Entering 2025, Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz was coming off a tremendous season in which he hit 25 home runs and stole an MLB-leading 67 bases in his first full Major League campaign.

With his phenomenal five-tool potential, De La Cruz's 2024 performance was seen as a potential stepping stone to even greater heights ahead for a player who was only entering his age-23 season. But things didn't go the way he and the Reds hoped, and he took a step back, posting a .776 OPS and regressing defensively.

On Wednesday, we learned more about what was behind De La Cruz's tough year. Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall joined the Reds Hot Stove podcast and said that De La Cruz, who appeared in all 162 games in 2025, was playing through a significant injury.

"If you look at his year

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