Welcome to the show, Elly De La Cruz! The Cincinnati Reds have officially called up their top prospect to make his MLB debut tonight against Tony Gonsolin and the Los Angeles Dodgers. He currently ranks as the NUMBER ONE prospect in our very own Matt Selz top 400 rankings and the number four overall prospect in baseball on MLB.com. He has had a fantastic season at the AAA level, slashing .298/.398/.633 with 12 home runs and 11 stolen bases. This comes after a very impressive 2022 minor league season split between A+ and AA as he hit .304 with 28 home runs and 47 steals. If he is available on your fantasy baseball waiver wire, GO ADD HIM RIGHT NOW. 

 

Elly De La Cruz Fantasy Baseball Impact

He should be able to make an immediate impact from a fantasy perspective as he has all the tools to do so and brings a massive power/speed combo element to the table. On top of that, he gets to call Great American Ball Park his home field and that is fantastic for offense. The Reds field currently ranks 3rd in offensive park factor and I would be surprised if it doesn’t end up being 2nd by the end of the season (only to Coors Field). There really isn’t anything to not like with him from a fantasy baseball perspective and he likely takes over as the Reds everyday third basemen. He strikes out a bit more than you’d like to see (26.9-percent rate this year), but that won’t hurt you in most leagues. He has 3B/SS eligibility, which provides a ton of value in itself, as you can play him at either of those spots as well as MI and CI. If you play in leagues with weekly FAAB, like on NFBC, this is the type of player that you want to spend big on. 

Elly De La Cruz Betting Odds For Rookie of the Year and Reds Playoff Odds

He is currently the 4th favorite to win National League Rookie of the Year, despite no stats yet, which should give you a bit of indication of the type of player he is. His odds come in at +1000 on DraftKings Sportsbook, so that could be worth a wager if you believe in his ability to make that type of impact despite having so many less games to work with. You can also put down money on the Reds to make the playoffs at +1600, they are currently 27-33 and within 5.5 games of the NL Central lead and 5.0 games of a Wild Card Spot. 

 
 
 
 
 

Dodgers vs. Reds June 6, 2023: Latest Betting Lines and his DFS Price

This game will have many eyes on it with the excitement and hype surrounding Elly. This game has an over/under line at 10.5 runs on DraftKings Sportsbook, which is one of the highest on the slate. The Reds are underdogs at +155, while the Dodgers check in at -180 on the moneyline. As for MLB DFS, he is not available to be played on FanDuel tonight, but he is in the DraftKings player pool and is the minimum price $2,000. I would expect him to be an extremely popular play tonight as a punt option with massive upside, especially since this game is in Cincinnati which, as already stated, is a launching pad for offense.