Elly De La Cruz has entered the NL MVP conversation, with elite shortstop metrics in the 2026 regular season putting the Cincinnati Reds' young star among the most impactful players in the National League. With the calendar reading Friday, September 18, 2026, and the regular season winding down, MLB.com has confirmed De La Cruz's candidacy is a real, ongoing discussion at the national level.
What De La Cruz Has Done in 2026
MLB.com has confirmed it: De La Cruz is posting elite metrics at shortstop, and the national MVP conversation has followed. The specifics weren't broken out in the sourced report, but that characterization — elite — at the most demanding position on the diamond is a meaningful signal. Shortstop demands range to both sides, a cannon arm, a bat that doesn't take the day off, and baserunning instincts to turn singles into problems for opposing pitchers. MLB.com reporting his output as MVP-caliber, deep into late September when ballots are effectively being written in real time, tells you this is a legitimate case.
What We Know
- De La Cruz has entered the NL MVP conversation based on his 2026 shortstop metrics, per MLB.com (confirmed September 18, 2026)
- The storyline was confirmed as of September 18, 2026, with the candidacy anchored to September 17, 2026
- The source for this reporting is MLB.com; no specific statistical figures were included in the sourced data, and none have been added here
- The Reds' team entity on record is consistent with the Cincinnati organization (ent_mlb_team_113)
With a handful of regular season games remaining, De La Cruz's performance over the final stretch will only sharpen or soften his MVP case. The voters will weigh what the full body of 2026 work looks like when the dust settles. For now, what is confirmed — by MLB.com, in late September of a regular season — is that Elly De La Cruz belongs in this conversation. For a Reds fan who has watched him develop, that fact alone is worth sitting with.
