Elly De La Cruz has shown off his power. He's shown off his arm. Now it's time to show off his sheer athleticism.
With one out and a man on first in the eighth inning of Tuesday night's game against the Dodgers, Max Muncy dribbled a slow roller to third baseman Juan Brito, who was shifted toward second base with De La Cruz shaded up the middle. Brito fired to first to get Muncy, but Kyle Tucker rounded second and, seeing there was nobody covering third, tried to take the extra base.
De La Cruz noticed what was happening in real time and sprinted alongside Tucker, like a wide receiver running a route. His quarterback, first baseman Sal Stewart, tried to lead him to the bag but the throw was slightly behind De La Cruz. The Reds shortstop reached behind him to make the catch without breaking stride, then dove for the bag and tagged the sliding Tucker just before he reached it.
A 5-3-6 double play in the books, but one entirely made possible by De La Cruz's instincts and agility. It was the second 5-3-6 double play turned since the start of the 2024 season, the other coming in April of last year when Anthony Volpe beat Matt Chapman to the bag.
“I wish [pitcher Graham] Ashcraft or [catcher Will] Banfield would have been there but it was an extremely good play," manager Terry Francona said.
It's been a banner week for the 24-year-old, who always seems to bring his best against the Dodgers. Last week when the Reds played them in L.A., he unleashed a 102 mph relay throw from the outfield to eliminate a potential inside-the-park homer, breaking his own record for the hardest assist tracked by an infielder.
Then on Monday night, back home against the Dodgers, De La Cruz hit a 457-foot homer that left Great American Ball Park.
He's a walking highlight machine. Actually, sometimes he's a sprinting highlight machine.