With a litany of young prospects making their way to the majors, the Cincinnati Reds are looking to make some thunderous noise in 2024. However, the Reds must now take a different approach when it comes to second base.
Matt McLain underwent surgery on his left shoulder on Tuesday, repairing his labrum and addressing cartilage damage, the team announced. The Reds remain hopeful that McLain can still make his return before the end of the 2024 season.
“An exact timeline is still TBD as it has a wide range of possibilities,” the Reds' statement wrote. “We hope to have Matt back this season.”
Matt McLain's rise to MLB
Cincinnati used the No. 17 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft on McLain. It didn't take long for him to make an impact and reach the majors.
In 175 games at the minor league level, McLain hit .266 with 32 home runs, 117 RBI and 47 stolen bases. He ranked as the team's sixth-best prospect ahead of the 2023 season, via MLB Pipeline.
The Reds liked what they saw and called McLain up to the big leagues during that 2023 campaign. Over 89 games the infielder hit .290 with 16 home runs, 50 RBI and 14 stolen bases. With a near 20/20 season as a rookie, McLain was strongly penciled in as the team's second baseman of the present and future.
Those plans will now be on hold, but they aren't completely off the table. Matt McLain will have a long road back with no sure time of arrival. But Cincinnati is remaining confident that by the end of the season – and perhaps in the midst of a playoff chase – that McLain will be back in the lineup.
Where Reds go from here
McLain isn't the only infielder the Reds have seen go down ahead of the 2024 season. Top prospect Noelvi Marte was suspended 80-games from a Performance Enhancing Drug violation. With two potential second baseman down, Cincinnati landed Santiago Espinal in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Despite Espinal's arrival, the Reds seem poised to turn to a once forgotten name in Jonathan India at the keystone. With players like Marte and McLain ready to make their MLB impact, India had been subject to trade rumors throughout the offseason. Cincinnati is glad they rebuffed all offers as the former Rookie of the Year is slated to play a massive role, at least to begin the season.
In that ROY campaign, India hit .269 with 21 home runs, 69 RBI and 12 stolen bases. While the batting average, home runs and RBI are still a career-high, India set a new career-best in stolen bases with 14 in 2023. Still, his numbers have dipped slightly since 2021 and the Reds are now counting on a strong season from their suddenly starting second baseman.
Perhaps a strong season from India will give Matt McLain more time to rest. For now, it's a brutal blow with Opening Day around the corner. The Reds will hope the rest of their young roster can step up and fill in for McLain before his hopeful return prior to the regular season ending.
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