Slumping Cincinnati Reds rooki...

DETROIT — Cincinnati Reds rookie shortstop Elly De La Cruz got his first day out of the lineup in more than six weeks Wednesday, something manager David Bell has tried to give him for that  last couple weeks. It’s been tough to take him out of the lineup for a lot of reasons, said Bell, whose team is still working through what it hopes is the last of a COVID-19 outbreak and just had its backup shortstop on the active roster break his nose playing catch with De La Cruz pregame Saturday. That backup shortstop, rookie Noelvi Marte, was back in the starting lineup Wednesday for the first time since the nose incident, first time not playing third base. De La Cruz, the switch-hitter who has slumped at the plate in recent weeks, on Tuesday snapped a 0-for-22 skid against left-handers that dated to Aug. 23. Detroit Tigers ace lefty Eduardo Rodriguez started against the Reds on Wednesday. Even though Elly is young, he plays really hard, and he’s got some wear and tear just because of how he plays,” Bell said. “So just giving him one day to take a step back and observe and just not have a ton coming at him could really benefit Elly. De La Cruz, who is hitting just .182 with a .603 OPS since the All-Star break, was out of the starting lineup Wednesday for the first time since Aug. 2 in Chicago. Despite the slump, he has proven to be a game-changer in the field with his easy range and strongest infield arm in the league. And his MLB-best speed also has been a weapon on the bases when he has reached. We’ve had the team off days, but he hasn’t had too many days off where we have a game and he gets to sit and observe and be a young player that doesn’t have to have a lot of pressure on him,” Bell said, “for at least the beginning of the game. De La Cruz came off the bench to pinch run for Christian Encarnacion-Strand after a leadoff walk in the sixth.