Matt McLain - MLB News, Rumors, & Updates

Sitting Saturday McLain isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Twins.

Impact McLain will get a day off to reset after going 0-for-11 with five strikeouts and six walks over his last four games. His absence will put Sal Stewart at second base, opening up first for Nathaniel Lowe.

1 DAY AGO • ROTOWIRE

Benches Clear After Giants LHP Erik Miller Strikes Out Reds INF Sal Stewart

Benches cleared in Cincinnati after San Francisco Giants reliever Erik Miller struck out Reds infielder Sal Stewart to end Thursday's game.

3 DAYS AGO • FOX SPORTS

Benches Clear After Giants LHP Erik Miller Strikes Out Reds INF Sal Stewart

Taking seat Saturday McLain isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Angels.

Impact 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.

APRIL 11 • ROTOWIRE

Reds chase Alcantara in 9th, beat Marlins 6-3 in 10th keyed by McLain for 5-game winning streak

Anthony Bender threw a game-tying wild pitch with two outs in the ninth inning after Cincinnati chased Sandy Alcantara and Nathaniel Lowe hit a go-ahead single that sparked a four-...

APRIL 8 • Associated Press

Lifts Reds late in win McLain went 2-for-5 with two doubles, two RBI, a stolen base and a run scored in Tuesday's 6-3 extra-inning win over Miami.

Impact Cincinnati was held scoreless through the first eight innings before tying it up in the ninth and winning it in the 10th. McLain had a hand in both innings. He doubled, stole a base and scored a run in the ninth and then doubled in a pair in the extra frame. The multi-hit game was McLain's third in the last five games.

APRIL 8 • ROTOWIRE

Logs first steal McLain went 0-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Sunday's 2-1 win over Texas.

Impact McLain put himself in scoring position when he stole second base after leading off with a walk. He scored the game-winning run on an Elly De La Cruz single. The steal was first in nine games for McLain, who had double-digit swipes in 2023 and 2025.

APRIL 5 • ROTOWIRE

De La Cruz leads Reds to 2-1 win over Rangers and series sweep

Elly De La Cruz singled home the winning run in the eighth inning after scoring in the fourth inning with the use of his speed as the Cincinnati Reds beat the Texas Rangers 2-1 on...

APRIL 5 • Associated Press

Two more hits Saturday McLain went 2-for-4 with a run scored in Saturday's 2-0 win over the Rangers.

Impact McLain singled in the top of the first inning and came around to score on an RBI single from Elly De La Cruz. After snapping an 0-for-13 skid Friday, McLain is 4-for-9 through two games against Texas this weekend. He's now slashing .267/.389/.300 with just one extra-base hit, one RBI, three runs scored, zero stolen bases and a 5:9 BB:K across 36 plate appearances to begin the 2026 season.

APRIL 5 • ROTOWIRE

Reds blank Rangers 2-0 as Lowder pitches scoreless innings in first win since 2024

Rhett Lowder allowed three hits over six innings as the Cincinnati Reds beat the Texas Rangers 2-0

APRIL 5 • Associated Press

Halts hitless skid McLain batted leadoff and went 2-for-5 in Friday's 5-3 win over Texas.

Impact McLain, who moved from second in the order to leadoff with TJ Friedl getting a day off, snapped an 0-for-13 skid with a third-inning single. McLain had a monster spring training (1.540 OPS, seven HR), which carried into the first few games of the regular season, but the second baseman entered Friday's game batting just .190.

APRIL 4 • ROTOWIRE

Cruz homers twice, O'Hearn and Reynolds also go deep as Pirates beat Reds 8-3

Oneil Cruz homered twice and Ryan O’Hearn hit a three-run shot as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds 8-3

APRIL 1 • Associated Press

Productive at plate in win McLain went 3-for-4 with one RBI, one run scored and two walks in Saturday's 6-5 win over the Red Sox.

Impact McLain tore the cover off the ball during spring training and is carrying it over to begin the regular season. McLain 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.

MARCH 29 • ROTOWIRE

Garrett Crochet throws 6 shutout innings as Red Sox defeat Reds 3-0

Garrett Crochet allowed only three hits in six innings, Ceddanne Rafaela hit an RBI single in the seventh inning and the Boston Red Sox posted their first opening day shutout since...

MARCH 26 • Associated Press

Back in action Tuesday 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.

Impact 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.

MARCH 24 • ROTOWIRE

Overcoming illness McLain will not play in Monday's exhibition game versus the Brewers due to illness, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Impact McLain caught a flu bug that made its way around the Reds' clubhouse, but the team anticipates the second baseman playing in Tuesday's exhibition finale. The 26-year-old is slated to open the 2026 campaign as the Reds' two-hole hitter.

MARCH 23 • ROTOWIRE

NL Central Preview: Loaded Cubs going for the division title, but Brewers and Reds are lurking

Alex Bregman is hoping to lead the Chicago Cubs to their first NL Central title since 2020 after signing a $175 million, five-year contract with the North Siders in free agency

MARCH 19 • Associated Press

ESPN analyst makes the case for Matt McLain to be a top sleeper pick in fantasy | Sporting News The Reds slugger could be an excellent fantasy option.

MARCH 18 • SPORTINGNEWS.COM

McLain earns two-spot in lineup; Abbott 'waiting out the storm' after rough start SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- It wasn't a roster competition, but the Reds came into camp with an open question about who would bat second in their l...

MARCH 17 • MLB.COM

Will bat second this season Manager Terry Francona said Monday that McLain will bat second in the order this season, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.

Impact It's not unexpected, but it's notable confirmation from Francona. McLain, of course, started out last season batting second but was hitting under .200 until late June and was quickly bumped down to the nine spot in the lineup. The 26-year-old, however, has been swinging a scorching hot bat this spring, slashing .553/.605/1.105 with six home runs, 13 RBI, 15 runs scored, two stolen bases and a 5:4 BB:K across 43 plate appearances. He's been a fast riser up fantasy draft boards and appears set to hit in front of Elly De La Cruz this season.

MARCH 16 • ROTOWIRE

Reds' Matt McLain posting absurd Spring Training numbers that resemble MLB The Show statistics | Sporting News McLain looks like Aaron Judge at the plate right now.

MARCH 12 • SPORTINGNEWS.COM

Locked in at plate 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.

Impact 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's poised for a bounce-back season after slumping for much of 2025 and landing in the bottom of the order. McLain looks like the 2023 version of himself, when he posted an .864 OPS and 127 OPS+ as a rookie.

MARCH 3 • ROTOWIRE

Hits in four straight McLain batted second and went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's spring game against Milwaukee.

Impact McLain has batted second and gathered hits in all four Cactus League appearances, going 6-for-12 with a walk and three RBI. He opened 2025 up in the batting order but struggled for much of the season and eventually was dropped to the bottom third. If he continues to hit like he's shown thus far in spring training, McLain could find himself batting second again with protection from Elly De La Cruz batting third.

MARCH 1 • ROTOWIRE

Hitting second 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 man...

Impact 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."

FEBRUARY 23 • ROTOWIRE

Adds 12 pounds over offseason McLain has added 12 pounds of muscle over the offseason, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.

Impact 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.

JANUARY 16 • ROTOWIRE

Details of Matt McLain's $2.3 million, 1-year contract with the Cincinnati Reds

Details of Matt McLain’s $2.3 million, one-year contract with the Cincinnati Reds

JANUARY 9 • Associated Press

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