Reds' Matt McLain: No lingering issues with oblique
Rotowire
McLain said Thursday that his late-season right oblique strain is fully healed, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.
McLain landed on the injured list Aug. 28 after straining his right oblique and then suffered a setback just as he was about to return to the Reds in late September. He began light workouts in late October, however, and is now back to full strength here at the end of November. "Things are going good," said the 2023 breakout infielder. "I started to swing, no problems. Lifting, no problems."
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Reds' Matt McLain: Rehabbing in Arizona
Rotowire
McLain (oblique) has begun rehab work at the Reds' spring training complex in Arizona, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.
McLain wound up missing the final month-plus of the season with an oblique injury, which he aggravated in late September. He's on the mend now, though, and should be healed up well ahead of spring training. McLain is in line to hold down a starting spot in the Reds' infield in 2024, with the position yet to be determined.
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Reds' Matt McLain: Shut down with oblique injury
Rotowire
McLain aggravated his right oblique Sunday and has been shut down for the remainder of the season, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
McLain was on the cusp of returning to the Reds following a nearly four-week absence for a right oblique strain, but the injury reappeared as he was playing in a minor-league rehab game this weekend with Triple-A Louisville. A fresh round of imaging scans taken Monday revealed it to be a Grade 2 strain, so he can be ruled out for any potential postseason run as well. The 24-year-old infielder finishes his breakout rookie campaign with a .290/.357/.507 batting line, 16 homers, 50 RBI, 14 steals and 65 runs scored across 89 major-league games.
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Reds' Matt McLain: Not activated Tuesday
Rotowire
McLain (oblique) will not be activated from the injured list ahead of Tuesday's game at Cleveland, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
McLain apparently needs at least one more day to recover from the right oblique strain that sent him to the IL in late August. The 24-year-old infielder spent the weekend on a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville and went 1-for-6 with a single, a walk and three strikeouts. He played shortstop for Louisville on Saturday and then moved to second base Sunday.
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Reds' Matt McLain: In Triple-A for rehab assignment
Rotowire
McLain (oblique) was sent to Triple-A Louisville on a rehab assignment Saturday.
McLain remains on track to be activated from the 10-day injured list Tuesday. The infielder had resumed taking batting practice earlier in the week as he nears the end of his recovery from a right oblique strain.
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Reds' Matt McLain: On track for Tuesday
Rotowire
McLain (oblique) remains on track to be activated from the 10-day injured list Tuesday, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
McLain resumed taking batting practice earlier this week and is nearing the end of his recovery from a right oblique strain that has kept him on the shelf since late August. The 24-year-old infielder had delivered an impressive .290/.357/.507 slash line with 16 homers and 14 steals across his first 89 major-league games prior to suffering the injury.
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Reds' Matt McLain: Could be activated next week
Rotowire
Reds manager David Bell said McLain (oblique) could be reinstated from the 10-day injured list as soon as next Tuesday, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Per MLB.com, McLain is expected to resume taking batting practice Monday, and if all goes well while he spends the upcoming week gradually ramping up the intensity of his baseball activities, he could get the green light to rejoin the Reds for the final week of the regular season. While McLain has been on the shelf since Aug. 28 with a right oblique strain, fellow rookie Noelvi Marte has been able to pick up more work on the left side of the infield.
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Reds' Matt McLain: Out multiple weeks
Rotowire
Reds manager David Bell said Sunday that McLain (oblique) will be out for another 2-to-3 weeks, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
McLain landed on the 10-day injured list Monday with a right oblique strain, and while his return doesn't appear imminent, the Reds aren't yet dismissing the possibility of the rookie playing again before the end of the season. Spencer Steer has been filling in as the Reds' second baseman in place of McLain, while Elly De La Cruz has settled in as the team's primary shortstop.
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Reds' Matt McLain: Hits IL with oblique strain
Rotowire
The Reds placed McLain on the 10-day injured list Monday with a right oblique strain.
When McLain wasn't listed in the Reds' starting lineup for Monday's game against the Diamondbacks, he was believed to be getting a routine maintenance day. Ultimately, an oblique injury was behind his absence, and he'll now be sidelined for at least the next week and a half. In the meantime, expect Elly De La Cruz to serve as Cincinnati's regular shortstop until McLain is ready to resume playing.
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Reds' Matt McLain: Receives rare rest day
Rotowire
McLain is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Giants.
McLain went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in Sunday's loss to the Diamondbacks, so manager David Bell decided it was time for McLain's first day off since Aug. 7. Elly De La Cruz will slide over and cover the shortstop position in McLain's place.
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Reds' Matt McLain: Homer, steal in extra-innings win
Rotowire
McLain went 2-for-6 with a solo home run, an additional RBI and a stolen base in Saturday's 8-7 extra-innings win over the Diamondbacks.
McLain got the Reds on the board in the sixth inning with his solo homer, and he tied the game by knocking in a run with a groundout in the ninth. He was again responsible for extending the game in the 10th, though it was because of a fielding error that allowed Arizona to keep a rally alive. He's knocked three homers and added six RBI over his last six games. For the season, the infielder is at a .294/.361/.512 slash line with 16 homers, 14 steals, 50 RBI, 65 runs scored, 23 doubles and four triples through 88 contests.
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Reds' Matt McLain: Records steal in loss
Rotowire
McLain went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Cubs.
McLain swiped his ninth base of the season in the third inning but was stranded there, as the Reds went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position. The infielder has a combined 19 steals between Triple-A Louisville and the majors in 2023. He also struck out twice Thursday, raising his count to 15 over the last 34 plate appearances (44.1 percent K rate).
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Reds' Matt McLain: Pops homer Sunday
Rotowire
McLain went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Sunday's 9-0 win over the Dodgers.
McLain had gone six games without a homer, though he's gone deep four times while batting .321 (17-for-53) since the All-Star break. The infielder is up to 11 long balls on the year. He's maintained a .305/.375/.530 slash line with 37 RBI, 50 runs scored and eight stolen bases over 65 contests. With Jonathan India (foot) going on the injured list, McLain may pick up a bit more time at second base rather than shortstop going forward, though he should still be a near-everyday player regardless.
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Reds' Matt McLain: Belts first career grand slam
Rotowire
McLain went 2-for-4 with a walk, a grand slam, a second run scored and a stolen base in Friday's 9-6 win over the Diamondbacks.
The rookie shortstop supplied the biggest blow on the night, driving a 100.9 mph fastball from Justin Martinez over the right-field fence in the fifth inning for McLain's first career grand slam. It's his ninth homer of the season and second in his last four games, and through his first 57 big-league contests he's slashing an impressive .301/.367/.519 with eight steals, 34 RBI and 44 runs.
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Reds' Matt McLain: Swipes two bags Saturday
Rotowire
McLain went 3-for-5 with a run and two stolen bases in an 8-5 victory versus the Brewers on Saturday.
McLain notched his first MLB game with multiple steals and pushed his total to seven (on 11 attempts) on the season. The talented shortstop also finished with his fifth MLB game with at least three hits. Though he's been overshadowed by the sensational exploits of fellow rookie Elly De La Cruz, McLain has been very good in his own right, posting a .301/.368/.512 slash line, seven homers, 29 RBI, 37 runs and the seven steals over 231 plate appearances while holding down an everyday spot for the first-place Reds.
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Reds' Matt McLain: Powers up in Sunday's loss
Rotowire
McLain went 4-for-5 with a home run, three doubles, five RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's 7-6 loss to Atlanta.
This was McLain's second game in a row with a homer and his fourth multi-hit effort in his last 10 contests. The infielder got the nod at second base with Jonathan India receiving a day off. McLain has stepped up since his big-league debut May 15, slashing .325/.380/.541 with five homers, 22 RBI, 30 runs scored, four stolen bases, 11 doubles and four triples over 37 games. He's primarily played at shortstop and looks set to hold onto an everyday role.
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Reds' Matt McLain: Swats fourth homer
Rotowire
McLain went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run Saturday in a loss to Atlanta.
McLain had been struggling for the first time as a big-leaguer heading into the contest, going 2-for-16 with five strikeouts over his previous five games. He put that behind him with the two-hit effort that included his fourth long ball of the season. McLain has posted an excellent .309/.367/.493 slash line though his first 36 major-league games while establishing himself as Cincinnati's everyday shortstop.
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Reds' Matt McLain: Hits third home run
Rotowire
McLain went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 7-4 victory over the Royals.
McLain hit his first home run since May 24 and notched his 13th multi-hit effort across just 28 games (132 plate appearances). The rookie has remained at shortstop after the elevation of Elly De La Cruz and is locked into the No. 2 hole in Cincinnati's emerging lineup. McLain is slashing .328/.379/.516 with three home runs, 13 RBI, two stolen bases and 23 runs scored to start his big-league career.
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Reds' Matt McLain: Sleeper hitters for Week 12 (June 12-18)
Rotowire
McLain has been a mutli-hit machine so far in his brief major-league career and is showing no signs of slowing down. It's unlikely the Royals pitching staff will change that to begin Week 12, and then he's in line to face J.P. France and Brandon Bielak in the Astros series later in the week.
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Reds' Matt McLain: Possible waiver wire pickups
Rotowire
It's fairly amazing that Matt McLain is still available enough to feature here given how well his transition to the majors has gone. This is a former first-round pick, remember, who was hitting .348 with 12 homers, 10 steals and a 1.184 OPS at Triple-A Louisville at the time of his call-up. He was hot right out of the gate for the Reds, but I harbored some doubts given how much he was striking out in his first week on the job. Well, the strikeouts have slowed, but the multi-hit games have only continued, giving him a .383 (23 for 60) batting average and 1.014 OPS over his last 13 games. Maybe the shallowest leagues have enough shortstops to go around already, which is why you've passed over McLain, but at this rate, he's looking good enough to use in a utility spot.
