CINCINNATI (AP) — The Cincinnati Reds are promoting 6-foot-5 shortstop Elly De La Cruz to make his major league debut against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Reds announced Tuesday that they were calling up the 21-year-old from Triple-A, giving one of the minor league’s most enticing talents his first big league test.
“I knew this day was going to come,” De La Cruz said through a translator. “But it didn’t mean that I was going to be weird about it or anything like that. I was just enjoying my moment out there (in the minors), playing out there like it was my last day and just enjoying the moment while I was there.”
De La Cruz will wear No. 44 and start at third base and bat cleanup in the opener of a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“Honestly, I’m just really excited to be here right now,” he said. “I’m ready to help out this team. I’m excited to get everything going right now.”
De La Cruz takes infielder/outfielder Nick Senzel’s roster spot. Senzel was placed on the 10-day injured list because of a right knee injury. Senzel was a late scratch on Monday.
Baseball America ranks De La Cruz as the sport’s third-best prospect, citing a tantalizing power-speed combination. He is hitting .298 with 12 home runs, 11 stolen bases and a 1.031 OPS with Triple-A Louisville this season.
Signed out of the Dominican Republic as a teenager, De La Cruz hit 28 homers and stole 47 bases across Class A and Double-A last year.
“We’ve talked about this a lot,” Reds manager David Bell said. “We knew Elly was going to be here. We got to know him in spring training. There’s a lot of players that are young players in our system that are going to be here over time. You don’t know for sure when that’s going to be.
“A lot of times, they just have to dictate when they’re ready, and that’s what Elly did. He went and played extremely well not only on the field, but just the way he approaches the game and the way he works. All the things that we’re looking for to add a player into our team and help us win.”
The Reds have surprisingly remained around the periphery of the NL wild-card race this season thanks to big contributions from young players. Rookie Matt McLain has hit .329 while filling in at shortstop, 23-year-old Hunter Greene has dominated at times and Andrew Abbott pitched six scoreless innings in his major league debut Monday against Milwaukee.
“What makes me excited about that is the rest of the group that we have. We are what we are. We’re looking for ways to get better every single day, and he’s going to be a great fit,” Bell said.
De La Cruz is eager to join his new Reds teammates. Cincinnati entered Tuesday at 27-33 on the season and 5 1/2 games behind first-place Pittsburgh in the NL Central.
“There’s a reason why they were called up, because they know that they can put themselves out there and make this team better and help the team win,” De La Cruz said. “That’s why I’m up here too.”
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