The Cincinnati Reds formally activated Elly De La Cruz from the 10-day injured list on Tuesday morning ahead of the team’s second game against the Milwaukee Brewers of this series. In doing so, the Reds add back their perennial All Star and offensive anchor, hopefully helping hoist a lineup back into respecability after it has limped through the three weeks without him.
In doing so, though, the Reds did not option to AAA the guy who’d been called up to replace him.
Cincinnati opted to keep infielder
Edwin Arroyo on the club, instead optioning the struggling Will Benson to Louisville as the other end of the transaction. For once, it finally seems the Reds chose to go with the ‘keep the 26 best players you have on the roster’ method to a roster move than they did ‘make sure guys we want for the future get as many PA as they possibly can’ route they’ve taken so many times before.
With Elly back, it certainly doesn’t look as if the Reds have a clear path to play Arroyo a lot. Elly will take shortstop back, Matt McLain – who posted an .807 OPS in the time Elly was sidelined – will slide back over to his customary 2B. Edwin can play some 3B, in theory, but that’s where Eugenio Suarez and Sal Stewart get most of the reps, while Stewart will have company at 1B with Spencer Steer and Nate Lowe in the mix, too.
If anything, it’s reflection of just how sturdy the team’s outfield is a the moment. Blake Dunn has looked perfectly cromulent in CF, actually hitting RHP better than LHP and providing increased speed and defense at the position over what they’d had earlier in the year. Noelvi Marte has hit .267/.313/.556 (.868 OPS) since being recalled as the team’s primary RF, while JJ Bleday’s breakout season is taking place in LF. Steer, who’ll also see time at 2B, has therefore seen his time as an outfielder dwindle since Marte’s return, while Benson had basically been benched altogether.
What Arroyo does bring to the table for manager Terry Francona is pretty elite defense, should the Reds need it late in the game at any point on the diamond, as well as the ability to hit from both sides of the plate late in games. Benson did not provide either of those things. I also get the impression that Tito would be willing to send Arroyo up there to bunt in a big spot, something that a) I don’t get the feeling he’d do with Benson and b) something that I acknowledge I hope won’t happen at all at any point.
It also begs the question – will the Reds ease Elly back into playing shortstop on a regular basis to help monitor his hamstring issue? Might we see him as the team’s DH a bit more often? If that’s the case, then prioritizing defense up the middle would see Arroyo/McLain take SS/2B as theirs on an often enough basis to make keeping their prized young infield prospect on the roster instead of down at AAA getting 4-5 PA every single day.
We’ll find out in the coming weeks. What’s most important, though, is that the Reds now have their best player back for a crucial stretch of baseball.
