Elly De La Cruz engages in insane strength and conditioning workouts a day after Christmas

Time doesn't stop just because it's holidays. While the world is still in holiday cheer, Elly De La Cruz is already making days count in the lead-up to the next season.

The Cincinnati Reds shortstop, who hit .259, 25 home runs, 76 RBIs, and a major league-leading 67 stolen bases last season, earned his first All-Star selection in 2024. In order to replicate that year, the Dominican Republic native has already started his strength and conditioning workouts.

On Thursday, a day after Christmas, De La Cruz shared a glimpse of his intense training session in an Instagram story. The clip showed De La Cruz pulling a weighted sled across a grassy field. The setting appears to be an athletic facility or stadium, with buildings and a track visible in the background.

"Here we are 🤲🏾🤎🥹 December 26," he wrote in the caption.

Elly De La Cruz's Instagram story

Reds president discusses next improvement level for Elly De La Cruz

The 2024 Elly De La Cruz was different from the seasons prior. In just his second year, the Dominican showed why he belonged here. He would like the 2024 season to be a step rather than a ceiling as he goes about things in the offseason.

Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall suggested some points of improvement the shortstop could bring to his game.

“If he can cut down some of his strikeouts and put more balls in play, he’s going to hit more home runs. He’s going to get more base hits. He’s going to get on base more to steal more bases," Krall said in October.

"He’s learning how to be a big leaguer while still creating impact as a player. While he still is an elite player, he still has a lot of room to grow as a 22-year-old and can continue to get better.”

Elly De La Cruz was struck out a major league-leading 218 times across 618 at-bats in 2024 while walking only 69 times. He needs to improve on that front as Krall said.