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Cincinnati Reds' Elly De La Cruz Goes Viral During Game in Dominican Republic

This is certainly something you don't see every day...

Brady Farkas

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (44) scores on a single hit by catcher Tyler Stephenson (not pictured) in the third inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park on Sept 21.
Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (44) scores on a single hit by catcher Tyler Stephenson (not pictured) in the third inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park on Sept 21. / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
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Cincinnati Reds infielder Elly De La Cruz went viral on social media on Wednesday because of something he did in the Dominican Republic.

De La Cruz took part in a game in his home country while wearing his full National League All-Star jersey. That's certainly not something you see every day...

The MLB "X" account posted the picture:

What more can you say? That's just a boss move across the board.

One of the most exciting players in baseball, De La Cruz is coming off a great season in 2024. He led baseball in steals with 67, and for a while, he was on pace to steal 100 bases. In addition to his baserunning prowess, he also hit 25 homers and hit .259, showing his ability to make more consistent contact.

If the Reds are going to take the next step in the National League Central, they are going to need another big year from De La Cruz. He'll pair with Matt McLain, Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott, Nick Lodolo, Spencer Steer and Christian Encarnacion-Strand to make up one of the best young cores in the entire sport. Cincinnati finished tied for second in the National League Central and also hired future Hall of Famer Terry Francona as manager, giving more reasons for optimism.

Outside of hiring Francona, Cincinnati has been relatively quiet this offseason. They brought back pitcher Nick Martinez on a qualifying offer deal and traded for righty Brady Singer in a deal with the Kansas City Royals.

It's unclear when they may strike again.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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