MIAMI –– Since the Cincinnati Reds drafted shortstop prospect Matt McLain in the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft, the front office has moved him through the farm system as quickly and as aggressively as any Reds’ position player prospect over the last decade.
Now, the Reds will have one of the youngest shortstops in MLB and a key piece of their young core in the starting lineup.
The Reds plan to call up McLain on Monday, a source confirmed to The Enquirer. As the Reds look to build around a young core of players in MLB, McLain represents the first of their young prospects to make it to the big leagues.
McLain will be one of the youngest shortstops in MLB. McLain, 23, hit .348 with a 1.184 OPS in Triple-A. He improved his approach at the plate, hit for more power and showed his value defensively as he showed the Reds that he was ready to join the big league roster.
McLain was thriving in Triple-A alongside Elly De La Cruz and Christian Encarnacion-Strand. The Reds have historically almost always given every day playing time when they've called up a prospect, and McLain is expected to be a regular going forward.
As a prospect, McLain was often compared to Reds second baseman Jonathan India. McLain’s poise and polish helped him become a starter during his freshman year at UCLA and eventually the team’s star shortstop. Reds farm director Shawn Pender has called McLain a “baseball rat” whose instincts and feel for the game are as good as they come.
McLain participated in big league spring training in each of the last two years, and he made a very strong impression.
“He impresses us most the way he goes about his business,” Reds manager David Bell said during spring training. “He showed that he can play short, any infield position. He can hit a fastball. They cannot beat him in the zone.”
McLain has always been a talented hitter, and the Reds took note of how he handled adversity during his first full year of professional baseball in 2022. Last year, McLain cooled off during the summer because of injuries and because of his adjustment to the demands of playing a much longer schedule than the college season. McLain fell down top prospect lists as he hit .232 last season, but he showed great signs with his power and his defense.
In 2023, McLain cut down on his strikeouts, walked often and showed even more potential as a power hitter. In Triple-A this year, he hit 12 homers and stole 10 bases, which showed his well-rounded skill set. McLain has been one of the hottest hitters in all of minor league baseball recently, and the Reds have viewed McLain as “close” for a significant portion of this season.
The only remaining question around McLain was his lack of minor league game reps. McLain will be the seventh-youngest shortstop in MLB. Four of the six shortstops younger than McLain were blue-chip prospects who had played in at least 200 minor league games. The other two shortstops had played in 44 and 114 minor league games.
McLain had only played in 172 minor league games, and he split time with prospect Elly De La Cruz at shortstop over the last two seasons. Even though McLain had only made 124 career minor league starts at shortstop, he showed the Reds that he was ready for the big leagues.
Reds general manager Nick Krall visited Louisville last weekend to evaluate the top prospects. During this week’s six-game series in Louisville, McLain had nine hits, eight RBI, three home runs and seven walks.
McLain’s promotion creates a new set of questions that the Reds will have to answer. Is he set as their long-term shortstop of the future? Will Elly De La Cruz start getting experience playing different positions? What’s in store for Jose Barrero?
For now, the Reds’ focus is on a significant step in their rebuild. As they look to supplement their young core in MLB with a captivating group of prospects, McLain showed them that he’s ready for his MLB career to begin.
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