Cincinnati Reds rookie infielder Elly De La Cruz is not in the team's starting lineup on Friday against the Houston Astros. It's the first game that he's been on the bench since being called up to the big leagues. De La Cruz was called up to much fanfare because of the way he was dominating in the minors, and in his first nine games in the majors, he's gone 8-for-34 (.235) with a double, triple, home run, four RBI, five stolen bases and 15 strikeouts in 40 plate appearances. The 21-year-old Dominican switch-hitter is physically imposing and can do it all on a baseball field, but he's gone hitless in his last three games with five strikeouts, so he'll get a breather heading into the weekend. Nick Senzel is making the start at third base and is batting seventh on Friday against Astros right-hander J.P. France.

Cincinnati Reds infield prospect Elly De La Cruz is starting at third base and is hitting cleanup on Saturday against the St. Louis Cardinals and right-hander Miles Mikolas. De La Cruz, one of the most impressive young players in the game, has played both third base and shortstop so far in his first week in the big leagues and he should continue to hit in the heart of the Reds' batting order. The 21-year-old Dominican, who is ranked as the fourth overall prospect in the league by MLB Pipeline, has lived up to his lofty expectations so far through four games. In 17 trips to the plate, De La Cruz has gone 5-for-15 (.333) with a double, triple, home run, two RBI, a stolen base and four runs scored. He needs to be rostered in all fantasy leagues and in all starting lineups in single-year formats.

Cincinnati Reds infield prospect Elly De La Cruz is getting the start at shortstop and is batting cleanup against the Los Angeles Dodgers and right-hander Noah Syndergaard in his second major-league start on Wednesday. De La Cruz hit cleanup and played third base in his big-league debut on Tuesday and finished 1-for-3 at the plate with a double and two walks. Kevin Newman will slide over to third base and will hit eighth, while Matt McLain will serve as the designated hitter while batting second. The 21-year-old De La Cruz is the No. 4 overall prospect in baseball, per MLB Pipeline, and he should be rostered in all fantasy formats for his immense upside at a premium position. There's nothing he can't do on a baseball field and he'll be playing every day in Cincy.

Cincinnati Reds infield prospect Elly De La Cruz is starting at third base and is hitting cleanup in his major-league debut on Tuesday against right-hander Tony Gonsolin and the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers. The No. 4 overall prospect in baseball, per MLB Pipeline, needs to be added immediately in all fantasy leagues if he's still available on your league's waiver wire. The 21-year-old infielder comes to the big leagues with high expectations after posting a 1.031 OPS, 12 home runs and 11 stolen bases in 38 games for Triple-A Louisville, and he's expected to play every day for the Reds moving forward. De La Cruz is a switch-hitter that should immediately become one of the most dynamic young players in the big leagues. He has five-tool potential and immense fantasy upside.

Cincinnati Reds infield prospect Elly De La Cruz has been called up to the big leagues to take the roster spot of Nick Senzel, who has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a right knee injury. It's a highly-anticipated promotion, considering the damage the 21-year-old has done at the Triple-A level this season. De La Cruz hit .297 with 12 home runs, 11 stolen bases, a 14% walk rate, and a 1.031 OPS across 186 trips to the plate. He tore through the High-A and Double-A levels with a massive combination of power and speed in the 2022 season and simply continued to do major damage at the minors' highest level in the 2023 campaign. Fantasy managers need to add De La Cruz immediately in any and all formats.

Cincinnati Reds top prospect Elly De La Cruz is having a phenomenal season in Triple-A, but it was a different story on Friday when the infielder went 0-for-5 with five punchouts. The game brought his slash line to .293/.390/.626, and he's gone deep 11 times, with 33 runs, 33 RBI, and 11 stolen bases over 35 games. De La Cruz could make it to the big leagues soon, but most of his value comes in dynasty leagues. The 21-year-old is the fourth-best prospect in all of baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, and he has 20-20 potential with his raw power and blazing speed.

Cincinnati Reds top prospect shortstop Elly De La Cruz hit a 450-foot home run for the Louisville Bats on Thursday night, bringing his minor league total to nine this season. The exit velocity of De La Cruz's homer was registered at 117.7 mph. Through 29 games in Triple-A, De La Cruz has hit a ball over 115 mph five times, which would tie the major league lead. After a slow start to his minor league season, De La Cruz is heating up in May, sporting a .329 average in the month. The Reds' top prospect appears ready to be called up and should be stashed in leagues where he is available.

Cincinnati Reds shortstop prospect Elly De La Cruz became the first entity in statcast history to have three hits with an exit velocity above 116 mph. No player or MLB team has collectively had three hits with an exit velocity above 116 mph. He accomplished this mind-boggling feat in a 3-for-4 showing with two home runs, a double, and a walk-off walk. Since returning from injury on April 20, De La Cruz is slashing .284/.321/.608 with five home runs, 13 RBI, and two stolen bases. The athletic anomaly is on the cusp of making the major-league roster, so the time to stash the super-prospect is now.

Cincinnati Reds top prospect Elly De La Cruz smacked his first long ball at the Triple-A level, a 107.3 miles-per-hour moonshot to dead center. A hamstring injury forced the 21-year-old to miss the first couple of weeks of the 2023 campaign, and he carries a mediocre .189/.231/.432 slash line through eight games. Nonetheless, it's a small sample size, and the resurgence of De La Cruz's 60-grade power stroke is an encouraging sign. The five-tool prospect posted a .945 OPS with 28 home runs and 47 stolen bases across 120 games between two minor-league levels last season. De La Cruz should already be stashed in deeper fantasy formats and expects to debut in the majors in 2023, barring setbacks.

The Cincinnati Reds activated top prospect Elly De La Cruz (hamstring) from the minor-league injured list on Thursday. De La Cruz will be making his 2023 season debut with Triple-A Louisville when he gets into a game. The 21-year-old shortstop suffered a left hamstring strain at the end of spring training, and he slashed an impressive .304/.359/.586 with 28 home runs, 86 RBI, 47 stolen bases and 87 runs scored in 121 games with High-A Dayton and Double-A Chattanooga last season. He should already be stashed in dynasty/keeper and NL-only leagues because of his five-tool upside, and there's a good chance De La Cruz will make his big-league debut in 2023. The young switch-hitter is one of the most exciting prospects in the game, but he'll need to cut down on his strikeouts at the next level.

Cincinnati Reds shortstop prospect Elly De La Cruz (hamstring) will miss the beginning of the Triple-A season with a hamstring strain. The 21-year-old was had a rough Cactus League with a .200 batting average and one homer to go along with five RBI in 25 at-bats. Despite his poor spring with limited at-bats, De La Cruz remains one of the better prospects in the game at the moment. The towering 6'5, switch-hitter has plenty of power his bat, but has also been aggressive throughout his young career. Expected to return around April 12, De La Cruz could force his way to the big leagues with a strong start to his season and little competition on the big-league roster. For now, he remains a safe stash in redraft leagues and dynasty managers should already be rostering the future shortstop of the Reds.

Cincinnati Reds shortstop prospect Elly De La Cruz has been reassigned to Triple-A Louisville. De La Cruz is the Reds top prospect, but had a rough spring hitting .200 with one home run and five RBI in 20 at-bats. Despite his rough spring, De La Cruz is one of the more exciting shortstops in the minor leagues and hit .304 with 28 homers, 86 RBI and 47 stolen bases this past season between High-A and Double-A. The 21-year-old shows impressive power out the shortstop position, but needs to work on his defense. Despite the reassignment, it wouldn't be surprising to see the youngster up in the big leagues this season with his main competition being defensive specialist Kevin Newman. De La Cruz should already be rostered in dynasty leagues and he makes for an intriguing stash in redraft leagues.

Cincinnati Reds top prospect Elly De La Cruz is unlikely to make the Opening Day roster in 2023 with only 47 games played above Single-A ball, but he'll still draw plenty of attention in spring training. The shortstop/third baseman is ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 14 prospect in all of baseball, so De La Cruz will be closely followed in the minor leagues again next season. As of now, Jose Barrero, Kevin Newman and Matt Reynolds will be the ones competing for the starting shortstop job for the Reds entering the 2023 campaign. De La Cruz, a switch-hitting 20-year-old, slashed a combined .304/.359/.586 with a .945 OPS, 28 home runs, 86 RBI, 87 runs scored and 47 stolen bases in 120 games with High-A Dayton and Double-A Chattanooga in 2022.