Elly De La Cruz hitting leadoff against Pirates

De La Cruz’s home run was his 13th. He hit a two-run shot off Robert Gasser in the fifth inning. De La Cruz sprained left ankle on Sunday, but remained in the game. Monday was just his third game since retuning from a hamstring injury. By hitting the home run, De La Cruz showed he’s over his various ailments, which is great news for fantasy managers.

There was reason for concern after De La Cruz sprained his left ankle during Sunday’s series finale against the Pirates. The 24-year-old fantasy superstar was able to finish out the contest, just his second since returning from a three-week stint on the injured list with a hamstring strain, and the Reds have apparently determined that he won’t require any additional time off to recover. It’s an extremely encouraging sign that he’s ready for Monday’s contest in Milwaukee at DH while Matt McLain handles shortstop with rookie Edwin Arroyo at the keystone.

De La Cruz slipped coming out of the batter’s box on Sunday and later had to have his ankle taped. Reds manager Terry Francona said that the ankle “stiffened up” on De La Cruz after the game, and the team will need to re-evaluate him to decide whether or not a trip to the injured list is necessary. The Reds play seven days in a row this week, so the team could decide before Monday’s game.

Dunn was pulled from Saturday’s game after experiencing discomfort in his elbow. Still no word from the Reds on how long they expect the 27-year-old outfielder to miss, but it’ll be at least a week and a half. TJ Friedl was recalled from Triple-A Louisville in a corresponding move to take his place on the club’s active roster.

Dunn is heading back to Cincinnati to undergo additional evaluation and imaging after leaving Friday’s game against the Pirates in the sixth inning with elbow discomfort. He’s served as Cincinnati’s primary top-of-the-order table-setter since late May. It’s unclear whether he’ll require a trip to the injured list, but it seems likely ahead of Monday’s series opener against the Brewers. There should be an update on his status later this weekend.

It’s challenging to read too much into a single lineup decision, but it qualifies as noteworthy that Arroyo is at the keystone during Elly De La Cruz’s first contest back from the injured list with Matt McLain on the bench. It’s also an extremely encouraging sign that Cincinnati chose to keep him around instead of shipping him back to the minors. It’ won’t be easy for Arroyo to carve out enough playing to make an impact in shallow fantasy leagues, but he’s clearly a significant part of Cincinnati’s future at second base.

The Reds’ star missed a little over three weeks with a hamstring strain and will be back in the lineup on Tuesday. The bigger question will be who is in the lineup alongside him. With the Reds sending Will Benson to the minors, all of Eugenio Suarez, Edwin Arroyo, Matt McLain, Sal Stewart, and Nathaniel Lowe remain in Cincinnati’s infield. It will be curious to see how they balance the playing time, but Elly needs to be back in all lineups.

De La Cruz went 2-for-8 with a home run during a brief three-game rehab stint with Triple-A Louisville over the weekend. The electrifying 24-year-old shortstop will rejoin Cincinnati’s lineup after missing just over three weeks with a low-grade hamstring strain. He was hitting .280/.346/.509 with 40 runs scored, 12 homers, 37 RBI and 10 steals through 58 games prior to the injury. The biggest question mark surrounding his arrival is whether top prospect Edwin Arroyo will remain in the big leagues as part of their second base rotation or wind up being shipped back to Triple-A.

De La Cruz singled, went deep and also walked, reaching base safely in all three of his plate appearances during his rehab debut. He also logged five innings at shortstop. The 24-year-old fantasy superstar looked impressive while kicking off his rehab assignment and figures to return to Cincinnati’s lineup at some point later next week. He’s been on the shelf recovering from a hamstring strain since late May.

On a night where the Reds managed just four hits, Dunn was responsible for two of them. Dunn is slashing a respectable .273/.322/.382 on the month while serving as the Reds’ leadoff man and has also swiped four bases on five attempts.