Elly De La Cruz wanted to play Friday, but the Reds had other plans

The Cincinnati Reds received encouraging news on Elly De La Cruz's injury Friday, but perhaps the most revealing update had nothing to do with medical scans. It had everything to do with how badly the superstar shortstop wants to get back on the field.

According to Reds manager Terry Francona, De La Cruz pushed to return Friday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks after recent imaging showed his injured hamstring is roughly 90 percent healed. The Reds, however, decided to hit the brakes.

For now, Cincinnati is choosing patience over urgency.

"Elly wanted to play tonight," Francona told reporters Friday. Instead, the organization plans to give the injury the entire weekend before determining the next step in his recovery process.

That's probably the smartest decision the Reds have made all month. De La Cruz has been sidelined since suffering a right hamstring strain while running through first base during a May 31 game against the Atlanta Braves. The injury landed him on the injured list June 1, marking the first IL stint of his major league career and ending a remarkable streak of 276 consecutive games played.

While the injury initially sparked concern throughout Cincinnati, Friday's update painted a much more optimistic picture. The Reds now appear to be approaching the final stages of De La Cruz's recovery.

The Reds know exactly what's at stake

The temptation to rush a player back becomes much stronger when that player happens to be one of baseball's most electrifying stars. Before the injury, De La Cruz was putting together another All-Star caliber season.

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The 24-year-old entered June hitting .280 with 12 home runs, 37 RBIs and an .855 OPS across 58 games. He ranked among the National League's most productive shortstops and remained one of the sport's most dangerous threats both at the plate and on the bases. His absence has been impossible to fully replace.

Matt McLain has handled additional work at shortstop while Edwin Arroyo and Noelvi Marte have helped fill defensive responsibilities, but there simply isn't another player in Cincinnati's lineup capable of impacting a game quite like De La Cruz. That's exactly why the Reds are being careful.

Hamstring injuries can be notoriously tricky, especially for players whose games depend heavily on speed and explosiveness. Bringing De La Cruz back at 90 percent only to watch him aggravate the injury would be a nightmare scenario for a team hoping to remain competitive throughout the summer.

A return could be coming sooner than expected

The most encouraging part of Francona's update wasn't the timeline. It was De La Cruz's mindset. Players don't lobby to get back into the lineup if they're still struggling to move around the field.

The fact that De La Cruz believed he was ready speaks volumes about how far he's progressed over the last two weeks. The Reds have not yet decided whether he'll require a minor league rehab assignment before returning to the majors. That determination will likely come after the club evaluates how his hamstring responds over the weekend.

Either way, all signs point toward De La Cruz nearing the finish line. And while he may have wanted to suit up Friday night, the Reds are betting that a few extra days of patience now could pay off much bigger later.

For a player as valuable as De La Cruz, that's a gamble worth taking.

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