CINCINNATI — Elly De La Cruz exited the Cincinnati Reds' game against the Atlanta Braves on May 31, 2026, due to right hamstring tightness. He left the game in the fifth inning after feeling discomfort while running to first base on a hit.
De La Cruz walked off the field under his own power following a brief consultation with the Reds’ training staff. Matt McLain replaced him in the lineup for the remainder of the game. Before the injury, De La Cruz had reached base safely in all three plate appearances, going 2-for-2 with two runs scored and a walk.
De La Cruz described the moment the injury occurred, saying, "When I was making the turn to get to first, I felt tightness in my hamstring and immediately decided to stop because I felt like if I keep going it could get worse." He added, "I don’t believe it is something bad. I really don’t. We’ll see what the MRI says tomorrow. I don’t feel that bad. I don’t know if I’ll be playing tomorrow. I don’t like to be out of the game."
Reds manager Terry Francona said, "He feels like he caught it before it did anything worse. Saying that, we’re going to get him scanned at 9 in the morning and we’ll know more." De La Cruz underwent an MRI on June 1, 2026, to evaluate the extent of the hamstring issue.
De La Cruz has appeared in 276 consecutive games, a streak that began on July 30, 2024, which ranks as the sixth-longest for a Reds player in the expansion era (since 1961). He is batting .280 with 12 home runs during the 2026 season.