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Reds’ Chase Burns shares bold Elly De La Cruz claim that will catch Shohei Ohtani’s attention
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- Reds’ Chase Burns shares bold Elly De La Cruz claim that will catch Shohei Ohtani’s attention
Reds' Chase Burns shares bold Elly De La Cruz claim that will catch Shohei Ohtani's attention appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Who is the best baseball player in the world right now? Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani is a popular answer to that question. If you ask Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Chase Burns , however, he will tell you the answer is Elly De La Cruz .
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De La Cruz , a shortstop, made great defensive plays in the Reds' 7-2 victory over the Rockies on Tuesday while also hitting a home run. Burns started the game and went six innings while allowing only two runs and striking out nine hitters. He clearly appreciates having De La Cruz behind him at shortstop.
"He's unbelievable," Burns said of De La Cruz, via Chatterbox Sports. "… He's ridiculous. Best player in the world."
While most people around the MLB world would argue that Ohtani is the best player in the game, it is not surprising that Burns gave his teammate such a bold shoutout. He gets to watch the star shortstop play every day, and De La Cruz is indeed having a tremendous 2026 season .
De La Cruz is hitting .291/.362/.590 across 29 games played so far this season. He has hit 10 home runs as well. Additionally, De La Cruz is playing well at shortstop .
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The Reds have performed well overall. They are 19-10 and in first place in the National League Central. With De La Cruz leading the way, Cincinnati will continue to play with confidence. And if Elly De La Cruz continues to play at a high level, he could end up challenging Shohei Ohtani for the MVP award in the National League.
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