ATLANTA – Elly De La Cruz broke into the big leagues in 2023, wearing a locket on a chain around his neck wherever he went.
The Cincinnati Reds’ dynamic rookie sometimes would show the photo inside if someone asked. It’s a photo of his parents on the day he signed with the Reds.
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“Very strong family,” said teammate Andrew Abbott, who joins De La Cruz this week in Atlanta as the Reds’ two National League All-Stars.
Abbott and De La Cruz were All-Star teammates once before, at the 2022 Futures Game in Los Angeles, where Abbott got a chance to meet some of De La Cruz’s family.
Elly De La Cruz Monday at All-Star festivities.
“He’s very family oriented,” Abbott said. “How he grew up has a lot to do with who he is as a person.”
It’s hard to imagine family ever being more important to De La Cruz than it is now. His mother is with him in Atlanta for the All-Star Game, he said. But he was reluctant to talk about much else on the subject.
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On May 31, when the Reds were in Chicago, the De La Cruzes lost Elly’s sister, Genelis De La Cruz Sánchez, a mother of two, after a long illness.
De La Cruz insisted on playing the next game.
“We care so much about playing and a game and winning, but in a hurry you’re reminded of what’s really important,” manager Terry Francona said that day.
De La Cruz has worn his sister’s name and hearts on his gear since that game − a game in which he hit a home run and gestured to his heart and the sky as he crossed the plate.
Teammates and staff marvel at what came next. He went home to the Dominican Republic for his family a few days later, on a Reds off day. And by quirk of a suspended game, he hasn’t missed a game − with the encouragement and support of his family, he said, to keep playing.
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“Obviously, the hardships were tough, flying home, doing that,” Abbott said. “We’ve all known that’s part of his character. It’s always been. He’s big into supporting his family however he can. How he grew up has a lot to do with who he is as a person.”
For whatever it’s worth, who he is as a player has never inspired as much awe in teammates as it has the last six weeks. Which is saying something about a player who hit for the cycle two weeks into his career and stole three bases on two pitches two weeks later (including home).
From June 1 to the All-Star break, De La Cruz has hit .336 with seven home runs, a .415 on-base percentage and 1.001 OPS – a stretch that might be responsible for a second consecutive All-Star selection.
He was hitting .252 with a .736 OPS before that.
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“It speaks to who he is as a person. It speaks to the character that he holds himself to,” Abbott said. “Still being available to play, still being available to help the team. There’s nothing that kid wouldn’t do. I have the utmost respect for him.”
It speaks to his family, De La Cruz suggested.
“It means a lot,” he said of this All-Star trip. “It means a lot. We’ve been working hard, since I was a little kid. It means a lot to us.”
Asked about how he and the family are doing and how he’s able to perform like he has during this time of profound grief, he said he didn’t want to talk about that.
“I definitely think it’s a big driving force this year,” Abbott said, “just being able to honor her memory. …
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“And whatever way I can help, or any of us as teammates, we’re going to be there for him.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Reds All-Star Elly De La Cruz finds strength amid loss