Cincinnati Reds Star Matt McLain Discusses Position Switch, Offseason Mindset After Missing 2024 Season

McLain missed the entire 2024 season with a shoulder injury.

Greg Kuffner | Oct 30, 2024

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Matt McLain (9) fields groundballs with Cincinnati Reds second baseman Jonathan India (6), left, and Cincinnati Reds third baseman Elly De La Cruz (44), right, during spring training workouts, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024, at the team s spring training facility in Goodyear, Ariz. / Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

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After missing the entire 2024 campaign due to shoulder surgery, Matt McLain wanted to get some at-bats in the Arizona Fall League.

However, with the number of infielders on the Glendale Desert Dogs' roster, McLain had to switch positions.

“I talked with our farm director Jeremy Farrell,” McLain told MLB Pipeline's Jonathan Mayo. “There are a bunch of guys, rules about how often guys have to play and I was a really late add to the team. It was a conversation of, ‘If you want more at-bats, you might have to try other positions.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, of course. I just want to play.’”

McLain played in center field on Tuesday, finishing 1-for-4 with a home run and an outfield assist.

“There’s definitely a risk there, but that’s a part of the game,” McLain said. “There’s risk everywhere; no matter where I was going to play, there was going to be risk. At this point, it’s just about the at-bats, getting back in rhythm with the at-bats. To get in the lineup is a good thing for me right now.”

McLain has had just 19 at-bats so far this fall, but he is slashing .316/.500/.737 with four extra-base hits.

“I’m finally feeling the flow with the game a little bit and trying to build up my workload day-to-day," he said. "So that at the end of it I can say I was ready to go every day, have a little bit of an offseason, get right back into it, ready to go for spring."

McLain was very excited to just get back on the field and play baseball competitively again. He has not played in a Major League game since September 27, 2023.

“I’m just excited,” McLain said. “It was either here or winter ball. I chose here. I live here, trainers are here, the Reds complex is here. Just the chance to get at-bats, I don’t care where it is, what level, the fact that I have to come back here after being in the big leagues, I don’t care. It’s just baseball at the end of the day and it’s just fun.”

You can read Mayo's full article on McLain here.

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