Reds All-Star Elly De La Cruz leaves game with hamstring injury

Elly De La Cruz's right hamstring tightness forced him from Sunday's game against the Atlanta Braves in the fifth inning, interrupting a productive day for Cincinnati. He led off the frame with a line drive between Braves center fielder Michael Harris II and right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr., then pulled up at first and was immediately attended to by athletic trainers before leaving. The two-time All-Star had started every game this season and 161 of 162 games last season, and he has now appeared in 276 consecutive games—the sixth-longest streak by a Reds player in the expansion era (since 1961). Offensively, De La Cruz singled and scored on JJ Bleday's double in the first, then walked, stole second and went to third on a throwing error before scoring on another Bleday double in the third. Leading off the fifth against Spencer Strider, he slowed to reach first and did not attempt to turn the hit into a double; Cincinnati replaced him with slumping second baseman Matt McLain. Edwin Arroyo, ranked No. 23 on The Athletic's top-50 prospects list, is hitting .323/.383/.562 for Triple-A Louisville but was not in the Bats' lineup Sunday against St. Paul. De La Cruz's exit underscores his role as a durable everyday contributor for Cincinnati, but the timing creates a temporary gap in the infield. Matt McLain moved into De La Cruz's spot, and the team did not announce a timetable for a return; the Reds will monitor the hamstring as they balance lineup stability with continued competitiveness in the series against Atlanta.