Reds have a growing Elly De La Cruz problem Terry Francona promised to fix

I have the utmost respect for Major League players like Elly De La Cruz who suit up every single day, step onto the diamond, and give it their all. But the Cincinnati Reds superstar is in a rut, and one wonders if a day off would do him some good.

The Reds are in the midst of a torrid stretch — playing 18 games over 17 days — with a day-night doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals cued up for Monday at Great American Ball Park. Expect to see De La Cruz in the Cincinnati starting lineup for both the afternoon and evening affair.

Whether or not De La Cruz starts both games at shortstop is up Terry Francona. The 24-year-old has played in 104 games this season, with 101 starts coming at shortstop and the other three as the Reds' designated hitter. Last season, he played all 162 games.

Francona was asked about De La Cruz's heavy workload during the offseason, and the Reds' skipper assured the media and fans he was going to take a different approach in 2026.

"I probably didn't do him any favors," Francona said at last year's Winter Meetings. "I love the fact how much he wanted to play every day and I respect that a ton. I do think I need to probably step in occasionally and go 'Hey Elly, get off your legs today.' And I think that will help him in the future. He'll hate it! But, I think it'll be good for him."

Francona has failed to take his own advise this season, though in his defense, De La Cruz missed almost a month due to a hamstring injury. Knowing the type of competitor the Reds shortstop is, the last thing he wants to do is take a game off after missing all but seven games during the month of June.

Does Reds manager Terry Francona need to give Elly De La Cruz a day off?

But with De La Cruz mired in a 2-for-34 slump, perhaps giving him a day off would do him well. De La Cruz, who's been much better defensively this season, also committed two careless errors during Sunday's game against the Miami Marlins — one of which led to a run in the eighth inning of a one-run ball game.

Francona wouldn't even have to completely remove De La Cruz from the lineup in order to get him off his feet. With Matt McLain on the roster, Tito could push the Reds' second baseman to shortstop and give Sal Stewart a start at the keystone while De La Cruz acts as the the team's DH.

De La Cruz is never going to walk into Francona's office and ask for a day off. But sometimes, the skipper has to take these types of matters into his own hands. That said, given the roster Francona has work with this season, removing your star shortstop from the top of the lineup is a surefire way to all but guarantee a loss.

Francona is stuck between a rock and a hard place, but given the Reds' ever-shrinking playoff odds (0.2%), perhaps it's time to give De La Cruz a day off.

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