The first Diamond Dynasty monthly reward crown for the 2026 season belongs to Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz. Following a historic April featuring 10 total home runs, a 14-game hitting streak, and matching a franchise record for homers before May 1st, this switch-hitting powerhouse is the definitive prize of the April Spotlight program.
The best part? This top-tier 94 OVR Lightning Elly De La Cruz is completely free to obtain if you invest the necessary gameplay time.
The Core Requirement: Complete the April Lightning Collection
Unlike the Retro Lightning Chipper Jones card which requires expensive pack-pulls and millions of Stubs, unlocking Elly De La Cruz is straightforward. You only need to finish the reward tracks for all five weekly April Spotlight Drops to earn their respective, unsellable program reward cards.
Once you have unlocked all five player items, navigate to Spotlight Collections, find the April Lightning Collection, and lock them in.
Required Cards Checklist
| Program Drop | Player Card | Position | Team | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drop 1 | Kevin McGonigle | SS | DET | 90 |
| Drop 2 | Jo Adell | OF | LAA | 91 |
| Drop 3 | Jhoan Duran | CP | MIN | 91 |
| Drop 4 | Mike Trout | CF | LAA | 92 |
| Drop 5 | Ben Rice | 1B/C | NYY | 93 |
Fastest Method to Speedrun the Spotlight Programs
If you didn't keep up with the weekly drops during April, you can easily speedrun the programs now using the same systematic approach for each drop.
1. Knock Out the Moments First
Every Spotlight Drop features a dedicated set of Moments. Completing these gives you an immediate injection of up to 35 Program Stars. They take minimal time and provide the fastest baseline progress.
Tip: Skip the "Extreme" category moments if you find them frustrating or time-consuming; the standard moments yield plenty of progress.
2. Stack Parallel XP (PXP) in Offline Modes
The bulk of the remaining program points will come from statistical missions and PXP grinding.
- Build a squad loaded with Spotlight and Topps Now series players that you unlock along the reward path.
- Take this team into offline game modes like Conquest or Mini Seasons on lower difficulties (Rookie or Veteran).
- Stacking these specific players allows you to double-dip on the 3,000 general PXP missions and the 1,000 Spotlight-specific PXP missions simultaneously.
3. Complete Optional Pack Collections (If Available)
If you manage to pull base-tier Spotlight or Topps Now cards from the free packs rewarded along the program tracks, check the optional collections inside each Drop. Locking these extra cards in will give you a massive boost in program points, allowing you to bypass the longer stat-grinding missions entirely.
Once you hit the final milestone of Drop 5 and claim the 93 OVR Ben Rice, head over to your collection screen, lock in the five player items, and add the meta-defining 94 OVR Elly De La Cruz straight to your starting lineup.
Elly De La Cruz OVR 94
Elly De La Cruz OVR 94 Stats
Hitting Attributes
| Attribute | Rating |
|---|---|
| Contact Right | 90 |
| Contact Left | 95 |
| Power Right | 80 |
| Power Left | 97 |
| Vision | 60 |
| Discipline | 73 |
| Clutch | 96 |
| Bunt | 40 |
| Drag Bunt | 36 |
| Durability | 99 |
Fielding Attributes
| Attribute | Rating |
|---|---|
| Fielding | 81 |
| Arm Strength | 95 |
| Arm Accuracy | 65 |
| Reaction Left | 73 |
| Reaction Right | 85 |
| Reaction Forward | 70 |
| Reaction Back | 75 |
Speed Attributes
| Attribute | Rating |
|---|---|
| Speed | 73 |
| Stealing | 80 |
| Baserunning | 80 |
