Matt McLain Fantasy Stats

Cincinnati Reds middle infielder Matt McLain is making his first career start in center field and will bat eighth in Wednesday's contest on the road against the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers and left-hander Shane Drohan, per MLB.com. The Reds need a right-handed-hitting center fielder, with both Blake Dunn (elbow) and Dane Myers (shoulder) currently on the injured list. The 26-year-old former 17th overall pick in the 2021 MLB draft out of UCLA has lost out on playing time at second base to rookie Edwin Arroyo while coming into Wednesday's game with a .198 average (51-for-257) with eight home runs, 25 RBI, 11 stolen bases, 31 runs scored, and a 25.9% strikeout rate. McLain's strikeout rate is actually a career low, and he also has a career-best 11.8% walk rate, so positive regression should be coming his way in the second half. However, an everyday role in Cincy's lineup the rest of the way isn't guaranteed, which is why he's rostered in only 33% of Yahoo leagues now. He's been ice-cold at the plate in his last 11 games, going 3-for-27 (.111) with a double, two runs scored, a steal, four walks, and 14 strikeouts.

Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona said that middle infielder Matt McLain worked out in center field on Tuesday, according to FOX 19's Charlie Goldsmith. The Reds have a need in center field with both Blake Dunn (elbow) and Dane Myers (shoulder) going on the injured list recently, and McLain could give them a right-handed bat at the position to close out the first half of the season. The 26-year-old former 17th overall pick in 2021 out of UCLA is batting just .199/.303/.344 with a .646 OPS, eight home runs, 25 RBI, 31 runs scored, and 11 stolen bases across 256 at-bats in his third year in the big leagues, leading to rookie Edwin Arroyo taking over the majority of the playing time at the keystone in 2026. McLain moving to center field would open up another avenue for him to get into Cincy's lineup, but it remains to be seen if he'll see enough starts there to gain outfield eligibility in fantasy leagues. TJ Friedly is starting in center and batting ninth for the Reds on Tuesday against the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers and right-hander Brandon Sproat.

Cincinnati Reds infielder Matt McLain is rebuilding his fantasy value after a difficult start to the season. Over 245 at-bats, the 26-year-old is batting .204/.309/.355 with eight home runs, 25 RBI, 11 stolen bases, and a .664 OPS. He has looked more productive across his last 15 games, hitting .239/.364/.500 with three homers, nine runs, four RBI, and four steals. The batting average and strikeout rate still carry risk, but McLain has already demonstrated a much higher ceiling. He hit .290 with 16 home runs and 14 stolen bases over 89 games as a rookie in 2023. Under the hood, his current 9.9% barrel rate suggests there could be more room for untapped power upside. McLain's 43% Yahoo roster rate leaves him available in a majority of leagues, making him a strong pickup for managers seeking middle-infield power and speed as he begins to find his footing at the plate.

Across 268 plate appearances in 2026, Cincinnati Reds infielder Matt McLain is hitting .208/.315/.364 with eight home runs, 25 RBI, 31 runs scored, and 11 stolen bases. While the 26-year-old's season-long numbers don't leap off the page, he's begun to heat up in June. Across 46 plate appearances this month, McLain is hitting .270/.413/.595 with three home runs, five RBI, nine runs scored, and four stolen bases. With his 10.1% barrel rate and his homer-friendly home park in Cincinnati, McLain has significant power upside. He's also raised his walk rate to 12.3% while lowering his strikeout rate 23.9% so far this season, which should maximize his opportunities to get on base and use his speed. McLain's 20.4-degree launch angle limits his batting average upside, but he profiles as a potentially high-end power/speed threat for fantasy managers to target on the waiver wire.

Cincinnati Reds infielder Matt McLain is locked in at the plate right now. In the team's 5-3 loss on the road at Busch Stadium on Sunday to the division-rival St. Louis Cardinals, he went 2-for-4 at the plate with two solo home runs and two strikeouts to boost his season average to .206 and his OPS to .671. It was the 26-year-old's second career multi-homer game, and he has now cleared the fences three times in the last two games. McLain is still barely hitting over the Mendoza Line on the season, but he could be starting to turn the corner in June, going 5-for-15 (.333) in a small sample size of five games with three homers, a double, five RBI, and five runs scored in 17 plate appearances so far this month. Overall, the former 25th selection in 2018 out of UCLA has eight home runs, 25 RBI, 27 runs scored, and seven stolen bases across his 209 at-bats in 2026 as Cincy's starting second baseman. Keep in mind that McLain hit .290 (106-for-365) with 16 homers and 14 steals in 89 games in 2023 in his rookie season, and he also tore the cover off the baseball back in spring training.

Cincinnati Reds second baseman Matt McLain has been one of the bigger disappointments of the first two months, but he might be worth grabbing right now while he's slumping. The 26-year-old is hitting just .196 with five homers, 20 RBI, 22 runs, and seven steals across 56 games. He's been especially ice cold lately (1-for-26 in his last eight games), and he was out of the lineup on Sunday. Still, he showed some signs of life with a three-homer stretch in May, and he came in as a pinch-runner and played shortstop after Elly De La Cruz (hamstring) was removed from Sunday's game against the Braves. McLain is still viewed as the primary second baseman long-term and has the tools for a legit 15-20 HR, 15+ SB season once he gets going. Deeper-league managers should consider stashing him on the waiver wire (rostered in 38% of Yahoo leagues) while the price is this low. Update: McLain should see an uptick in at-bats now that De La Cruz was placed on the 10-day Injured List Monday.

Cincinnati Reds second baseman Matt McLain went 13-for-41 (.317) with three home runs, three doubles, 10 RBI, seven runs scored, and two stolen bases in 12 games from May 6 to May 18. In four games since then, though, he has gone hitless in 19 plate appearances with an RBI, no walks, and seven strikeouts. In 21 games in May, McLain is batting .178 (13-for-73) with three homers, three doubles, 11 RBI, seven runs, two steals, six walks, and 17 strikeouts across 80 plate appearances. On the season, the 26-year-old former 17th overall pick in 2021 out of UCLA is hitting under .200 with a .296 on-base percentage, .326 slugging percentage, and .622 OPS in 187 at-bats in his third season in the big leagues. McLain had an impressive 31 home runs, 100 RBI, and 32 steals in 236 games in his first two seasons in the majors (he missed 2024 due to injury), making him a nice sleeper candidate in fantasy going into this year. He has stayed healthy so far, but the results have been disappointing. If McLain continues to struggle, he could start to lose playing time as we get into the summer months.

Cincinnati Reds second baseman Matt McLain will hit the bench for Saturday's game against the visiting Los Angeles Angels at Great American Ballpark, according to MLB.com. Sal Stewart will make the start at the keystone and will hit cleanup for the Reds versus Angels rookie right-hander George Klassen. Spencer Steer is hitting second for Cincy. McLain hit seven home runs in 18 spring training games, but as soon as the games started to count, he's cooled off at the plate. The 26-year-old former first-rounder out of UCLA has gone 12-for-55 (.218) so far with no homers, three RBI, six runs scored, two stolen bases, seven walks, and 15 strikeouts in 64 plate appearances and 14 games played. McLain has plenty of time to turn things around offensively, but fantasy managers might want to keep him benched until he turns it around. Stewart, 22, is one of the brightest young position-player prospects in the big leagues with both power and speed. He's off to a great start, slashing .340/.458/.681 with four homers, nine RBI, eight runs, and three steals in 47 at-bats for the Reds.

Cincinnati Reds second baseman Matt McLain smacked a pair of doubles in a 2-for-5 effort in Tuesday's 6-3 extra-innings win over the Marlins, driving in two runs, scoring once, and stealing a base. Perhaps the former first-rounder is rounding into form with three multi-hit efforts in his last five games, raising his batting average from .190 to .238 on the season. The 28-year-old scorched the ball this spring, batting .509 with seven home runs, which inflated his ADP in fantasy drafts, so managers who invested in a bounce-back campaign should be encouraged by his recent play. The right-handed hitter will go up against the Marlins' Eury Perez on Wednesday, and although he's seen Perez only twice, McLain does have a home run off of him.

Cincinnati Reds second baseman Matt McLain has struggled early in the 2026 season, slashing .190 AVG, .370 OBP, and .238 SLG with four hits in six games. McLain broke out in his 2023 rookie year but has faced challenges since missing the entire 2024 season with a shoulder injury. Despite the slow start, his expected slugging percentage sits at .469, which suggests better results could follow. The 26-year-old may be dealing with poor early luck, and if his underlying metrics hold, McLain could begin to trend back toward his previous form in the coming weeks.