Matt

McLain

With the Reds seemingly poised to give him another look in the two hole despite last season’s struggles, things are really looking up for McLain right now. His homers today both left the bat at over 107 mph and were projected at 412 and 421 feet. He’s 8-for-14 with three homers, three walks and just one strikeout in 17 plate appearances this spring. Last spring, he had a 17/2 K/BB in 57 plate appearances.

McLain took Coleman Crow deep in the first inning. He also singled and scored a second run. McLain was awful in 2025 with a .643 OPS, but fantasy managers shouldn’t forget how good he looked in his rookie campaign in 2023, and there’s a chance for some power/speed production this summer.

Francona seems committed to keeping TJ Friedl first and Elly De La Cruz third ahead of new cleanup man Eugenio Suárez. That means the No. 2 hitter pretty much has to be a righty. Marte is one, but he hit just .232/.288/.274 against lefties last season, compared to .275/.305/.516 against righties. There isn’t much reason to think that’s something that will stick going forward, but it might mean Marte hits fifth or sixth going forward. Sal Stewart seems like the best alternative to Marte, but it’ll probably take Francona some time to warm up to that idea. Matt McLain might get his old spot back if he has a nice spring.

“It’s kind of the first offseason I’ve had to actually train and not be rehabbing,” McLain said Friday. “It feels like a fresh start.” The 26-year-old former top prospect struggled in his return from shoulder surgery last season, striking out at a near-30 percent clip while producing a pedestrian 40.7 percent hard-hit rate that ranked 153rd out of 251 qualified hitters. McLain still offers an enticing power/speed foundation for fantasy purposes, and the combination of added muscle and being further removed from surgery offers a plausible path to more consistent hard contact.

McLain was called up early enough in the 2023 season to qualify as a Super Two player this year, and he’ll make about three times the minimum despite missing 2024 and struggling throughout last season. He should remain the Reds’ starting second baseman this year, but if he continues to falter offensively, the Reds have Gavin Lux and Sal Stewart as alternatives. Hopefully, it won’t come to that.

Stewart will get an opportunity in the heart of Cincinnati’s lineup to face Dodgers co-ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto after coming off the bench during the late stages of Tuesday’s series opener. The 21-year-old top prospect adds some serious thunder to the middle of the order in a win-or-go-home spot for the Reds after homering five times in 18 regular-season contests after being called up in early September. Here’s the full lineup: TJ Friedl (CF), Spencer Steer (LF), Gavin Lux (DH), Austin Hays (RF), Stewart (1B), Elly De La Cruz (SS), Tyler Stephenson (C), Ke’Bryan Hayes (3B) and Matt McLain (2B).

Hays missed seven consecutive games to close out the regular season due to back spasms. The 30-year-old corner outfielder is back in left field and batting cleanup against lefty Blake Snell on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium. Here’s the full lineup: TJ Friedl (CF), Noelvi Marte (RF), Miguel Andujar (DH), Hays (LF), Spencer Steer (1B), Elly De La Cruz (SS), Tyler Stephenson (C), Ke’Bryan Hayes (3B) and Matt McLain (2B).

McLain’s up-and-down September ends on a down, as he went 2-for-19 with nine strikeouts in his final six games to finish the season at .220/.300/.343. He’s been an everyday player of late, but the Reds could consider alternatives in the Wild Card series. The problem is that they just don’t much like Gavin Lux’s defense at second, narrowing their options.

He also swiped his 17th base. After a little surge at the end of August and the first week of September, McLain came into tonight 2-for-20 with 10 strikeouts in his previous seven games. Playing time might again become a question for him, but it hasn’t been an issue of late, mostly because of how banged up Spencer Steer has been.

McLain has returned to an everyday role in the Reds’ lineup in recent weeks, but he’ll get a breather in this one. Gavin Lux will cover second base in his place with TJ Friedl shifting to the designated hitter slot in the lineup and Will Benson drawing a start in center field.