A frustrating spring training for Matt McLain continues with an injury 'speed bump'
GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Cincinnati Reds shortstop Matt McLain’s first three months in the big leagues were as close to perfect as it gets for a rookie. He played at an All-Star level in 2023, never slumped and provided one of the biggest sparks in the Reds’ midseason turnaround.
Since that perfect start, it’s been a frustrating stretch for the Reds’ best player.
He played through an oblique injury in August, and McLain landed on the injured list. He tried to return for the last week of the season but suffered a setback that ended his rookie year. Heading into 2024, McLain aggravated his oblique before the first official team workout of the spring.
Then right when he felt like he was getting into a rhythm again, he tweaked his shoulder.
“My body was just starting to feel good,” McLain said. “My results weren’t good. But my body was finally starting to feel good. Then I dove in practice, which I’ve always done. I’m not mad about it, but at the same time I am.”
On Monday, McLain hurt his shoulder diving for a ground ball during a pregame workout and was scratched from the lineup for precautionary reasons. He met with a doctor, and they didn’t see anything concerning. Reds manager David Bell said he feels like they avoided a scare when McLain felt a pinch in his shoulder, but that pinching looks like it’s completely gone.
“From what I know now, it seems like it’s more like a bruise,” Bell said. “He fell on it funny. Maybe a little muscle strain or soreness. It’s still on the table for him to play in the game (on Wednesday). I personally kind of doubt that, but that’s a good sign. We can get him 15 at-bats every day in minor league games and catch him back up."
McLain said he hopes this shoulder injury is just a “speed bump” that only limits him for a day-or-two, and a day-or-two won’t set him back much.
When he returns to the Reds’ lineup, he’ll still be looking for his first hit of the spring.
“It was a slow start,” McLain said. “(The oblique injury) put me back a bit. But in the grand scheme of things, for my oblique, if I’m healthy through the season with my oblique, that would be a good thing.”
McLain still only has 14 plate appearances in spring training games, and some of his teammates have nearly three times that many. In the early stages of the spring, McLain worked to make up for lost time by standing in the batter’s box when his teammates threw in the bullpen, and he worked on tracking pitches.
Before he made his spring training debut on March 10, McLain participated in several simulated games and hit against Reds pitching. Even though he has still only played in five games this spring, McLain is confident he’ll have enough at-bats under his belt to be ready for the start of the season.
“That’s in the background of things,” McLain said. “I literally just want my body to feel good. Once my body feels good, things will start to click. I’m literally just worried about feeling better today so I can play tomorrow.”
When he was healthy last year, McLain was the Reds’ most consistent hitter. Their depth is already being tested as they start the year without center fielder TJ Friedl and third baseman Noelvi Marte.
McLain was already going to hit in the top-third of the Reds’ lineup. Without Friedl, the Reds are counting on McLain even more to be a table setter, and they’re counting on McLain to be the team’s best defender.
Because of McLain’s injuries this spring, he hasn’t had the chance to enter the season with much momentum. But Bell said McLain isn’t very far behind where most players are at this point in the spring.
The Reds have taken an aggressive approach to spring training, with Reds players taking more at-bats than players around MLB usually do to prepare for the season. Factoring in all of McLain’s work tracking pitches in the batter's box, his live at-bats against Reds pitching and his limited game experience, Bell said McLain is about on pace of where big leaguers usually are heading into the last week of spring training.
“We just do the best we can getting guys as many at-bats,” Bell said. “I don’t know if there’s a perfect correlation with the amount of at-bats. We’ll do the best we can. He’s young. He’s a good player. He has done a lot outside of game activity and gotten a ton of live at-bats. He has more reps in that way than players used to ever get in a normal regular spring training.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Matt McLain's frustrating spring continues with an injury 'speed bump'
