him off the wet dirt?

Most of the postgame banter from Francona and others centered around the pitching performance of Nick Martinez and Tyler Stephenson's 3-for-5 day at the dish — both of which were impressive — but removing De La Cruz from the field was a significant development that, so far, has gone uncovered by the Reds' beat reporters.

Is Elly ticketed for an IL stint? Is he just dealing with general soreness? Those are good questions, and should be asked ahead of Tuesday's game against the Royals. If De La Cruz is not back at shortstop or out of the lineup altogether, that could be an obvious sign that something bigger is brewing.

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