We are five games into the 2025 season, and the man in Cincinnati is lighting the world on fire in his first big league action since 2023. Matt McLain has been piping hot to start the year, bringing a much-needed firepower to an otherwise weak offensive group.
He and Elly De La Cruz have reunited in the middle of the infield, and the second baseman-shortstop tandem has already lit up the box score, unlike the rest of the club.
McLain’s Hot Start at the Plate
After an 0 for 5 Opening Day, McLain has homered in three consecutive games and has five RBI. While the slash line does not remain at this level, he is currently slashing .300/.364/.800 for a 1.164 OPS in 22 plate appearances.
His hot start is coming from a mediocre Spring Training, where he put up a .699 OPS. Some concerns may have been there, but he has shut that topic down immediately here early on in the year.
McLain’s 2023 Rookie Season
McLain lit the world on fire in 2023, racking up 3.6 bWAR in just 89 games played. He slashed .290/.357/.507 for an .864 OPS and 127 OPS+. He was outstanding in the power department (evident by the .507 SLG) as he hit 16 home runs, 23 doubles, and 4 triples, along with swiping 14 stolen bases.
A knock on his game in 2023 was his strikeout-to-walk ratios, as he had a 28.5 K% (16th percentile) and a 7.7 BB% (39th percentile). In 2025, he has five strikeouts and one walk in five games so far.
Defensively, he accumulated 2 OAA in 53 games at short stop and 37 at second base, which is a strong number in the limited action. He’s flashed the leather to start the season so far at second base, where he’ll spend most of the year.
McLain’s Impact
After A 14-3 onslaught over the Texas Rangers on Sunday, the Reds trotted out a lineup of T.J. Freidl, Matt McLain, Elly De La Cruz, Gavin Lux, Jeimer Candelario, Santiago Espinosa, Jake Farley, Blake Dunn, and Austin Wynns. The 5-9 of that lineup barely consists of big league talent.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand has started the season hot, much like McLain, but was forced to leave the game on Sunday following a hit by pitch to the hand. The X-rays were negative, but it put him out of the lineup on Monday. Spencer Steer’s lingering shoulder injury also took him out of the lineup on Monday. Both will return to action today as the Reds look to take a series win from the Rangers, but the bleakness of the Reds lineup so early in the season is not a good sign. A simple loss of two of their players resulted in a Triple-A lineup, where the top five have to carry the entire load offensively.
Others In The Lineup
Jeimer Candelario had a productive 3 RBI Opening Day but has been brutal ever since. Jake Farley has been borderline unplayable, making a great grab in right field on Opening Day, but has been brutal at the plate. Noncompetitive at-bats after noncompetitive at-bats from the bottom of the lineup have Reds fans begging for a change already, possibly recalling Will Benson, who is OPSing over 1.000 in Triple-A Louisville right now.
With such a weak lineup offensively, Matt McLain’s health and performance may be the most important factor for this offense. He and De La Cruz, up the middle, will have to carry the load at the top of the lineup, which looks good so far. Only time will tell if the rest of the team picks it up offensively or if they continue a repeat of a weak offensive performance in 2024.
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