Matt McLain Has Three-Hit, Three-RBI Day For The Desert Dogs
Cincinnati Reds infielder Matt McLain went 3-for-5 with three RBI, a run scored, and stole his first base of the Arizona Fall League on Thursday while manning second base for the Glendale Desert Dogs. The 25-year-old is getting back into the swing of things after missing all of the 2024 regular season due to injury. Through 50 AFL at-bats, McLain is hitting .240 with a pair of doubles and four home runs. When last healthy, the former first-round draft pick put up a .290-16-50-65-14 line in just 89 games in 2023 and could be an under-the-radar value in 2025 fantasy drafts, although it is unclear whether he or former Rookie of the Year Jonathan India will be playing second base for Cincinnati. If McLain were to gain OF eligibility, a position which he's played a little in the AFL, it could make him even more useful for fantasy.
Matt McLain Homers Twice In Arizona Fall League Action
Cincinnati Reds infielder Matt McLain smacked a pair of two-run home runs in a 2-for-5 day at the plate for Glendale in the Arizona Fall League (AFL), his third and fourth homers of the fall season. The 25-year-old missed all of the 2024 regular season due to injuries and is in the AFL trying to knock off some of the rust, while even getting some playing time in the outfield, although Monday he was back at the keystone. Through 11 games in the AFL, McLain is hitting just .220, but six of his nine hits have gone for extra bases. The former first-round draft pick offers multi-category production when healthy and could be a nice value pick in 2025 fantasy drafts since he isn't top-of-mind after missing 2024. When last healthy, McLain put up a .290-16-50-65-14 line in just 89 games in 2023.
Cincinnati Reds infielder Matt McLain was starting in center field on Tuesday for the Glendale Desert Dogs in the Arizona Fall League. While the 25-year-old hit a home run in the contest, the fact that he was playing the outfield was perhaps the more intriguing development. He missed all of 2024 with injuries, but when he last played for the Reds in his rookie season of 2023, the former first-round draft pick played only second base or shortstop. As the AFL is where a lot of top talent goes to get some extra reps and potentially work on some specific skills, it seems the Reds are seeing if this gives them some flexibility in how McLain is deployed, as they already have plenty of infield talent including Elly De La Cruz, former NL Rookie of the Year Jonathan India, and more. When last healthy, McLain put up a .290-16-50-65-14 line in just 89 games in 2023, so the added versatility could be another way to get his bat in the lineup in 2025.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Matt McLain To Play In Arizona Fall League
Cincinnati Reds infielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand (hand), Matt McLain (shoulder) and Edwin Arroyo (shoulder) will play in the Arizona Fall League, which began play on Monday. Both McLain and Arroyo missed all of 2024 after suffering shoulder injuries. McLain also dealt with a stress reaction in his rib cage. He is slated to play shortstop, second base and center field in the AFL, and he could also play in the outfield. If fully healthy in 2025, McLain is expected to mostly see time at second in Cincinnati. Encarnacion-Strand was limited to 29 games before suffering a season-ending hand injury in June that required surgery. He will be available to play first and third base in the AFL and could also see action in the outfield. The 24-year-old will need to prove himself in spring training in order to find consistent playing time to open the 2025 campaign.
Matt McLain Pain-Free, To Resume Baseball Activities
Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell said that infielder Matt McLain (rib, shoulder) is pain-free now and will resume baseball activities to see how he progresses. McLain has been out all season, first because of surgery on his left shoulder and most recently a stress reaction in his rib cage. The Reds and McLain are still holding out hope that he can return in the final couple of weeks of the 2024 season, which would be nice, but the point of him being fantasy relevant in 2024 has come and gone. It's been a frustrating year for the 25-year-old middle infielder and any fantasy managers that invested in him back in the spring after he had an impressive .290/.357/.507 slash line with 16 home runs, 50 RBI and 14 steals in 89 games in his rookie campaign in 2023. If McLain can get back to full health in the offseason, he should be a big part of Cincy's plans in 2025.
Cincinnati Reds second baseman Matt McLain (rib, shoulder) could resume swinging a bat soon, according to manager David Bell. "He's still getting tested. Different testing to get to the root cause of some of the pain he's having in his side. We're getting toward the end of that. Everything is checking out good so far. Maybe he gets back into swinging again shortly," Bell said. While recovering from surgery on his left shoulder, McLain suffered a setback with a stress reaction in his rib cage in early August. The team is still trying to determine the cause of that, but it sounds like the 25-year-old could resume baseball activities sooner than later. The Reds remain hopeful that the second-year infielder can return in the season's final month, but fantasy managers shouldn't be expecting anything out of him in what has become a lost season after such a promising rookie campaign for the former first-rounder from UCLA.
Cincinnati Reds second baseman Matt McLain (rib cage, shoulder) has been cleared to resume baseball activities, including swinging a bat. However, there's still no date for McLain to resume a minor-league rehab assignment. It's been a trying year for McLain, who was extremely impressive in his first year in the big leagues for the Reds in 2023. The 25-year-old former first-rounder out of UCLA had offseason shoulder surgery and then suffered a stress reaction in his rib cage earlier this month just as he was on the cusp of making his 2024 debut. It's good news that he's been cleared to resume baseball activities, but he's going to need a lengthy rehab stint before joining the Reds and isn't going to have much time to help fantasy managers if he returns before the end of the year. McLain slashed .290/.357/.507 with 16 homers, 50 RBI and 14 steals last year.
Cincinnati Reds second baseman Matt McLain (shoulder, rib) was scheduled to undergo an MRI exam on Wednesday to check the progress of the rib cage stress reaction that forced the delay in starting a minor-league rehab assignment that had been slated to commence on Monday. If the test results are positive, manager David Bell said that McLain could get back on the field and likely pick up where he left off in his rehab. McLain was recuperating from surgery in March to repair the labrum and cartilage damage in his shoulder before his latest setback, but there's still a chance he'll be able to return to the Reds potentially in September. At this point, however, the 25-year-old infielder is without very much time remaining to be a factor for fantasy managers in 2024. Until he's back in the mix for Cincinnati, Jonathan India will continue to function as the club's everyday player at the keystone.
Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell said that second baseman Matt McLain (shoulder, rib), who suffered a stress reaction in his rib cage, is feeling better. "He's not back hitting yet, but good signs over the last couple of days," Bell said. "He's not playing (in rehab games) today like he was initially expected to, but it could be coming up." McLain was recovering from surgery in March to repair the labrum and cartilage damage in his shoulder before his latest setback, but there's still a chance he'll be able to return to the Reds potentially in September. At this point for fantasy managers, however, it makes some sense to cut bait on McLain for other more worthwhile stashes without very much time remaining for the 25-year-old infielder to make an impact in 2024. Until he's back in the fold for Cincinnati, Jonathan India will continue to serve as the club's everyday second baseman.
Matt McLain Won't Start Rehab Assignment Next Week
Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell said that second baseman Matt McLain (rib cage) won't start his minor-league rehab assignment on Monday because of a stress reaction in his rib cage. How long McLain will be delayed remains unclear. It's beginning to look like McLain won't play at all for the Reds in 2024. The 25-year-old former first-rounder was put on the 60-day injured list to begin the season due to offseason left-shoulder surgery, and he just recently had a setback with a rib-cage injury right before beginning a rehab assignment. The UCLA product excelled in his first 89 big-league games in his rookie season in 2023, too, slashing .290/.357/.507 with an .864 OPS, 16 homers, 50 RBI and 14 stolen bases. McLain's season-long injury woes have allowed Jonathan India to stick as the starter at the keystone in Cincy.
Matt McLain
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Reds
