The slow start to Elly De La Cruz's 2024 season ended abruptly on Monday as the Cincinnati Reds infielder registered a pair of very different home runs: A dazzling inside-the-park job and a 450-foot bomb that briefly looked destined for the banks of the Ohio River.

The homers are the first two of the current campaign for De La Cruz, who has been criticized in 2024 for everything from his defense to his poor pitch selection.

The 22-year-old native Dominican lifted his average to a healthy .297 with three hits in Monday's dramatic 10-8 win over the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers. He also stole his sixth base of the season – better than all but Brewers second baseman Brice Turang's seven.

But nothing on Monday could quite compare to De La Cruz's electric inside-the-park home run.

Not only did he round the bases in under 15 seconds, but De La Cruz wasn't even hustling out of the box and still managed to score on the ball that got by a diving Sal Frelick in center before rolling to the warning track.