CHICAGO — CHICAGO — Terry Francona has been keeping an eye on the slumping Matt McLain, who entered the year with All-Star potential but is now just hitting .181 on the season.
McLain hasn’t looked like a guy who’s slumping that badly.
“One of the worst things is when a guy’s not hitting and you see him taking it out to the field,” Francona said. “You watch them in the dugout, and they’re beating their helmet over and over. He doesn’t do that. He plays the game.”
Instead of optioning McLain to Triple-A, reducing his role or giving him a break for a few days, McLain has been in the lineup essentially every day at second base.
Before the season, Francona compared McLain to Dustin Pedroia. That’s high praise, and Francona remains very confident in the Reds’ second baseman.
“I fall back on that he’s a good player,” Francona said. “He’s going to get hot. I’m surprised it hasn’t happened yet, but it will.”
What makes this slump so surprising is that McLain has almost always been the best player on every team he has been on, including the 2023 Reds.
Before this year, the only exception to that has been McLain’s experience as a freshman at UCLA. He passed on a chance to sign as a first-round pick out of high school and bet on himself. Then in his first year of college, he hit .203 on the season.
“I had that whole year, and I can use it to my advantage,” McLain said. “It was pretty bad. Similar to this but in a different way. I had been drafted in the first round and had all these expectations and stuff. I use that to learn through this. I’m going to work. I’m going to make adjustments. You’ve got to show up every day with a positive attitude, looking for a way to help the team.”
He knows the path out of this bad slump. He’s giving himself more credit for doing little things like bunting, putting the ball in play and stealing a base.
At the plate, he knows that he has to be more aggressive. He’s striking out too much, and he can cut those strikeouts down by trying to pounce on pitches before he gets to two strikes. Getting into too many two strike counts has been his biggest issue.
“It’s about getting back to who I am, hitting pitches early and being more aggressive,” McLain said. “The barrel percentage and stuff like that, those numbers are similar to 2023. The difference is I’m seeing a lot more pitches and getting deeper into counts. When that happens, you strike out more. Being more aggressive is the thing for me.”
While his production at the plate has been poor, he’s still one of the better defensive second basemen in MLB.
“You’ve got to do that,” McLain said. “That’s one thing I have going for me. I play defense every day, and I run the bases.”
The defense has given Francona another reason to keep McLain in the lineup.
“The way he plays second base certainly helps,” Francona said. “You just try to do what’s right. We’re always watching to do the best we can for everybody. That’s why we’re here.”
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Austin Wynns has a .400 batting average on the season, and he hasn’t made a start since May 6. The 34-year-old was playing the best baseball of his career, and then he lost his chance to play when Tyler Stephenson returned from the IL.
Instead of using a three catcher rotation, Francona has stuck with Stephenson and Jose Trevino and just worked Wynns in for specific late-game situations. Wynns has four plate appearances since May 6.
“He has handled it,” Francona said. “That’s one thing that really bothers me. I just don’t know how to always get him in there. He stays ready. I fully believe that things work out. To his credit, when it does, he’ll be ready.”
Wynns said that anyone who has played baseball can relate to the lesson of taking advantage of your opportunities whenever you get them and controlling what you can control.
“That’s all I’ve tried to do,” Wynns said. “Take advantage of my opportunities and be a good teammate. When I’m in the game, I’m in the game.”
Wynns signed minor league deals with the Reds heading into each of the last two seasons. He made this year’s Opening Day roster following Stephenson’s oblique injury that resulted in an IL trip for the Reds’ top catcher.
Wynns won the Reds a few games with his bat and also developed great chemistry with the Reds’ pitchers. He showed that he belongs on a big league roster.
As well as he played, his playing time evaporated when Stephenson returned.
“You have to understand your role,” Wynns said. “I’ve had conversations with Tito. What I’m doing day-to-day is getting after it. I wake up in the morning. When I know the lineup’s up and I’m not in it, I do all of my preparation to stay ready when my name is called on. I’m not letting it affect me at all. I’ll be ready. Bottom line.”
He continued, “I’ll get my early work in, do my catching drills, do my first base drills, catch sides, do my scouting to help the team. I’m not missing a beat. But when he calls my name, I’m ready.”
As soon as Stephenson returned, Francona said having three catchers on the roster wouldn’t last forever. Essentially, Francona said that Wynns could be DFAd when the Reds got closer to full strength, unless there was another catching injury. Because of how well Wynns as played, he easily could be claimed by another big league team. The Reds value Wynns and don’t want to lose him.
The Reds’ roster as a whole hasn’t gotten healthy over the last month, and their Triple-A depth is lacking. Wynns is a more proven hitter than any infielder in Louisville, so the Reds have kept him on the roster for now.
He’s happy to be here, even if he’s not playing.
“I’m not letting it eat at me at all,” Wynns said. “I’m not losing sleep over it. I’m a pro. I’m doing what I need to do. And I’m ready when (Francona) calls my name.”
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Terry Francona said that Elly De La Cruz is dealing with a “leg” injury. While Francona declined to give specifics, it’s most likely a soft tissue injury. De La Cruz hasn’t been running full speed in a few cases as he manages the injury, and Francona said De La Cruz is managing the situation well and is consistently getting better.
Francona said the Reds have a decision to make on Wade Miley tomorrow. Veterans on minor-league deals often have opt-outs in their contracts if they aren’t added to the big league roster by a certain date. With how many pitching injuries there are around baseball, Miley would likely be picked up by a big league team if he opted out.
Francona said that they’ll reevaluate/reassess Christian Encarnacion-Strand at the end of the weekend. He’s on a rehab assignment, and they’ll decide what the next step is for him then.
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