Elly De La Cruz is back, Will Benson, Hunter Greene head to Louisville
· Yahoo Sports
In the midst of a make-or-break stretch of the season with three straight series against NL Central rivals, the Cincinnati Reds get their top player back from injury.
On Tuesday, June 23, the Reds officially activated two-time All-Star shortstop Elly De La Cruz from the injured list. De La Cruz has been out all month with a hamstring injury suffered against the Atlanta Braves on May 31.
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De La Cruz will jump right back into the lineup on Tuesday in the second game of the series against the first-place Milwaukee Brewers. He'll look to help a struggling offense that managed just two hits in a 2-1 extra innings loss in the series opener on Monday, June 22.
To make room for De La Cruz, the Reds optioned seldom-used outfielder Will Benson to Triple-A Louisville. Benson is hitting just .188 this season and has had just two pinch-hit at-bats over the last two weeks.
Prior to Monday's loss, De La Cruz, Benson and Dane Myers took live at-bats against injured Reds' closer Emilio Pagán, who is slated to begin a rehab assignment in Louisville this week.
Hunter Greene to make rehab assignment in Louisville Tuesday night
Joining Benson in Triple-A is Reds' ace Hunter Greene. The Reds transferred Greene's rehab assignment to Louisville on Tuesday.
Greene is slated to start for the Bats against the St. Paul Saints at Slugger Field on Tuesday night.
The Return of the Ace 🔥
— Louisville Bats (@LouisvilleBats) June 22, 2026
Hunter Greene is expected to make an MLB rehab start here at Louisville Slugger Field this Tuesday, June 23rd!
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Greene is on the comeback trail (elbow surgery/bone chips) toward his season debut after starting the year on the IL. The All-Star made a rehab start in Low A on Thursday, June 18, firing four shutout innings with six strikeouts for the ACL Reds in Arizona.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Elly De La Cruz is back, Will Benson, Hunter Greene head to Louisville