On the surface, Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz put together another standout All-Star campaign in 2025. However, the fact he was battling through a series injury makes his performance even more admirable.
President of baseball operations confirmed that De La Cruz played with a left squad strain throughout the 2025 campaign. While there was a partial tear, the Reds weren't forced to sideline De La Cruz. And as the superstar begins his offseason, he is already been rehabbing the injury, via Manny Randhawa and Mark Shelton of MLB.com.
“If you look at his year last year — and I think a lot of people don't know this — at the end of the year, like toward the end of July, he was dealing with a partial torn quad,” Krall said. “And he has been rehabbing — he was at the ballpark today — he's been rehabbing this whole offseason.”
Even with his injury, De La Cruz still managed to hit .264 with 22 home runs, 86 RBIs and 37 stolen bases. It may not have been the career-high 25 home runs and league-leading 67 stolen bags from a year prior, but no team will complain about that type of production.
Under team control through the 2029 season, De La Cruz will be a key piece of any success Cincinnati finds until then. The Reds are already considering adding some extra firepower alongside him. They know a player of his caliber doesn't come around often.
At the same time, Cincinnati wants De La Cruz to enter the 2026 season healthy. The fact he is already rehabbing should be a good sign. While he was able to play through it in 2025, the Reds want De La Cruz to play without limitations in his next campaign.
