Reds Call Up Top Prospect Amid Elly De La Cruz Injury
Leg injuries rarely end well for baseball players, especially for those who rely on power and speed. For the Cincinnati Reds, the writing was on the wall when superstar shortstop Elly De La Cruz left Sunday's game against the Atlanta Braves with a hamstring strain.
The speedy infielder pulled up as he reached first base after a line-drive hit to deep center field. De La Cruz immediately left the game and was replaced by Matt McLain at shortstop. Elly was working on a 2-for-2 game with two runs scored, a walk, and a stolen base. As first reported by Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com, the Reds are officially placing De La Cruz on the 10-Day IL as of Monday morning.
Following the game, De La Cruz was made available to the media, and at the time, he stated that he thought he had avoided a serious injury.
"Honestly, right now I don't feel that bad." Elly De La Cruz, indicating after the game that he thinks he caught hamstring before he did any serious damage. Will wait on the hamstring MRI Monday and then see how it goes but right now says he doesn't feel too bad at all. Reds may… pic.twitter.com/Ma9FS2ZJni
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) May 31, 2026
"I don't have pain, no pain, no soreness. I just feel the tightness at this moment", De La Cruz said through the team's interpreters. "I'm ready. We'll see what happens with the MRI, but I'm always going to be ready."
Obviously, the MRI came back with enough damage that prompted the Reds to make the difficult decision of placing De La Cruz on the 10-Day IL. De La Cruz is enjoying another productive year at the plate; in 58 games this year, the shortstop is slashing .280/.346/.509, with 12 home runs, 37 RBI, and 10 stolen bases.
In an exciting corresponding move, the Reds are promoting shortstop prospect Edwin Arroyo from Triple-A Louisville to take De La Cruz's place on the roster. Arroyo is the Reds' third-ranked prospect (per MLB Pipeline), and was acquired by the Reds from the Seattle Mariners in the Luis Castillo trade in 2022. If Arroyo suits up for the Reds on Monday, it will be his MLB debut.
Arroyo was hitting .323 with 11 home runs and 34 RBIs at Louisville Triple-A.
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) June 1, 2026
Arroyo has more than proven himself this year after being promoted to Triple-A to start the 2026 season. In 53 games for the Louisville Bats, Arroyo has a .945 OPS with 11 home runs, 34 RBI, and nine stolen bases. The 22-year-old has 70 total hits and has played both shortstop and third base. Arroyo also represented Puerto Rico at the World Baseball Classic this year, suiting up in two games for his home country.
The Reds will start a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals on Monday at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.
Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published June 1, 2026 at 10:12 AM.