2:12 p.m: Francona said De La Cruz will likely miss two to four weeks, according to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com.
11:36am: The Reds announced on Monday that they have signed the star shortstop Elly De La Cruz on the 10-day disabled list with a right hamstring strain and recall Edwin Arroyo from Triple-A Louisville for his major league debut. Cincinnati also picked up the lefty’s contract Brandon Leibrandt and the designated right hand Yunior Marté with a share in the corresponding movement. Franchys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reported that the Reds will place De La Cruz on the IL and promote Arroyo shortly before the official roster announcement.
De La Cruz suffered a hamstring injury in Sunday’s game. When he drove the ball into the right-center field gap for what looked like an easy double — if not a triple, given his speed — he instead stood up at first in obvious pain (video link). A quick visit from the coaching staff ended with an early exit from the game. He then underwent an MRI which revealed complications. Cincinnati has not given a timeline for a possible return or revealed the level of tightness De La Cruz was diagnosed with. Manager Terry Francona will likely provide more details before tonight’s game against the visiting Royals.
The injury to De La Cruz, 24, has almost had the biggest impact on Cincinnati in the absence of injuries. The hitting dynamo was putting together perhaps the best season of his exciting young career, posting a .280/.346/.509 slash (134 wRC+) with twelve homers, 13 doubles (14, if not for this injury), triples and 10 steals. He’s hitting for power at the highest rate of his career, and after struggling a lot in the right-handed batter’s box during the first three seasons of his career, De La Cruz has had an impressive season in that regard as well (.299/.342/.642 in 73 plate appearances against southpaws).
If there’s a silver lining for Reds fans, it’s that De La Cruz’s injury serves as a catalyst for the promotion of Arroyo — one of the hottest prospects in all of Minor League Baseball right now. Another switch hitter, Arroyo is just 22 years old but has been tearing up Triple-A with a .323/.383/.562 batting line in 250 plate appearances. He has homered 11 times and added nine doubles, five triples and nine triples. He has been hitting at an absurd rate especially over the past month: .368/.406/.705.
Originally drafted by the Mariners with the No. 48 pick back in 2021, Arroyo was traded to the Reds as part of a trade deal. Luis Castillo back in Seattle. He was a consensus top-100 prospect at the time. His stock dipped in subsequent seasons, in no small part due to a shoulder injury that required surgery and ended his entire 2024 season. However, Arroyo’s torrid 2026 release reached the bottom of the top 100 lists on MLB.com and Baseball America. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel listed him as the top prospect in Cincinnati’s lineup this morning, noting that Arroyo’s strength appears to be fully back after an understandable dip last year in returning to that shoulder workout. Arroyo hit just three long balls in 120 games last year.
Arroyo has primarily been a shortstop in his professional career, but has played second base and third base in recent seasons — likely realizing that shortstop won’t be open in Cincinnati anytime soon, as long as De La Cruz stays healthy. He’ll step into De La Cruz’s shortstop spot for now, but if Arroyo hits, it’s not at all out of the question that he can live up to the call-up to the bigs and be a dominant presence at third base and/or second base when De La Cruz returns. Not a third baseman It’s Bryan Hayes or second baseman Matt McLain hit at all this season — and that’s surprisingly true of the former (.142/.195/.225 in 128 plate appearances). Hayes is currently on the injured list with a disc injury in his back, continuing a long history of back ailments.
Leibrandt, 33, is the son of former major leaguer Charlie Leibrandt. He was pitched for parts of two minor league seasons: the 2020 campaign with Miami and the 2024 season with Cincinnati. He allowed nine runs in 15 1/3 major league frames. The young Leibrandt posted a 5.23 ERA in 11 Triple-A starts this season, though the worst amount of damage he’s dealt has come in his most recent start. Leibrandt logged a solid enough 4.29 ERA through his first 10 starts before being struck out for six runs in 1 1/3 innings against the Twins’ Triple-A club last time out.
Injuries have decimated both the Cincinnati bullpen and the rotation. The Reds have it Hunter Greene, Rhett Lowder again Brandon Williamson all on the injured list. The beginnings of depth love Chase Petty, Julian Aguiar again Jose Franco sleep well in Triple-A. The Reds have already brought in a veteran Chris Paddack on the ship after his release from Miami; he allowed a total of nine runs on eight hits against seven walks in three five-inning starts. In the bullpen, the relievers Graham Ashcraft, Emilio Pagan again Pierce Johnson they are on the injured list; Ashcraft was recently placed on the 60-day IL due to a UCL sprain.
Marté, 31, was just called up last Friday when Ashcraft beat IL. The right-hander appeared in one game, facing six batters and allowing five of them to reach. He ended up being charged with four runs in one-third of an inning. Marté pitched in four MLB seasons, totaling 113 2/3 innings with a 5.94 ERA. He throws hard and has the ability to miss bats but has consistently shown lax command while struggling to limit damage to left-handed hitters in particular. He will be traded, waived or released within the next five days.
