Elly De La Cruz injury explains why Reds signed former Brewers rival

The Cincinnati Reds signed veteran infielder Orlando Arcia to a minor-league deal on Tuesday and assigned him to Triple-A Louisville. Arcia isn't necessarily an unknown to Reds fans thanks to his six seasons in the Milwaukee Brewers (2016-2021) organization.

Some fans may be wondering why the Reds would make such a signing with a little less than a month remaining in the 2026 season. The only reasonable explanation is Elly De La Cruz's recent bout with a quad injury.

The Reds shortstop was removed from Sunday's game against the Chicago Cubs after complaining of tightness in his left quad. It was revealed on Monday that he suffered a small strain, but both De La Cruz and Terry Francona maintain that he's able to play through the injury. He's since started the past two games as the team's DH, going 1-for-5 with a pair of walks and a run scored.

If, however, De La Cruz were to suffer a setback and needed to be placed on the IL, the Reds now have another viable option to replace him. Arcia most recently appeared in 19 big-league games for the Minnesota Twins this season and hit .271 with a .654 OPS.

Reds sign Orlando Arcia as insurance for Elly De La Cruz

With De La Cruz on the mend, Matt McLain has drawn the start at shortstop the past two games. McLain came up through the Reds' farm system as a shortstop, and has filled in for De La Cruz on multiple occasions over the past two seasons.

The Reds also have Edwin Arroyo on the active roster. A shortstop by trade, Arroyo had been gathering more starts at second base in the minor leagues, and now with Gold Glove third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes on the IL, most of Arroyo's playing time has come at the hot corner.

Juan Brito made his Reds debut on Tuesday night against the San Diego Padres. The former Cleveland Guardians infielder was plucked off waivers early last month, and came through with what would be the game-winning RBI during Cincinnati's 4-3 victory over the Friars on Tuesday.

In short, the Reds have more than enough infielders to take over for De La Cruz if his ailment lingers for the rest of the month or necessitates placement on the IL. Signing Arcia just brings the Reds a tad more security.

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