Matt

McLain

The surprising part is that they also sent down Edwin Arroyo, giving McLain what appears to be another real chance at playing time at second base after he struggled mightily in 309 plate appearances so far this year. McLain has eight homers and 11 stolen bases despite hitting .190, so he may be of deep-league interest again if he can start hitting.

Francona added that they want McLain to continue getting at-bats in the minors for a few additional games. The 26-year-old middle infielder has been out with a calf strain since mid-July. He generated a ton of hype with a stellar performance in spring training, but has really struggled at the dish this season, hitting .190 with eight homers and 11 steals in 309 plate appearances.

McLain, who was dealing with a calf strain, looks likely to be back after just a short layoff if the Reds will have him. There’s not exactly a spot in the lineup for him with Edwin Arroyo essentially becoming the everyday second baseman while Ke’Bryan Hayes has been activated to play good defense at third base and get two hits every 10 at-bats. The Reds had started to try him in center field before the injury, so perhaps that’s another ticket to the lineup.

McLain’s calf injury helps the Reds activate Ke’Bryan Hayes. McLain was day-to-day with the calf as of last night. McLain has hit a disappointing .190/.293/.328 in 309 plate appearances this year, though he has provided 11 stolen bases and eight homers along the way. Managers in deeper leagues can probably cut bait at this point if they have better options on the wire.

It was a box score-stuffing night for Hayes, who also played the entire game at third base. He’s played only four rehab games so far, but he seems like he’ll be ready to go after the All-Star break. Since Hayes has no minor league options left, the Reds will likely need to decide whether to send down Edwin Arroyo or Matt McLain when Hayes is ready to come back. Another option could be Nathaniel Lowe, who has hit just .203/.313/.261 with a 34 percent strikeout rate in 27 games since June 1st.

McLain made his first appearance in the outfield during Tuesday’s contest in Milwaukee and will draw his first start there during this one. The transition to more of a multi-position role feels like a clear indication that the Reds are going to roll with top prospect Edwin Arroyo as their primary second baseman. He’s made five consecutive starts at the keystone since last weekend.

There was reason for concern after De La Cruz sprained his left ankle during Sunday’s series finale against the Pirates. The 24-year-old fantasy superstar was able to finish out the contest, just his second since returning from a three-week stint on the injured list with a hamstring strain, and the Reds have apparently determined that he won’t require any additional time off to recover. It’s an extremely encouraging sign that he’s ready for Monday’s contest in Milwaukee at DH while Matt McLain handles shortstop with rookie Edwin Arroyo at the keystone.

It’s challenging to read too much into a single lineup decision, but it qualifies as noteworthy that Arroyo is at the keystone during Elly De La Cruz’s first contest back from the injured list with Matt McLain on the bench. It’s also an extremely encouraging sign that Cincinnati chose to keep him around instead of shipping him back to the minors. It’ won’t be easy for Arroyo to carve out enough playing to make an impact in shallow fantasy leagues, but he’s clearly a significant part of Cincinnati’s future at second base.

De La Cruz went 2-for-8 with a home run during a brief three-game rehab stint with Triple-A Louisville over the weekend. The electrifying 24-year-old shortstop will rejoin Cincinnati’s lineup after missing just over three weeks with a low-grade hamstring strain. He was hitting .280/.346/.509 with 40 runs scored, 12 homers, 37 RBI and 10 steals through 58 games prior to the injury. The biggest question mark surrounding his arrival is whether top prospect Edwin Arroyo will remain in the big leagues as part of their second base rotation or wind up being shipped back to Triple-A.

Spencer Steer takes over at the keystone to face Yankees rookie starter Elmer Rodríguez with top prospect Edwin Arroyo at shortstop for his eighth consecutive start since June 12. The big question for fantasy managers is whether Arroyo, who is hitting just .255 (12-for-47) through 17 games since being called up, will remain in the big leagues once Elly De La Cruz (hamstring) is ready to return from the injured list in a couple days.