Reds could be nearing a decision point Elly De La Cruz won’t want to face

Cincinnati Reds superstar Elly De La Cruz is talented enough to be called a franchise cornerstone. The 23-year-old has already made two All-Star squads, and the Reds might be thinking about an extension this offseason. De La Cruz’s elite athleticism and overall electric presence, however, often do much to mask the reality that he’s far from a perfect player.

Elly's ongoing second-half slump recently reached a crescendo loud enough for Reds manager Terry Francona to move De La Cruz back in the batting order (from third to seventh).

And while present concerns over De La Cruz revolve mostly around his bat, by far the greater, more general critique of De La Cruz is his glove. After leading Major League Baseball in errors last season with 29, De La Cruz is the league’s frontrunner again in 2025, with 25. Despite his flaws, no one’s denying that De La Cruz is a huge star. Nonetheless, questions about his fit defensively might keep Francona awake at night this winter.

Will 2026 be a make-or-break year at shortstop for Reds' star Elly De La Cruz?

Before embarking on a discussion about why Francona and the Reds should change De La Cruz’s position, it’s important to acknowledge two possible reasons why they shouldn’t.

First, De La Cruz’s youth and athleticism suggest that there’s still time for him to improve dramatically at shortstop. With more experience at the position, you have to assume that De La Cruz’s error numbers would shrink in the coming seasons. He has all of the physical tools to be an excellent defensive shortstop, which leads us to a second point.

De La Cruz has been battling a quad ailment this season that he’s powered through without complaint. As a result, perhaps he deserves a mulligan on the season for his defensive shortcomings. Then again, this is the second consecutive season that De La Cruz has piled up errors at short. 

Moving Elly to the outfield might preserve his energy for better plate production. It’s unclear why De La Cruz has been slumping so much since the All-Star break (must be somewhat injury related), but his .228 batting average and one home run in 55 games since the break have been wildly out of character. 

Would De La Cruz benefit offensively from carrying a much lighter load defensively? It’s a question that Francona has to be wondering about.

Conveniently, the Reds have a star shortstop prospect in Edwin Arroyo, who has hit .284 in 484 at-bats this season with Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts. Arroyo’s youth (22) and developmental curve suggest he’s on track for a big-league arrival closer to 2027 than 2026, which could give De La Cruz one more “make or break” year at shortstop before Cincinnati has the personnel at its immediate disposal to make the big change.

Ultimately, Reds fans shouldn’t get too attached to De La Cruz as the team’s shortstop of the future. Moving Elly to the outfield might feel like a sad experience for fans (and for De La Cruz himself), but there’s a chance it could make him a more productive player overall.

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