Matt

McLain

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.

It’s a welcome development for fantasy managers after McLain came off the bench to pinch-hit during Friday’s loss to Milwaukee. The 25-year-old middle infielder has gotten off to a sizzling-hot start at the plate with three homers in eight games, so it’s a positive sign that he’s not going to wind up missing any additional time.

McLain was scratched from Friday’s game due to tightness in his left hamstring, but the fact that he was available off the bench probably speaks well to his availability going forward. He also scorched the only ball that he hit — a 399-foot (107.6 mph EV) line out to center field that was the hardest hit ball by any Reds player in the ballgame. He still may get an extra day off on Saturday to rest, but it seems unlikely that McLain would require a trip to the injured list at this point.

McLain was on the field participating in pregame warmups when he consulted with the training staff and the decision was made to pull him from the lineup. Apparently, he tweaked the hamstring a few days ago and it was bothering him enough on Friday that he decided to speak up. For now, it doesn’t sound like there are any additional tests planned, so he should be considered day-to-day.

That’s three homers in four games for McLain, who appears to be back on the path to stardom after a lost 2024 due to shoulder surgery. He’s hit .291/.359/.525 with 19 homers in 93 games since debuting in 2023.

McLain took a sixth-inning pitch from Robbie Ray and clobbered it 402 feet at 107.9 mph for his second home run of the year. The 25-year-old missed all of last year after shoulder surgery and an oblique injury, but he seems healthy right now and could be in for a big season.

He scored both runs the Reds got off Verlander. McLain’s plate discipline was lacking this spring after his year off, but the important thing is that his power has come all of the way back after shoulder surgery. In fact, he has five hard-hit balls through two games.