3 difficult decisions David Bell must make to bolster the Reds' playoff chances

2. Reds manager David Bell needs to give Noelvi Marte more starts at shortstop.

Sorry, but there's no way that you can convince me that Elly De La Cruz at shortstop gives the Cincinnati Reds the best chance to win right now. That's not to say that the rookie phenom can't recapture that same level of play we saw earlier this summer, but right now, he's playing poorly.

Not only has De La Cruz been struggling at the plate, but his defense has been atrocious. Fans have seen routine ground balls bounce off De La Cruz's glove and trickle into the outfield of late. The infielder has 11 errors since the beginning of August.

Thankfully, the Reds have an alternative, even with Matt McLain currently on the injured list. Noelvi Marte has been on fire of late, and with 10 games left in the season, Reds manager David Bell needs to ride the hot hand.

Marte has also played fine defense at shortstop. According to FanGraphs, Marte has yet to commit an error and has 1 defensive run saved while playing shortstop. Moving Marte to shortstop would also allow Bell to keep Joey Votto in the lineup at first base and play Christian Encarnacion-Strad every day at the hot corner.

The future is bright for Elly De La Cruz, and the rookie has game-changing speed. But lately, he's been a liability both on the diamond and in the batters' box. If Matt McLain is able to return from the IL before the end of the season, De La Cruz will assuredly be coming off the bench.