Elly De La Cruz will remain the Cincinnati Reds’ shortstop.
That’s according to the team’s President of Baseball Operations, Nick Krall, who stated on October 6, 2025, that the organization plans to keep De La Cruz at shortstop for the 2026 season.
According to Charlie Goldsmith, there was a strong sense of “status quo” when Reds President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall and General Manager Brad Meador spoke to the media on Monday. However, they did announce one notable change regarding their rising star for the 2026 season.
“He got tired toward the middle of the season,” Krall said. “It caught up with him. We talked about what’s the best way to deploy him moving forward on a daily basis.”
It was evident that De La Cruz’s pursuit of playing all 162 games wore him down more than expected. Late in the season, his plate discipline noticeably declined, and his defense became inconsistent again. Giving him occasional rest days next year could make a significant difference.
Regarding his position, Krall was direct—there’s been no serious consideration of moving him from shortstop.
“As of right now, no,” he said. “He had some hiccups defensively in the second half of the season. We’ve got to figure out how to clean those up and get him to become a better shortstop and make those routine plays.”
One would have to think the Reds will need to make a change at that position if nothing improves with De La Cruz’s consistency.
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