He was an immediate fan favorite when he was called up against the Rockies in 2023. McLain even had an extra base hit (double) as his first big league hit in the third inning of that game.
However, since 2023, there has been a sharp decline from what Reds fans expected him to be. Everyone referred to this “young core” as something that would bring in a new wave of Cincinnati Reds baseball. In a way, it has, but for the most part, a lot of that new young core hasn’t been quite what was expected during that time.
It is so hard to compare anyone to Elly De La Cruz, but there were conversations that McLain and Elly were on that same tier as players, and both were going to be long-term contributors for the Cincinnati Reds. Elly has more than lived up to his share, but as for Matt McLain, not so much.
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Injuries have played a part in his young career. A right oblique strain that cost him the end of that stellar rookie season, a tear in his left labrum which cost him an entire 2024 season, and last year he dealt with a hamstring strain that sidelined him for a time.
Is there time for Matt McLain to still be the player everyone in Cincinnati thought he would be? Absolutely. There just has to be a change in his approach at the plate moving forward.
This season, he, along with many other Reds, is hitting below the Mendoza line. He only has four extra-base hits and zero home runs. His batting average during his incredible rookie season was .290. In 2025, it was .220, and obviously, this season it has kept dropping. He had more extra base hits in the 89 games during his rookie season than he has had in the last two seasons combined.
His hard hit percentage, slugging percentage, barrell percentage, strikeout percentage, and batting average are all in the lowest percentiles in the majors. There has to be a way to get him on the right track.
There is no reason the Reds will send him down to Triple-A this season. There isn’t really a replacement that warrants his at-bats right now. However, as for the kid who came up and gave this city a lot to be excited about, that light has dimmed rather quickly.
The Reds have a lot to think about in regards to what they want to do with their second baseman of the future. Nobody wants him to succeed more than this city’s fanbase, but right now it just isn’t happening.
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