This story was excerpted from Mark Sheldon's Reds Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here . And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CINCINNATI -- Remember when Elly De La Cruz was tracking to have a 30-30 season ?

After a summer-long power outage and recent slump for the two-time Reds All-Star shortstop, it would require a remarkable final month for De La Cruz to get to 30 home runs. That also might be what it would take for the Reds to get into the playoffs .

Through 136 games, De La Cruz was slashing .273/.342/.453 with 19 homers, 77 RBIs and 32 stolen bases. His .574 OPS in 26 games this August is the worst month of his career (.585 in May 2024).

“I’ve been swinging at bad pitches lately, but that’s on me. They’re just doing their job," De La Cruz

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