Reds Second Baseman Injury Remains a Mystery, Being Evaluated Monday

Matt McLain Will Not Start the Season on Time

Bell believes that McLain will open the season on the injured list.

“I think it’s safe to say he’s not going to start the year on time,” Bell said. “As far as knowing exactly what that’s going to look like, it’s still too early. Until he gets that second opinion, we’re really not going to know that. We can start planning on not having him to start the year.”

With the uncertainty surrounding McLain, the Reds didn’t hesitate to address their infield issue. Cincinnati went out and acquired utility infielder Santiago Espinal from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for minor league pitcher Chirs McElvain.

“It got done pretty quickly,” president of baseball operations Nick Krall said. “Two years ago, [Espinal] was an All-Star. He plays second, short and third. He serves as a real quality utility infielder who can player all over and gives guys days off.”

McLain Showed Plenty of Potential in 2023

McLain made his major league debut in 2023, making an impact with his potential. He hit a robust .290/.357/.507 with 16 home runs, 23 doubles, four triples and 14 stolen bases. He struck out in 28.5% in his trips to plate while walking 7.7% of the time. Despite going into the draft as a shortstop, McLain split time between the two middle infield slots. It shouldn’t come as a surprise if he focuses on second base with Elly De La Cruz taking the share at shortstop. The Reds have a plethora of infield surplus with Jeimer Candelario, who signed a three-year deal in the offseason. An 8-game suspension to Noelvi Marte has made things a little bit sparse and the absence of McLain could depend on how playing time is split around the diamond.