{"id":122673,"date":"2026-06-11T01:42:27","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T05:42:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=122673"},"modified":"2026-06-11T01:42:27","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T05:42:27","slug":"matt-mclain-rewritten-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/06\/11\/matt-mclain-rewritten-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Reds Infielder’s Story Being Constantly Rewritten"},"content":{"rendered":"

Perhaps the most heartbreaking emotion for a human to feel is acceptance. How can something that was formerly attainable disappear in such a short amount of time? Why has the Cincinnati Reds\u2019 future All-Star seemingly disappeared? After all, the Law of Conservation of Energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another.<\/span><\/p>\n

The conversations around Cincinnati Reds second baseman Matt McLain<\/a> have changed over the past few years. In a short span of time, McLain\u2019s name has gone from \u201cyoung promising future All-Star\u201d to \u201cserviceable\u201d. A deep dive is necessary in understanding the bizarre nature of McLain\u2019s career so far.<\/p>\n

How Matt McLain Continues to Rewrite His Story<\/h2>\n

Chapter 1: Paint the Town Red(s)<\/h2>\n

The year is 2023. It\u2019s been a shaky year for global relations and politics, but one may be oblivious to it all if they reside in Cincinnati due to the noise the Reds are making.<\/p>\n

Their 2018 first-round pick out of UCLA<\/a> has arrived in Cincinnati, and he made an immediate impact. Close your eyes first, if you may, and allow me to paint you a picture. A 5\u2019 8\u201d, 180-pound middle infielder is taking the field. He is wearing high socks, is quick on his feet, and plays good defense. This sounds more like Sir Matthew Michael McLain, a speedy, glove-first second baseman from 1897 who goes by the nickname Moneymaker Two-Shoes McLain.<\/p>\n

Chapter 2: The Matt Attack<\/h2>\n

On May 15, 2023, McLain took the field as a big leaguer for the first time. By the end of the 2023 season, his name would be on the map with other young stars in the league.<\/p>\n

89 GP<\/p>\n

.290\/.357\/.507<\/p>\n

.864 OPS<\/p>\n

129 wRC+<\/p>\n

16 HR<\/p>\n

14 SB<\/p>\n

3.2 fWAR<\/p>\n

While an oblique issue ended his rookie season prematurely, Reds fans were formally introduced to who they believe would be a cornerstone up the middle for years to come. Alongside Elly De La Cruz<\/a>, who also made his debut in 2023, the two became instant fan favorites and well-known commodities all over the league.<\/p>\n

<\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n

Chapter 3: Sophomore Setback<\/h2>\n

Heading into 2024, Southern Ohio was buzzing with excitement as it was about to be blessed with a full season of Matt McLain. Unfortunately, McLain suffered a torn labrum and cartilage damage during Spring Training. With a hopeful timeline of rehabbing in August interrupted by rib injuries, McLain did not make a single appearance in MLB in 2024.<\/p>\n

While it was certainly disappointing for all parties involved, optimism remained sky high for McLain\u2019s return. De La Cruz broke out with a fantastic All-Star campaign, and the pairing was projected to do damage in 2025.<\/p>\n

Chapter 4: Hibernation Over<\/h2>\n

McLain\u2019s name appeared back on a Reds lineup card as he looked to have a big campaign last year. Although he had a hot start<\/a> in the first few games, looking back at McLain’s 2025 season, the expectations for him may have been unnecessarily high. After all, he was coming off a major shoulder injury, causing him to miss an entire season.<\/p>\n

Factoring in his young age and limited big league experience, it perhaps shouldn\u2019t have come as such a shock when he struggled to regain his 2023-level footing all year.<\/p>\n

2025 stats:<\/strong><\/p>\n

147 GP<\/p>\n

.220\/.300\/.343<\/p>\n

.643 OPS<\/p>\n

77 wRC+<\/p>\n

15 HR<\/p>\n

18 SB<\/p>\n

1.4 fWAR<\/p>\n

The strikeouts continued to be an issue, as he was sent down on strikes a staggering 28.9% of the time (6th percentile). While lots of the offensive numbers were discouraging, his eye at the plate stayed solid, and so did his speed and defense.<\/p>\n

26.3 Chase% \u2014 61st percentile<\/p>\n

9.5 BB% \u2014 64th percentile<\/p>\n

4 OAA \u2014 87th percentile<\/p>\n

29.2 feet per second sprint speed \u2014 93rd percentile<\/p>\n

It was clear that his tools were still there, and as miserable as the season was as a whole, it served as a positive sign. Perhaps the struggles were in fact due to the extended time away.<\/p>\n

Chapter 5: Spring Showers Bring\u2026?<\/h2>\n

Spring Training Matt McLain. An enigma of the game. A specimen of the highest acumen. Simply put, McLain\u2019s 2026 spring training<\/a> numbers ended up at a literal historic level:<\/p>\n

17 GP<\/p>\n

.529 AVG<\/p>\n

1.648 OPS<\/p>\n

7 HR<\/p>\n

The cautionary tale of \u201cnever overreact to spring training numbers\u201d has seemingly struck us hooligans in the back of our thick skulls once again. Why is it that we fans fall for the same trick over and over again? You can lead a horse to the lake, but you can\u2019t make them take a sip. Tell a baseball fan not to overreact to spring training numbers, yet they just can\u2019t help it.<\/p>\n

Chapter 6: Happy New Year!<\/h2>\n

Note: All 2026 stats entering play on Wednesday, June 10<\/em><\/p>\n

With a successful Spring Training<\/a> under his belt and a new year on the calendar, optimism was cautiously high for McLain. The sentiment that \u201cif McLain can be anywhere close to his 2023 form, the Reds offense could be dangerous\u201d was echoed repeatedly.<\/p>\n

2026 stats:<\/strong><\/p>\n

.209\/.312\/.372<\/p>\n

.691 OPS<\/p>\n

90 wRC+<\/p>\n

0.7 fWAR<\/p>\n

These numbers are slightly better than last year, but still quite below league average. Take a shot every time this is said: Despite his poor, underwhelming numbers, his eye at the plate, speed, and defense are still bordering on elite, which is what\u2019s holding his head above water.<\/p>\n

23.9 Chase% – 83rd percentile<\/p>\n

12.1 BB% – 79th percentile<\/p>\n

23.8 K% – 34th percentile<\/p>\n

3 OAA – 87th percentile<\/p>\n

28.5 feet per second sprint speed – 85th percentile<\/p>\n

Chapter 7: A Little Luck Goes a Long Way<\/h2>\n

Sports are all about luck sometimes, and there could be an argument to be made that McLain has experienced both sides of the pendulum in that aspect. In 2023, he actually outperformed his batted ball profile, likely thanks to a very high BABIP of .385. In the following years, it has been at .292 in 2025 (about normal) and .250 this year (below the norm). Of course, making weak contact will result in a low BABIP as he\u2019s not allowing the ball to have much of a chance to drop, but it wasn\u2019t like McLain was smoking the ball in 2023 either. His metrics this year are not too dissimilar from 2023\u2019s. Perhaps there is hope that regression to the mean can boost his numbers a bit.<\/p>\n

Chapter 8: Summer Sunshines<\/h2>\n

The negativity surrounding McLain has been persistent for a while now, but could a weather change be all that he needed? After a miserable May where he hit just .175, he has been playing extremely well in June. Granted, it is a seven-game sample size, but any optimism is worth pointing out:<\/p>\n

McLain\u2019s stats through seven games in June, 2026:<\/p>\n

.333\/.462\/.857<\/p>\n

1.319 OPS<\/p>\n

247 wRC+<\/p>\n

19.2 BB%<\/p>\n

23.1 K%<\/p>\n

\n

Matt McLain and Tyler Stephenson go back-to-back for the @Reds<\/a> \ud83d\udcaa pic.twitter.com\/iLMKjs9bOx<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 MLB (@MLB) June 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n