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34 articles
CIN • Infielder • #9
3 days ago
“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.
Source: Charlie Goldsmith
CIN • Infielder • #9
12 days ago
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.
Source: Mark Sheldon
CIN • Infielder • #9
4 months ago
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.
CIN • Infielder • #9
4 months ago
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.
CIN • Infielder • #9
4 months ago
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.
Source: MLB
CIN • Infielder • #9
5 months ago
McLain continued his recent success at the plate, taking Jonah Tong deep for a solo homer in the third inning for his third home run in his last seven games. He also drew a pair of walks to reach in all three plate appearances. The 26-year-old second baseman is hitting .230/.312/.358 with 14 homers, 67 runs scored, 46 RBI, and 16 steals across 509 plate appearances.
CIN • Infielder • #9
5 months ago
McLain has hit in six straight games, though this is his first multihit game since Aug. 7. Still, he might have turned the corner a little bit with homers Saturday and Sunday. He definitely needs the little surge here with Sal Stewart up as a candidate to see time at second base.
CIN • Infielder • #9
5 months ago
After going nearly six weeks without a big fly, McLain went deep for the second straight contest when he took Cardinals reliever Andre Granillo deep in the eighth inning of this one for his 13th round-tripper of the season. It’s been a disappointing campaign overall for the 26-year-old former top prospect, but he continues to show flashes of big-time fantasy potential.
CIN • Infielder • #9
5 months ago
McLain homered and doubled in the first game back from the All-Star break, but it wasn’t a sign of things to come; he entered tonight at .217/.254/.233 in August. He could lose much of his playing time if the Reds call up Sal Stewart, though the team is dragging its feet on that front.
CIN • Infielder • #9
5 months ago
It’s the fourth time in the last five games against left-handers that McLain has found himself on the bench in favor of Santiago Espinal. Maybe manager Terry Francona just prefers Espinal against southpaws. Expect McLain to return to action on Saturday.
CIN • Infielder • #9
5 months ago
It’s the third consecutive game against a left-handed starter that McLain has found himself on the bench for, just adding to what has been an extremely disappointing season for the 26-year-old infielder. Santiago Espinal will start in his place at second base and bat ninth for the Reds on Saturday.
Source: MLB
CIN • Infielder • #9
5 months ago
That’s not going to help the cause. McLain is 5-for-29 with a 12/1 K/BB in his last eight games. A rebound can hardly be ruled out, but now that he’s sitting so often, it’s hard to justify rostering him in mixed leagues.
CIN • Infielder • #9
5 months ago
The Reds have already dropped the slumping second baseman back down in their lineup and now he’s out of the lineup entirely on Friday night. Gavin Lux will cover second base in his place and will bat fifth against Brewers’ right-hander Jacob Misiorowski on Friday evening in Cincinnati.
Source: MLB
CIN • Infielder • #9
5 months ago
Spencer Steer is up to second. That seems like something of an odd choice, given that his improvement has been more about power than an OBP that’s hovered around .300 in recent months. Noelvi Marte seems like a better choice there, with Steer staying in the middle of the lineup, but it doesn’t matter a whole lot. McLain has sat out two of the last five games against right-handers and might log more bench time if he can’t put something together soon. His OPS has been stuck right around .650 since late June.
CIN • Infielder • #9
5 months ago
McLain has been swinging a hot bat recently, hitting .308 (8-for-26) with one steal over his last seven games. It’ll be Gavin Lux drawing another start at the keystone in his place.
Source: MLB.com
CIN • Infielder • #9
6 months ago
The Reds want to try and get Gavin Lux and Jake Fraley in the lineup against right-handed pitchers, which means they have been rotating giving other players days off. On Wednesday, Lux will play second base and McLain will take a seat.
CIN • Infielder • #9
6 months ago
McLain has been better since the start of June, hitting .267/.340/.387 in 52 games coming into today with five home runs and four steals. It hasn’t been the breakout season many were hoping for, but McLain is just 25 years old, so if he can get a healthy season under his belt, he could be set up for a much better 2026.
CIN • Infielder • #9
6 months ago
The second baseman is sporting an eight-game hitting streak and has hits in 10 of his last 11 games. Over that 11-game stretch, he’s hitting .318 with two home runs, eight runs scored, four RBI, and two steals with a 10/5 K/BB ratio. Gavin Lux will slide to second base with Will Benson entering the lineup in left field and batting eighth.
CIN • Infielder • #9
7 months ago
McLain jumped on a first-pitch slider from Marlins’ right-hander Eury Pérez for a 354-foot (96.4 mph EV) solo shot that gave the Reds an early 1-0 lead. That would be the extent of their scoring in the ballgame until they scratched out another with two outs in the ninth. It was also McLain’s only hit as he finished the evening 1-for-4. On the season, he’s now hitting .203/.291/.336 to go along with 10 homers, 32 RBI and 12 stolen bases.
CIN • Infielder • #9
7 months ago
McLain only recently eclipsed a .200 batting average for the season. The 25-year-old second baseman has produced adequate numbers in the counting categories, but been a major drag on fantasy managers’ batting average. McLain has picked things up a bit in June as he’s hitting .269 this month, but the damage he did earlier this season is already done.
CIN • Infielder • #9
7 months ago
McLain’s home run was his ninth of the year. The 25-year-old second baseman hit a solo shot off Miles Mikolas in the first inning. McLain now has hits in 10 consecutive games and is 13-for-34 (.382) with two home runs and five RBI over that time. His season average is still an ugly .209, but McLain hit .154 in his first 21 games and is hitting a more palatable .236 over his last 47 games.
CIN • Infielder • #9
7 months ago
McLain is coming off a three-hit performance during Saturday’s loss to the Cardinals and gets a look near the top of Cincinnati’s lineup after mostly batting in the lower third since mid-May. It would be a significant development for his fantasy appeal if he manages to stick near the top of the lineup since it would lead to an uptick in the counting stats departments. He’s been on a roll lately, hitting .333 (16-for-48) with two homers over his last 15 games.
Source: MLB.com
CIN • Infielder • #9
7 months ago
Batting in the No. 2 spot in the order Sunday, McClain managed two hits and two runs scored in the win over the Tigers. The 25-year-old second baseman is still hitting just .191 on the season, but appears to be making some positive strides at the plate so far in June. Reclaiming a regular spot in the top third of the batting order would go a long way for his fantasy value over the rest of the season.
CIN • Infielder • #9
7 months ago
If it wasn’t a rout already, McLain made it one by increasing the Reds’ lead from six runs to nine against John Brebbia in the eighth. He’s batting .229/.325/.439 with two homers and seven RBI in 11 games this month. It’s not great, but it’s a big improvement over his April and May.
CIN • Infielder • #9
8 months ago
McLain’s home run was his seventh of the year. The 25-year-old second baseman hit a two-run shot off Zac Gallen to put the Reds ahead 4-2. McLain lost his spot at the top of the batting order, but can still provide some power at the plate. He’s hitting .187 with a .601 OPS and 22 RBI on the year.
CIN • Infielder • #9
8 months ago
Santiago Espinal has definitely left the door wide, wide open for McLain to reclaim the second spot in the order. Alas, McLain is hitting worse now than when he was dropped in the order two weeks ago. He’s 6-for-41 with no homers and a 13/0 K/BB in his last 12 games, dropping his OPS from .645 to .573.
CIN • Infielder • #9
9 months ago
McLain has 17 strikeouts and four hits in his last nine games, and his average is down to .154. His power is all of the way back after shoulder surgery, and that’s more important for the long run than his early strikeout troubles. Still, it’d be nice to see him put some more balls into play.
CIN • Infielder • #9
9 months ago
McLain snapped an 0-for-21 hitless streak with a seventh-inning single and immediately swiped second base for his fourth theft of the season. The 25-year-old speedster has gotten off to an ice-cold start this season, hitting .162 (12-for-74) with four homers and four steals through 20 games. We’re anticipating he’ll turn things around soon simply because he’s way too talented to continue struggling for much longer.
CIN • Infielder • #9
9 months ago
It appears to be a routine off day for McLain, who is hitting just .119 (5-for-42) with one homer and two steals in 11 games since returning from the injured list back on April 15. It’ll be Gavin Lux at second base during Sunday’s series finale against the Rockies.
Source: MLB.com