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New Elly De La Cruz nickname is sticking on social media and Reds fans have had it

It's kinda catchy, in an unfortunate sort of way.
Drew Koch
Drew Koch

Blog Red Machine

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz / Geoff Stellfox/GettyImages

The Cincinnati Reds lost Saturday's game to the Milwaukee Brewers in heart -breaking fashion. Cincinnati blew an 8-1 lead on Friday, but with a 2-1 lead and one out in the ninth inning, the Reds found themselves in position to avenge that loss and square the series against Milwaukee.

Unfortunately, an Elly De La Cruz throwing error in the ninth inning allowed the tying-run to score and the Reds lost in extra innings by the final score of 6-5. It was De La Cruz's league-leading 17th error of the 2025 season, and many baseball fans took to social media with a new moniker for the Cincinnati shortstop — Error De La Cruz.

While most Reds fans may not find the new nickname humorous, it's kind of hard to dispute given how poorly De La Cruz has played this season. Though many will tout his incredible ability to make outstanding plays that seemingly no other shortstop can, there've been several occasions when he struggles to make the routine throw or catch.

New Elly De La Cruz nickname is sticking on social media and Reds fans have had it

Defensive miscues are nothing new for De La Cruz. He led the league with 29 errors in 2024 after committing 14 miscues during his rookie campaign. The Reds fanbase was clamoring all last season to see the two-time All-Star moved off shortstop and pushed into the outfield.

A good chunk of the Cincinnati faithful believe De La Cruz's elite speed and arm strength combo would make him a Gold Glove-caliber outfielder. But instead, the Reds doubled down on the idea that he should be the team's starting shortstop. However, after placing in the upper echelon last season with 14 outs above average (OAA), De La Cruz has been worth -2 OAA in 2025.

De La Cruz is oftentimes praised when he makes other-worldly plays, but is rarely criticized when he makes mistakes. This latest miscue — which comes on the heels of a poor defensive performance on Friday — may be the straw the breaks the camel's back as far as the Reds' fanbase is concerned.

When you think of the great endearing names in Reds history, titles like Dat Dude BP (Brandon Phillips), The Big Donkey (Adam Dunn), and Charlie Hustle (Pete Rose) come to mind. If De La Cruz wants to shed this rather disparaging (yet accurate) nickname, he'll have to improve his defense.

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Drew Koch

Drew Koch

Drew Koch has been an MLB Staff Writer since January 2024 and part of the FanSided Network since June 2018. Drew's contributions have been published on Blog Red Machine, Friars on Base, BoSox Injection, Lombardi Avenue, Wildcat Blue Nation, Motor City Bengals, and many other sites within the FanSided Network. When he's not cheering wildly for the Cincinnati Reds or the Kentucky Wildcats, Drew enjoys fishing, golfing, playing cribbage and other card games, listening to country and classical music, and spending time with his family and friends.