Reds promote top prospect Elly De La Cruz to make MLB debut against Dodgers

The Cincinnati Reds are promoting 6-foot-5 shortstop Elly De La Cruz to make his major league debut against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Reds announced Tuesday that they were calling up the 21-year-old from Triple-A, giving one of the minor league’s most enticing talents his first big league test.

De La Cruz takes infielder/outfielder Nick Senzel’s roster spot. Senzel was placed on the 10-day injured list because of a right knee injury. Senzel was a late scratch on Monday.

Baseball America ranks De La Cruz as the sport’s third-best prospect, citing a tantalizing power-speed combination. He is hitting .298 with 12 home runs, 11 stolen bases and a 1.031 OPS with Triple-A Louisville this season.

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Signed out of the Dominican Republic as a teenager, De La Cruz hit 28 homers and stole 47 bases across Class A and Double-A last year.

The Reds have surprisingly remained around the periphery of the NL wild-card race this season thanks to big contributions from young players. Rookie Matt McLain has hit .329 while filling in at shortstop, 23-year-old Hunter Greene has dominated at times and Andrew Abbott pitched six scoreless innings in his major league debut Monday against Milwaukee.