Elly De La Cruz Injured, Latest Updates and Timeline to Return After Reds Star Exits vs. Cubs

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz appears to have avoided a major injury after exiting Sunday night's 7-5 win against the Chicago Cubs with a quad injury.

De La Cruz was diagnosed with a small quad strain, with a doctor noting that the star can play through it. The team will monitor the situation moving forward.

De La Cruz is in the lineup for Monday's series opener against the San Diego Padres, though he will serve as the team's designated hitter:

The team announced on Sunday that De La Cruz left the game with left quad tightness, and Joey Votto said on the NBC broadcast that the shortstop was "not in perfect shape" as he came out.

De La Cruz had been putting together a strong game before exiting, going 2-for-4 with a run as the Reds led the Cubs.

After the win, manager Terry Francona revealed that De La Cruz may be able to play on Monday:

The 24-year-old has notched 21 home runs, 60 RBI and 24 stolen bases while slashing .269/.349/.476.

A quad injury is not unfamiliar territory for De La Cruz. He played much of the second half of the 2025 season with what the team referred to as a "partial tear" of his quadriceps.

"If you look at his year last year -- and I think a lot of people don't know this -- at the end of the year, like toward the end of July, he was dealing with a partial torn quad," president of baseball operations Nick Krall said in November. "... "To his credit, he played every day. He tried to grind through it. He tried to play through it."

The Reds and De La Cruz hope the injury on Sunday isn't a long-term ordeal, but it at least could be something he's dealt with in the past.

De La Cruz also dealt with a right hamstring strain earlier this season that forced him to spend 10 days on the injured list, but he's been able to stay healthy since then.

The injury comes as the Reds sit in fifth place in the NL Central and eight games back in the wild-card race at 64-72. With their playoff chances slim, the team need to be cautious with De La Cruz as they look to avoid a significant injury to their star.