Cincinnati Reds Roster
- NL Central
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- Great American Ball Park
Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz had a monster game on Thursday, going 4-for-4 with a double, three runs, an RBI, and an astounding four stolen bases. De La Cruz is now at 30 swipes on the season, putting him on a pace not seen since the 1980s. Although he has slowed down at the dish in May, he is still a major fantasy asset due to his stolen bases. He also has a .277 AVG, 35 runs, nine homers, and 22 RBI to round out his line, making him a five-category contributor. He's looking like a future first-rounder in fantasy leagues at this point.
Cincinnati Reds second baseman Jonathan India (migraine) is not in the starting lineup on Thursday with a migraine. He was also held out of Wednesday's lineup for the same reason. The 27-year-old should still be considered day-to-day. As a result, Santiago Espinal will get the starting nod at the keystone and bat in the eight-hole. Espinal has been swinging a hot bat as of late with a .400/.438/.600 line across his past five games with one home run. However, he has a tough task tonight in Tyler Glasnow, who enters Thursday with a 2.53 ERA and 73 punchouts across 57 innings, and is best to fade him in DFS this evening.
Cincinnati Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo (groin) was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left-groin strain on Wednesday. Lodolo last pitched on Saturday in a loss to the San Francisco Giants, when he allowed four earned runs on five hits in six innings. He felt the injury following a side bullpen session before that appearance. Over six starts in 2024, Lodolo has gone 3-2 with a solid 3.34 ERA and 0.94 WHIP while striking out 43 with nine walks in 35 innings. It's not considered a major injury, but the Reds wanted to put him on the IL as a precaution, especially since he made just seven starts in 2023 with a stress fracture in his left tibia. Fantasy managers should keep the former first-rounder stashed in all fantasy formats for his high-strikeout upside. The Reds haven't named a replacement for Lodolo's start on Thursday against the Dodgers, but swingman Nick Martinez is expected to get "significant innings" on Thursday, according to manager David Bell.
Cincinnati Reds second baseman Jonathan India (head) was scratched from the lineup on Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks due to a migraine headache. With India out of the lineup, Spencer Steer will move to second base and bat cleanup, while Jacob Hurtubise will play left field and hit in the nine-hole against Diamondbacks right-hander Brandon Pfaadt. Fantasy mangers should consider India day-to-day for now. It remains to be seen if he'll be feeling good enough to return for Thursday's series opener in Los Angeles against the Dodgers. The 27-year-old former Rookie of the Year is hitting just .228 (31-for-136) on the year but is playing everyday with Matt McLain (shoulder) sidelined for the foreseeable future. Steer is hitting 6-for-17 (.353) with two doubles and six RBI during his current five-game hitting streak.
Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz will retreat to the bench on Wednesday for the series finale on Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. This will be the first time that De La Cruz will take a day off. He's slowed down offensive since the calendar flipped to May, going 10-for-46 (.217) with a homer, two RBI, eight stolen bases and 18 strikeouts in 12 games played. Despite the recent slump so far in May, De La Cruz is a must-start in all fantasy formats when he's active, as he currently leads all of baseball with 26 stolen bases in just 42 games played, and he also has nine home runs and 21 RBI. Santiago Espinal is starting at the 6 and is hitting eighth in place of De La Cruz on Wednesday against Diamondbacks right-hander Brandon Pfaadt.