Elly De La Cruz had 25 home runs for the Cincinnati Reds in 2024. / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Elly De La Cruz is back and so are his monster home runs.

On Monday, the Cincinnati Reds shortstop finally got on the board with his first round-tripper of the 2025 season and he got his money’s worth.

In the bottom of the second inning with two on and two out, De La Cruz took an 83 mph slider from Texas Rangers starter Kumar Rocker and turned it inside out. More than 415 feet later, the ball landed beyond the center field fence at Great American Ballpark. It left his bat at 107.2 mph.

Elly De La Cruz teed off on this pitch for his first home run of 2025 💥 pic.twitter.com/zIsrxEqP1w

— MLB (@MLB) March 31, 2025

That ball was destroyed.

De La Cruz remains one of baseball’s most exciting players. In 2024, the 23-year-old hit .259, with 25 home runs, 76 RBIs and 67 stolen bases. He finished with an OPS of .809. He does strike out a ton and had 218 in 160 games last season, but what he lacks in plate discipline he makes up for in pure excitement generated.