Last season, Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz was an MVP candidate heading into the All-Star break. But the wheels fell off during the second half of 2025, and De La Cruz limped to the finish line — literally.
Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall mentioned during a radio show earlier this offseason that De La Cruz suffered a partially torn quad in late-July, and yet despite the injury, played all 162 games.
During the Winter Meetings, Reds manager Terry Francona appeared on the Foul Territory Podcast and finally admitted what nearly every member of the Cincinnati fanbase was screaming over the final two months of the 2025 season — Elly needed a day (or two) off.