Things have not been going well for the Cincinnati Reds in the month of May. After Monday's loss to the Philadelphia Phillies, the Reds are back to a .500 record, after starting the month eight games above .500.It's easy to pick apart everything going wrong with this team at the moment. However, there are also some major bright spots that are being lost as the team continues to plummet down the standings. The brightest star on this team has been Elly De La Cruz. May 17, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly de la Cruz (44) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the third inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn ImagesEntering his third full season, De La Cruz is becoming the star everyone hoped he would be in Cincinnati. The team of Ryan Phillips, Karl Rasmussen, and Tim Capurso at Sports Illustrated recently crafted their top 10 best shortstops in the game. Reds fans will see that the SI trio is very high on De La Cruz, as they have him ranked as the fourth best shorstop in MLB. Here's what they had to say about De La Cruz:May 17, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly de la Cruz (44) hits a home run during the third inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images"De La Cruz has arguably been baseball’s most exciting player since he debuted in 2023. Now he’s putting it all together. So far in 2026, he’s slashing .295/.356/.520 with 10 home runs, 29 RBIs and a wRC+ of 141. He's currently fifth in MLB with 2.3 fWAR. That follows two seasons where he combined to slash .261/.337/.455 with 47 home runs, 162 RBIs and 104 stolen bases. He has an incredible combination of power, speed, defensive range and arm strength. This season, it appears that all of his many talents are working together for the first time." It's easy to attack this team for their recent performance. But it should be just as easy to celebrate a player like De La Cruz, who is rapidly growing right in front of our eyes. I don't even want to think of a world where the Reds don't have De La Cruz in the lineup. The golden moments that happened in the month of April this season wouldn't even exist. May 15, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (44) looks for the ball in the sixth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn ImagesSure, you can be a pessimist and talk about the number that De La Cruz is going to earn when it's time for the big payday. That's a conversation in the back of every fan's mind. For now, try to enjoy a player who may be one of the best to put on a Reds uniform. Times are tough, but what isn't tough is getting to see #44 wow us on a nearly nightly basis. Thank you, Mr. De La Cruz. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow