Elly De La Cruz has transformed the Reds against left-handed pitching

In 2025, the Cincinnati Reds were one of the worst teams in baseball against left-handed pitching. Their .229/.300/.353 line put them in the bottom four teams in the National League, alongside the woeful San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Washington Nationals. Thankfully, in 2026, the Reds have reversed this trend, and it all starts — like most things in Cincinnati — with Elly De La Cruz.

The switch-hitting De La Cruz has long struggled with hitting southpaws. Of his 81 career home runs, just 21 have come off lefties, and his career slugging percentage is almost 100 points lower when batting from the right side.

The story of De La Cruz has been the story of two different hitters depending on which side of the plate he is batting from…until now. In 2026, De La Cruz is paving the path for a team-wide turnaround against left-handed pitching.

Elly De La Cruz has almost single-handedly changed the Reds’ fortunes against left-handed pitching

In 2026, De La Cruz is actually hitting demonstrably better against lefties than righties. His 1.015 OPS against southpaws ranks sixth in the majors among players with at least 100 such plate appearances. His batting average on balls in play is over .400. This isn’t just a change; it’s a complete remodel.

The rest of the Reds team has followed suit. The combined OPS of .732 is seventh best in the Majors, and no one draws walks from lefties like Cincinnati (10.9% walk rate). Unfortunately, the Reds haven’t had many opportunities to showcase their new skill. They’ve played fewer “games” (in actuality, individual left-handed opponent appearances) against lefties than any other team. The Cleveland Guardians, who lead the league, have 858 “games” against lefties under their belt. The Reds have just 639.

It’s possible, then, to consider these adjustments as flukes influenced by a relatively small sample size. After all, in part due to injury, De La Cruz has logged just 139 plate appearances against southpaws compared to the 210 he made last season. There may be some luck in play as well. De La Cruz's expected statistics are far lower (and more in line with his career averages) than his actual numbers in 2026.

But let’s not take this away from De La Cruz or the Reds. He has been vocal and persistent about his drive to improve his game from the right side of the plate. Manager Terry Francona has championed De La Cruz the switch-hitter and praised his successes since the skipper set foot in Cincinnati. Let’s believe that the truth, and the scariest conceivable thing for opponents, is that Elly De La Cruz just got even better.

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