Yankees catch lucky break with Reds' questionable Elly De La Cruz decision

After a successful road trip, the Yankees will be back in the Bronx this week to take on the White Sox and Reds over their next six games. Though Chicago is hot, they are without rookie sensation Munetaka Murakami. That was to be expected.

As for the Reds, they've been in a freefall. They are 13-26 since the start of May and have dropped to 33-37 in the surprisingly competitive NL Central. That's good for last place. So, with that precarious situation, you'd think they'd be acting with more urgency.

Superstar shortstop Elly De La Cruz has been out since June 1 with a hamstring injury, but has had a favorable recovery. He's ready to return, but the team is sending him out on a rehab assignment despite the fact he's only missed two weeks. That's going to take him out for the series against the Yankees.

If De La Cruz is healthy enough to play ... then why not just thrust him back into MLB action when the team is desperately in need of a jolt? While the Yankees have been great this year, they've also never been more vulnerable with all of the injuries taking hold on the roster.

De La Cruz might not have immediately returned to his All-Star form, but his presence in the lineup would've at least uplifted a struggling Reds offense that has scored more than five runs just once since May 27.

Yankees avoiding Elly De La Cruz thanks to Reds' rehab assignment decision

De La Cruz is objectively one of the best players in the sport, and he was having his best season to date before hitting the IL. We'd venture to say a guy that was hitting .280 with an .855 OPS and 131 OPS+ probably didn't need a tune-up at Triple-A. Just some aggressive baseball activities and live batting practice would've been sufficient.

The Yankees' pitching will be tough when the Reds come to town as Cam Schlittler, Will Warren and Gerrit Cole will be on the mound, but it's nothing a player of De La Cruz's caliber can't handle. He faces Paul Skenes and Jacob Misiorowski multiple times per year. The Reds will counter with Rhett Lowder, Andrew Abbott and Chase Burns. Abbott received Cy Young votes last year and Burns would be a surefire contender this year if Misiorowski and Cristopher Sanchez weren't on otherworldly runs at the moment.

The Reds' decision gives the Yankees even more of a break before they face the the floundering Tigers and Red Sox over their following nine games. Hey, we'll take what the opponent gives us, right?

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