Matt

McLain

McLain has 17 strikeouts and four hits in his last nine games, and his average is down to .154. His power is all of the way back after shoulder surgery, and that’s more important for the long run than his early strikeout troubles. Still, it’d be nice to see him put some more balls into play.

McLain snapped an 0-for-21 hitless streak with a seventh-inning single and immediately swiped second base for his fourth theft of the season. The 25-year-old speedster has gotten off to an ice-cold start this season, hitting .162 (12-for-74) with four homers and four steals through 20 games. We’re anticipating he’ll turn things around soon simply because he’s way too talented to continue struggling for much longer.

It appears to be a routine off day for McLain, who is hitting just .119 (5-for-42) with one homer and two steals in 11 games since returning from the injured list back on April 15. It’ll be Gavin Lux at second base during Sunday’s series finale against the Rockies.

McLain’s fourth homer in 12 games this year traveled 414 feet to center. It was a three-true outcomes night for the second baseman, just as many have been this season; with one of everything tonight, he’s homered, struck out (13 times) or walked (seven times) in more than half of his 47 plate appearances.

McLain was activated off the IL on Tuesday and started both Tuesday and Wednesday, so this is likely just a routine day off with a day game after a night game. The Reds may be cautious with McLain’s hamstring over the next couple of weeks, which could mean a slight uptick in Santiago Espinal’s playing time.

This will hopefully mean seeing a lot less of Santiago Espinal going forward. The Reds backdated McLain’s IL stint and had two days off recently, so McLain actually spent just five games on the injured list. We assume he’ll be back in the lineup as the No. 2 hitter tonight.

McLain heads to the injured list after being held out of Cincinnati’s lineup in four straight games dating back to last Thursday with a slight left hamstring strain. It doesn’t sound like a serious concern, but he’s going to need at least a couple additional days off to put the issue to bed and ensure that it doesn’t get worse. The 25-year-old is hitting .214 (6-for-28) with three homers and one steal in eight games. It’ll be a combination of Gavin Lux and Santiago Espinal filling the void at the keystone until at least mid-April.

McLain will miss his fourth-straight contest on Monday due to left hamstring tightness. It’ll be Gavin Lux taking a turn at the keystone on Monday evening in his absence. The 25-year-old infielder was able to pinch-hit last Friday, but didn’t make an appearance over the weekend. There’s been zero indication that he’ll require a trip to the injured list, but it’s hard to rule it out at this juncture. Fantasy managers should still consider him day-to-day for now.

Santiago Espinal makes his third straight start at second base, not that Terry Francona wouldn’t be trying to squeeze him somewhere in otherwise.

McLain will get at least a day off, and the Reds will want to make sure the 25-year-old doesn’t have anything more significant before putting him in the lineup. It’s a situation fantasy manager have to keep a close eye on. Blake Dunn is in the lineup in McLain’s place.