The Cincinnati Reds are in the thick of the NL Wild Card race, and all eyes are on how their young stars respond to pressure. One of the most talked-about moves came from Terry Francona, who recently shifted Elly De La Cruz down to the seventh spot in the Reds lineup—a major change for one of Cincinnati’s most electric young players.It was a notable adjustment, especially during a critical September stretch with the Reds sitting two games out of the final NL Wild Card spot. Cincinnati trails the Arizona Diamondbacks by half a game, while both teams are chasing the New York Mets, who are currently holding onto the final postseason slot, just 1.5 games ahead of Arizona. Through 150 games this season, The Reds shortstop has recorded 19 home runs, 82 RBIs, and 35 stolen bases. But a prolonged slump—batting just .188 over his last 20 games—led Francona to ease the pressure by moving him lower in the Reds lineup.After the Reds dropped 11 runs in a much-needed win over the St. Louis Cardinals, FOX19's Charlie Goldsmith took to his X (formerly known as Twitter) to share De La Cruz’s thoughts on the shift, offering fans a rare moment of pure honesty from the 23-year-old.

“There’s no pressure. I’m just not doing really good right now. (Francona) is doing what’s best for the team (hitting him seventh).”

“We’ve got to win.”

“I’m good.”

The message was clear—no excuses. Just accountability. De La Cruz’s transparency showed maturity, especially when the stakes are sky-high in the NL Wild Card race. The Reds lineup saw production throughout, and De La Cruz still reached base three times, proving he can contribute even when the bat isn’t hot.

As September winds down and just a dozen games remain, the Reds will need every ounce of leadership and versatility they can get.  Francona’s ability to make bold changes and De La Cruz’s willingness to accept them might just be the formula that pushes the club over the edge.