Elly De La Cruz could steal Silver Slugger from CJ Abrams with monster Reds finish

Elly De La Cruz has yet to win a Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award in his already-decorated career, but the Cincinnati Reds shortstop might be able to end that drought this year... with a little help from a friend in Washington D.C.

Here's the situation: CJ Abrams leads National League shortstops in most offensive categories this season. By most measures, he's been the best bat at the position in 2026, and a reward for such production is kind of the whole point of handing out Silver Slugger trophies.

But De La Cruz is on Abrams' heels — ranking among the top three among qualified National League shortstops in homers, steals, OPS, and wRC+ — he's as good a bet as any to pose a threat to the Nats infielder down the stretch. To do so, however, he'll need to course correct following a dismal August.

Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz could close the gap and earn his first Silver Slugger Award

Last month, a lot of De La Cruz's worst traits began to haunt him again. He was striking out more, walking less, and generally punishing the pitches he swings at less. His slash line (.231/.302/.365) was his worst of the season year, yielding an 83 wRC+ that dragged down his overall production.

Still, not all hope is lost. He's been hammering left-handed pitching this season; reversing course on one of his previous fatal flaws. If he can rein in his swing decisions, there's a good chance he can match that production on the other side of the plate as well. He was hitting more fly balls and line drives in August, and his hard-hit rate was actually higher than it was during his torrid July. The results should sort themselves out, especially if he can get back to being more patient in September.

There are, however, a few factors working against De La Cruz at the moment. Missing about three weeks due to a hamstring strain in early June — and now hampered by a quad strain — certainly didn't help his counting stats. The Reds' offense is nowhere near as potent as the run-production unit the Nationals can run out on a nightly basis, and that will surely affect De La Cruz's overall numbers, and it allowed Abrams to open an insurmountable gap in RBI between the two shortstops.

It's going to take a monstrous final push from De La Cruz, as well as a mini-slump from Abrams, to reverse the tide in this situation. That's hardly impossible — Abrams' wRC+ plummeted to 54 in August — but it means that this race may ultimately be out of the Reds' star's control.

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