Some of you thought this day would never come, didn't you? Well, it's here, and it's time to get excited, Reds Country.
The Cincinnati Reds top prospect, and in the eyes of many scouts, the top prospect in all of baseball, is on his way to the Queen City.
Elly De La Cruz is set to make his major league debut tonight at Great American Ball Park as the Cincinnati Reds begin a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Reds top prospect Elly De La Cruz set to make his long awaited debut against the LA Dodgers.
Elly De La Cruz will make his major league debut tonight in front of the home fans. News of De La Cruz's promotion broke early this afternoon, so perhaps the Cincinnati Reds ticket office will be flooded with patrons eager to see one of the most electric prospects in all of baseball make his debut.
De La Cruz was added to the Reds 40-man roster during the offseason, but in order to make room on the 26-man roster, Nick Senzel, who'd been dealing with a minor knee ailment, was placed on the 10-day IL. Senzel began the 2023 season on the IL following toe surgery during the offseason.
De La Cruz has absolutely crushed the opposition in the minor leagues this season. After dealing with a minor injury of his own this spring, De La Cruz got off to a bit of a rocky start a Triple-A Louisville. But it wasn't long before the uber-talented shortstop prospect put it all together.
On the season, Elly De La Cruz was hitting .297/.398/.633 with 12 home runs, 36 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases. If you remove the first four games of the season, in which De La Cruz had just one hit, the 21-year-old is slashing .329/.435/.700 with a wRC+ of 177 according to FanGraphs.
De La Cruz will now have his shot to prove that all hype surrouding him is for real. It'll be interesting to see how Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell structures the lineup over the next few days. But wih Senzel on the IL, De La Cruz could easily find a home at third base, a position he's played nine times in 2023 at Triple-A Louisville.