The Cincinnati Reds enter Friday night’s series opener against the Washington Nationals following a three-game sweep of the Athletics and wins in six of their last seven games.
During Friday’s game, the Reds announced historic news surrounding star shortstop Elly De La Cruz after he hit his 20th home run of the season.
Reds Announce De La Cruz News
With the home run, De La Cruz became just the third player in Reds franchise history to record three consecutive seasons with at least 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases.
Elly becomes the third player in Reds history with 20+ HR, 20+ SB in 3 straight seasons❗️ pic.twitter.com/4UGOJFvid3
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) August 8, 2026
Fans React on Social Media
“He really that guy,” a fan said.
Someone else added, “Hell yeah Elly!!!”
Another person wrote, “Electric Elly.”
“Elly is Da MAN!” a fan shared.
One more commented, “Don’t even think about trading him next year!”
De La Cruz’s 2026 Season
Despite missing time with an injury, De La Cruz entered Friday’s game batting .276 with 65 runs, 104 hits, 19 home runs, 53 RBIs and 21 stolen bases. After his home run, he now has 20 homers on the season while slugging .501 with an .857 OPS across 95 games and 377 at-bats.
Reds Right Now
Cincinnati is trying to dig itself out of the hole it created during a rough stretch over the last two months.
The Reds are 56-58 overall and sit in fourth place in the NL Central, just a half-game behind third place and four games out of a Wild Card spot. That keeps them in the playoff mix, at least for now, with more than 45 games remaining in the regular season.
Cincinnati Reds Announce Elly De La Cruz News During Nationals Series