McLain went 0-for-3 with two walks, three stolen bases and one run scored in Tuesday's 5-3 extra-innings win over the Padres.
McLain was held hitless for just the second time over his seven games in June, but he still made an impact when he got on base. The trio of steals were his first attempts since he swiped a bag May 18 versus the Phillies. McLain is up to 10 thefts this season, and he's hitting .209 with a .684 OPS, eight home runs, 25 RBI and 28 runs scored through 63 contests. He's looked more comfortable all around since moving to shortstop in place of Elly De La Cruz (hamstring).
... See More... See Less
Reds' Matt McLain: Second career multi-homer game
Rotowire
McLain went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs in Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Cardinals.
It was the second career multi-homer effort by McLain, who has now gone deep in back-to-back games. The middle infielder was virtually unstoppable during spring training earlier this year, posting a 1.540 OPS across 59 Cactus League plate appearances, but he's cooled down dramatically since the start of the regular season. McLain is slashing .206/.303/.368 with eight long balls, 10 doubles, 25 RBI and seven stolen bases through 239 trips to the plate, but he could be starting up a power surge.
... See More... See Less
Reds' Matt McLain: Goes deep in loss
Rotowire
McLain started at shortstop and went 1-for-3 with a walk and a two-run home run in Saturday's 6-5 loss to St. Louis.
McLain launched his sixth home run of the season in the fourth inning, giving Cincinnati a 5-3 lead. He's started at shortstop in four of five games since Elly De La Cruz (hamstring) landed on the injured list. Edwin Arroyo started the other contest. De La Cruz has begun light baseball activity and will undergo an MRI checkup June 12, and he appears headed for a relatively brief IL stint.
... See More... See Less
Reds' Matt McLain: Filling in at shortstop
Rotowire
McLain started at shortstop and went 1-for-3 with a run scored in Wednesday's 5-2 loss to Kansas City.
McLain has started all three games at shortstop since Elly De La Cruz (hamstring) landed on the injured list. The Reds have slotted McLain in as the No. 9 hitter in all three games, while outfielder JJ Bleday has moved up to the No. 2 spot in the order in place of De La Cruz.
... See More... See Less
Reds' Matt McLain: Enters for injured teammate
Rotowire
McLain entered Sunday's game as a pinch runner for the injured Elly De La Cruz (hamstring) and finished the game at shortstop. He went 0-for-1 with a run scored.
McLain has experienced a reduction in playing time as the result of a silent bat. He's batting .038 (1-for-26) over his last eight games, and the Reds are using second base to get at-bats for Spencer Steer, who no longer has an everyday home in the outfield. De La Cruz is set to undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the extent of his injury. If he needs to miss time, the door to the starting lineup should reopen for McLain.
... See More... See Less
Reds' Matt McLain: Checking out of starting nine
Rotowire
McLain is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against Atlanta.
After going 0-for-2 with a walk in Saturday's 5-2 loss, the struggling McLain will head back to the bench for the third time in four games. The Reds will go with Spencer Steer at the keystone over McLain, who appears to be fading into a part-time role.
... See More... See Less
Reds' Matt McLain: Handed night off
Rotowire
McLain is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mets.
The Reds will give Spencer Steer a look at second base while McLain takes a seat after starting in the team's last three games. Though McLain has most commonly been deployed out of the No. 2 spot this season, he's made his last two starts as the Reds' No. 9 hitter while manager Terry Francona has handed the hot-hitting Blake Dunn more opportunities near the top of the lineup. McLain's slide down the batting order coincides with him recording just three hits and striking out 11 times in 34 at-bats over his last eight games.
... See More... See Less
Reds' Matt McLain: Moves up order
Rotowire
McLain batted leadoff and went 0-for-5 with an RBI in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Phillies.
McLain had spent a good portion of May in the bottom third of the order, but a productive 11-game stretch (1.067 OPS, three HR, 10 RBI) prompted manager Terry Francona to put him atop the order the last two games, once each against a lefty and righty. Although it didn't work out Tuesday, the manager has noodled around with various leadoff options after seemingly moving away from the slumping TJ Friedl. McLain was a staple and thrived in the upper third of the order when he first arrived to the big leagues in 2023.
... See More... See Less
Reds' Matt McLain: Dropped from starting nine Monday
Rotowire
McLain is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Cubs.
After being dropped to the ninth spot in the batting order during Sunday's 1-0 loss to the Pirates, McLain will be left out of the lineup entirely as the Reds open a four-game set in Chicago. McLain might be losing hold of a regular starting role, as he's undoubtedly failed to meet expectations for the Reds and fantasy managers alike early on this season. The 26-year-old has produced a .195/.308/.293 slash line with two home runs, five steals, nine RBI and 13 runs through 34 games.
... See More... See Less
Reds' Matt McLain: Sitting Saturday
Rotowire
McLain is not in the Reds' starting lineup against the Pirates on Saturday.
McLain has struggled at the plate as of late, having gone 3-for-24 (.125) with one steal, one RBI and 10 strikeouts over his last six games. He'll be on the bench for the start of Saturday's game while Sal Stewart starts at second base and bats in the cleanup spot.
... See More... See Less
Reds' Matt McLain: Taking seat Saturday
Rotowire
McLain isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Angels.
McLain will step out of the starting nine Saturday after going 0-for-4 to begin the series Friday. His absence will move Sal Stewart to second base while Nathaniel Lowe starts at first, batting sixth.
... See More... See Less
Reds' Matt McLain: Logs first steal
Rotowire
McLain went 0-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Sunday's 2-1 win over Texas.
McLain put himself in scoring position when he stole second base after leading off the eighth inning with a walk. He scored the game-winning run on an Elly De La Cruz single. The steal was the first in nine games for McLain, who had double-digit swipes in 2023 and 2025.
... See More... See Less
Reds' Matt McLain: Productive at plate in win
Rotowire
McLain went 3-for-4 with an RBI, a run scored and two walks in Saturday's 6-5 win over the Red Sox.
McLain tore the cover off the ball during spring training and is carrying it over to begin the regular season. The second baseman drew an eight-pitch walk in the first inning and later scored on a fielder's choice. He then drove in Ke'Bryan Hayes with an RBI double in his second plate appearance. Through two games, McLain is 3-for-7 at the plate with three walks.
... See More... See Less
Reds' Matt McLain: Back in action Tuesday
Rotowire
McLain (illness) is starting at second base and batting second in Tuesday's exhibition game against the Brewers, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
McLain was unavailable for Monday's exhibition game due to an illness, but he's good to go after taking a day to recover. The second baseman will begin the season batting second for the Reds after posting a .220/.300/.343 slash line with 15 homers and 18 steals in 147 regular-season games last year.
... See More... See Less
Reds' Matt McLain: Locked in at plate
Rotowire
McLain batted second and went 2-for-2 with two walks, two home runs, six RBI and a third run scored in Monday's spring game against the Cubs.
McLain is wielding a hot stick early in the Cactus League and is 8-for-14 with three homers and nine RBI through five games. He appears poised for a bounce-back season after slumping for much of 2025 and landing in the bottom of the order. McLain is looking like he did in 2023, when he posted an .864 OPS and 127 OPS+ as a rookie.
... See More... See Less
Reds' Matt McLain: Hitting second
Rotowire
McLain went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI while batting second in Sunday's spring training loss to the Mariners. The Reds would like to see McLain bat second this year, but manager Terry Francona won't force it, Charlie Goldsmith of The Dayton Daily News reports. He was hitting second in a lineup that featured a typical top of the order, with TJ Friedl and Elly De La Cruz sandwiching McLain and Eugenio Suarez batting cleanup.
McLain hit second 66 times last season and struggled in the role. Francona suggested that it won't merely be McLain's spring training stat line that will drive the batting-order decision. "Just like everyone, you want them to feel good about themselves when they leave here," Francona said. "That's the whole idea. If I had a formula, we'd do it. You want guys to play enough. Everyone is different, which is ok."
... See More... See Less
Reds' Matt McLain: Adds 12 pounds over offseason
Rotowire
McLain has added 12 pounds of muscle over the offseason, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
After rehabbing injuries each of the last two offseasons, McLain has been able to focus on training this winter and said he feels like he's getting a "fresh start" heading into the 2026 season. The second baseman slashed a disappointing .220/.300/.343 over 147 regular-season contests in 2025, but he has some bounce-back potential heading into his age-26 campaign.
... See More... See Less
Reds' Matt McLain: Getting rest Saturday
Rotowire
McLain isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Athletics.
McLain will get a breather Saturday after going 9-for-32 (.281) with a homer, four RBI and six runs scored through his first 10 games of September. Gavin Lux will start at the keystone instead, moving TJ Friedl into the DH spot and opening up center field for Will Benson.
... See More... See Less
Reds' Matt McLain: In productive stretch
Rotowire
McLain went 1-for-1 with two walks and a solo home run in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Mets.
McLain and other Cincinnati hitters jumped on New York right-hander Jonah Tong for homers in three consecutive innings. He's launched three homers in the last seven games and extended a hit streak to nine contests, during which he's gone 11-for-27 (.407) with three home runs, six RBI and eight runs. His .230 batting average is at its highest point since April 2.
... See More... See Less
Reds' Matt McLain: Off day Wednesday
Rotowire
McLain is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies.
McLain will take a breather, and Santiago Espinal will man second base and bat eighth Wednesday. Over the last 30 days, McLain has slashed .279/.326/.349 with one home run, seven RBI, 11 runs scored, three stolen bases and a 7:26 BB:K. The extra-base power hasn't been there for McLain this season. After slugging .507 as a rookie in 2023, McLain missed the 2024 season and has slugged just .339 across 452 plate appearances this year.
