Cincinnati Reds: Lineup showing more home run power this spring

During spring training, whenever the Cincinnati Reds had a split squad game, shortstop Elly De La Cruz made it clear that he wanted to play in whatever game he could get the most at-bats against left-handed pitching.

De La Cruz has always been stronger from the left side of the plate, and the switch hitter knew that he could make another leap in his career by producing much better against left-handed pitchers as a right-handed hitter.

This season, he now already has as many homers against left-handed pitching as he had in all of 2025. His power from the right side of the plate has improved significantly.

“We want to get better in everything,” De La Cruz said. “Not only hitting from the right side. Everything.”

It’s another reason why the Reds should hit more homers as a team this year than they did last year.

One of the defining traits of the 2025 Reds was the limited power production. So far, the Reds’ lineup is showing a lot more punch.

It’s started with De La Cruz’s growth from the right side of the plate.

“It’s a matter of the frequency of the at-bats,” hitting coach Valaika said. “He has had significantly more left-handed at-bats. It’s just getting the reps. Control the zone, swing at the right pitches, don’t try to do more right-handed because it hadn’t as productive.”

Having Sal Stewart in the lineup for a full season will make a huge impact. So far, the rookie has been about as productive as any hitter in all of baseball. His ability to hit for power even with two strikes is a rare skill for such a young player, and he’s looking like a cornerstone on the roster.

“He’ll take maybe a bad swing, but he regroups,” Reds manager Terry Francona said. “He doesn’t just give an at-bat away.”

Having Stewart’s presence in the lineup is forcing pitchers to throw more strikes to De La Cruz. They help each other and are becoming a very formidable duo in the middle of the lineup.

Stewart says that he doesn’t sell out for power. He prioritizes polished at-bats, competing and hitting line drives. His talent shines through as he turns those line drives into homers. It’s an old-school approach that’s working very well for him.

Similar to how Stewart’s presence in the lineup is helping De La Cruz, having Eugenio Suárez behind Stewart is helping the rookie. Suárez, the most prolific slugger on the team, has made a significant impact even though he hasn’t truly gotten scorching hot yet.