Elly De La Cruz is giving Reds fans something baseball needs more of

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz was lifted midway through last Sunday's game against the Chicago Cubs after complaining of tightness in his left quad. On Monday, further imaging revealed a "small strain", but De La Cruz was back in the starting lineup as the Reds' DH for the team's series opener against the San Diego Padres.

This caused a bit of consternation among the Reds fanbase. Why was De La Cruz in the starting lineup? Why wasn't he placed on the injured list? Why hasn't Terry Francona given him more rest this season after acknowledging a need to so?

Those are all valid questions, and they come from a place of concern over De La Cruz's long-term health. Most Reds fans saw a downturn in his production last August, and it was revealed during the offseason that he was battling a left quad strain — yes, the same issue he's working through right now.

Elly De La Cruz's decision to play should be an inspiration, not a source of criticism

But while acknowledging the risks, and the fact that Cincinnati has little-to-no chance of making a return to the postseason, I absolutely love the decision to keep De La Cruz off the IL and in the starting lineup.

Why? Because De La Cruz brings the type of old-school approach that's sorely needed in sports today. We used to celebrate tough guys — especially in Cincinnati. Pete Rose earned the nickname Charlie Hustle for his relentless pursuit of winning and a hard-nosed approach to the game.

Nowadays, managers and coaches are monitoring pitch counts and removing players from the game at the first of adversity. How are they supposed to grow and mature as ballplayers if the need to persevere is eliminated?

And let's not pretend like De La Cruz is going out there with a broken leg. It's a mild strain, and the Reds' medical staff is closely monitoring the injury. Furthermore, Francona has moved him off of shortstop and inserted him into the designated hitter role, so the wear and tear won't be near what it would be if he were playing the field.

De La Cruz has also assured the coaching staff that if the injury gets worse, he'll make them aware. Knowing De La Cruz, I doubt that's true, but the Francona and the Reds coaches have no choice but to take their superstar at his word.

I've sat back all season listening to Reds fans complain about Nick Lodolo's inability to pitch with a blister on his left index finger. And those same fans are always harping about Hunter Greene's perpetual trips to the injured list — trust me, I know, I'm one of them.

The nature of today's athlete has been to shut it down the moment they feel a twinge or an ache. I'll stop short of calling them soft or telling them to rub some dirt on it. After all, there is a lot of money at stake.

But rather than chastise Tito for not being the grown up in the room, or criticize De La Cruz for deciding to play through an injury, maybe it's time we celebrate the player who's willing to go out and play every game. That used to be the standard, but it's since become an outlier.

Baseball fans come to the ballpark to see the best players in the world play the game. De La Cruz knows that, and his attitude should be embraced, not admonished.

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