Reds' Elly De La Cruz: In midst of offensive lull
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De La Cruz went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Monday's 7-0 loss to the Dodgers.
De La Cruz has started in all but one of the Reds' 132 games to date, but the rigors of the long season seem to be catching up with the 25-year-old. Though his .799 OPS on the season isn't far behind his 2024 mark of .810, De La Cruz is slashing just .217/.258/.293 with a 29.9 percent strikeout rate in August, and he's offered limited impact in the counting categories this month with zero home runs, two steals, 10 runs and five RBI across 22 contests. According to Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati, De La Cruz has been managing a quadriceps injury, which could explain his relative lack of activity as a baserunner in recent weeks. De La Cruz is expected to keep playing on an everyday basis as the Reds battle for a wild-card spot heading into September, and while he may continue to be selective with his steal attempts, fantasy managers should eventually expect some improvement with his production as a hitter. Even in a down month, De La Cruz is still striking the ball with authority; he's sporting a 41 percent hard-hit rate and has produced 16 batted-ball events exceeding 100 miles per hour thus far in August.
