CHICAGO — In what could be a cause for concern, Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz exited Sunday's 7-5 win against the Cubs with tightness in his left quadriceps. It's the same area of De La Cruz's leg that plagued him for much of the 2025 season.
De La Cruz, who was 2-for-4 with a run scored, departed before the bottom of the seventh inning. Second baseman Matt McLain moved over to play shortstop and utility player Ivan Johnson entered the game at second.
During his second hit, De La Cruz had to run hard to beat a slow grounder to shortstop for a single in the top of the fifth inning. He later came home on Tyler Stephenson's two-run homer that gave Cincinnati a 6-3 lead.
Last season, despite playing all 162 games, De La Cruz was hampered for much of the second half by a left quadriceps strain. It affected him both offensively and defensively, when his error rate spiked.
This season, De La Cruz missed three weeks from June 1-23 with a right hamstring strain.