Matt McLain: Good Things Come in Small Packages

McLain doesn’t have near the track record but has 24 doubles, four triples, and 19 home runs in 98 big league games. He has three in nine games this season.

How does he do it?

“I don’t know. You’ve got to be strong,” McLain said. “You’ve got to be quick. I think both of those things help. You have to hit good pitches. That helps everyone.”

McLain missed nine games with a slight hamstring strain. The Reds held him out to make sure that when he came back, there were no limitations other than a pinch hit while it healed.

“It’s like getting a veteran back,” Francona said. “I know he doesn't have a lot of service time. It doesn’t matter. He’s a baseball player. He throws the ball to the right base. We held him out because you can only play the game the right way.”

That is going all out as McLain always does.

McLain preceded Elly De La Cruz in 2023 as a shortstop but moved to second base when De La Cruz was promoted. The infield defense improved because McLain is really quick on the pivot for a double play and covers a lot of ground with his quickness.

McLain is from a family of three brothers in major league baseball today. He was fortunate to play on the same team as his younger brother, Sean, a Los Angeles Dodgers minor leaguer. His brother Nick is in the Chicago White Sox organization.