Reds get encouraging Elly De La Cruz update ahead of Padres series

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz unexpectedly left Sunday night's game against the Chicago Cubs during the middle of the seventh inning. It was revealed after his premature exit that the Reds' superstar was complaining of tightness in his left quad, and he was removed for precautionary reasons.

After the game, both De La Cruz and Reds manager Terry Francona downplayed the severity of the injury. “It’s good. Just a little bit tight," De La Cruz told the media in the clubhouse following the Reds' 7-5 win over the Cubs.

"I don’t think it’s very bad,” Francona told Cincinnati reporter Charlie Goldsmith “Me and Freddie kind of double-teamed him about coming out. There’s a chance he plays tomorrow or DH’s tomorrow. We need to get him looked at.”

Elly De La Cruz returns to Reds lineup as DH vs. Padres

De La Cruz is in the Reds starting lineup for the series opener against the San Diego Padres, but as Francona alluded to, he'll be the team's designated hitter on Monday night. According to the Reds' skipper, De La Cruz was diagnosed with a small strain in his quad. Matt McLain will be the Reds' starting shortstop while Edwin Arroyo takes over at second base.

Héctor Rodríguez is back in the leadoff spot for Cincinnati, and he'll be followed by De La Cruz and Sal Stewart. JJ Belday and Tyler Stephenson are manning their usual spots — both on the field and in the lineup — and with Arroyo at the keystone, Eugenio Suárez will set up shot at the hot corner. McLain will bat seventh and be followed by TJ Friedl and the aforementioned Arroyo.

Francona told reporters before the game, "He is a throwback, he wants to play every inning of every inning. The maturation process is him taking himself out of the game.

Obviously any time a team's superstar leaves a game prematurely, there's cause for concern. De La Cruz has battled some leg issues in each of the past two seasons — including a right hamstring strain earlier this year that put him on the IL for three weeks.

It was difficult to pinpoint exactly when De La Cruz felt the tightness in his quad, though he did burst down the line during the fifth inning in order to leg out an infield single. It's safe to say that Francona and Co. might have De La Cruz refrain from going all-out in Monday's opener, but the Reds' star has repeatedly shown that he only knows one way to play the game — hard.

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