MLB The Show 25 cover star revealed

MLB The Show 25’s full reveal is right around the corner as pitchers and catchers are weeks away from reporting for spring training, and the game’s cover star has confirmed his involvement.

Base-stealing magician and Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz announced that he’ll be on the cover of the game in an Instagram post today, a little over a day after MLB The Show teased an announcement on social media, but the makers of the game have not confirmed the news yet.

Full details about the cover are likely coming soon, as it appears Sony is ready to dive into the yearly sports title’s cover star and further details, but for now, baseball fans can be happy to know that De La Cruz is representing the game this year and for hopefully a long time to come.

Last year, De La Cruz’s second year in MLB and first full season, he racked up 25 home runs and 76 runs batted in to go along with a whopping 67 stolen bases, good enough to take the top spot in the entire league. Combining his speed with his ability to hit towering home runs, he is currently one of the league’s most exciting players to watch for his feats on the field and youthful exuberance off of it, and is the premiere base-stealer in the game right now.

In two seasons (258 games), De La Cruz has a .250 batting average and .771 OPS out of the shortstop position for the Reds, a team that has struggled for years and is looking for a turnaround with the 6’5″ Dominican at the helm. At just 23 years old, De La Cruz is still coming into his own as both a man and a player. As he reaches the prime of his career, he will likely continue to get better, and the sky is the limit for a player like him who has several tools that teams look for in an athlete. He can hit for power, run extremely fast, hit for average, throw hard, and he plays an important position on the field.

In MLB The Show’s short teaser from Sunday, not much was shown other than the “25” in the logo appearing to have a holographic tint to it, which could be teasing improvements or new features for the popular Diamond Dynasty mode. In the mode, players open packs to collect cards that they can then use in multiplayer games, similar to Madden Ultimate Team and other modes like it.

De La Cruz would join an elite club of MLB stars to previously grace the MLB The Show cover, including Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Ken Griffey Jr., Vladimir Guererro Jr., Bryce Harper, and many more.

MLB The Show 25 will likely launch some time in late March or early April, just in time for the 2025 baseball season, but full details are expected to drop in the coming days.

Update on Jan. 27 at 3:42pm CT: Well, hold on a second. Now, Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson and Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes are saying that that they are the one supposed to be on the cover. We may be getting played into a reveal that features several stars on the cover. Stay tuned.