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I replaced [more effective use direct limits] by [more effective the use of limits]. I fact I think the limit here is inverse and not direct.

The key point is to generalize the problem in order to make more effective the use of limits. Consider more generally for any $R$-module $R$ the natural map $$f_{M,Y}: M \otimes_R \prod_{y \in Y} R \rightarrow \prod_{y \in Y} M$$ given by $m \otimes (r_y) \mapsto (r_y m)$. In the special case $M = R^X$ this recovers the map in question, so it would suffice more generally to prove that such maps $f_{M,Y}$ are injective.

If some $\xi$ lies in the kernel then by writing it as a finite sum of elementary tensors we get a finitely generated $R$-submodule $N \subset M$ such that $\xi$ comes from some $\theta \in N \otimes R^Y$ and then $f_{N,X}(\theta) = 0$ since the target is left-exact in $M$. Hence, it suffices to treat the case when $M$ is finitely generated. If $M$ is finitely presented then $f_{R,X}$ is an isomorphism because right-exactness of source and target allows one to reduce to the case of finite free $M$ (which is easy). So this gives an affirmative answer when $R$ is noetherian.

Are you interested in non-noetherian $R$?

user74230
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