Elly De La Cruz is knocking on the door of the 30/30 club. Will the Reds shortstop have enough time to break through it before the 2026 season ends? During a 6-2 Reds win over the Dodgers on Wednesday night, De La Cruz connected for another home run -- his 28th of the season and the go-ahead hit -- while tying a career high by reaching safely in his 23rd consecutive game. “We’re all fortunate to have him play with our team," starting pitcher Andrew Abbott said. "I’ve played with him for years now, so I’ve seen all the fun stuff. He’s special. He’s an athlete. He’s a unicorn. He’s going to have a long career in this sport, and the way he’s doing it and producing for us right now, he’s going to do it for a long time." De La Cruz, who was 1-for-3 with an intentional walk and two runs scored, did not steal a base and sits at 26 for the year. There are 10 games remaining in Cincinnati's season. The list of Reds with 30-homer, 30-stolen base seasons isn't long, but it is impressive. It was previously done by Brandon Phillips (30 homers, 32 steals) in 2007, Barry Larkin (33, 36) in 1996 and Eric Davis (37, 50) in 1987. All three are Reds Hall of Famers, and Larkin is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. One player in the Major Leagues this season has reached 30/30: the Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong, who has 44 homers and 37 steals. Although the Reds are 1-5 vs. the Dodgers this season, De La Cruz's individual numbers tell a rosier story. In six games against Los Angeles, he's batting .429 with a 1.716 OPS, five homers and seven RBIs. That makes him responsible for more than half of the 13 runs the Reds have collectively scored against the Dodgers. Over 25 career games against the Dodgers, De La Cruz is batting .302 with a .993 OPS, seven homers and 14 RBIs. And during his 23-game on-base streak, he is batting .424 with a 1.273 OPS, eight homers, 17 RBIs and four steals. “He’s on time. He’s got balance," manager Terry Francona said. "When a guy is on balance, they shrink the strike zone a little bit, and he leverages the ball so well when he’s on balance and he uses the whole field.”
