Cincinnati Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall said on Wednesday that "Matt McLain had successful surgery to address the cartilage damage and repair his labrum in his left shoulder. An exact timeline is still TBD as it has a wide range of possibilities. We hope to have Matt back this season." Even though the injury is to his left (non-throwing) shoulder, there's a fairly good chance we won't see the 24-year-old until the 2025 season, despite Krall's words. It's a tough blow for McLain after a very impressive debut in the big leagues for Cincy last year. Don't feel compelled to hang onto McLain in fantasy leagues if you have more pressing needs. McLain's injury now opens up the door for former National League Rookie of the Year, Jonathan India, to be the Reds' primary second baseman in 2024.

Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell said that that second baseman Matt McLain (shoulder) won't be ready for Opening Day on March 28. "I think it's safe to say he's not going to be ready to start the season," Bell said. After being scratched from a Cactus League game on Monday due to left-shoulder soreness, McLain is going for a second opinion, and the team hasn't ruled out the possibility that he might need surgery. The 24-year-old second-year player went from being fine to potentially missing extended time to begin the 2024 because of his shoulder injury. The former 17th overall pick in 2021 out of UCLA was set to open his sophomore year as Cincy's primary second baseman after slashing .290/.357/.507 with an .864 OPS, 16 homer, 50 RBI and 14 steals in 365 at-bats in his rookie season, but now Jonathan India will open the year as the Reds' second baseman.

Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell said that second baseman Matt McLain (shoulder) had an MRI exam on his left shoulder after recently being scratched from a Cactus League game. The team is looking at all of their options and next steps, and Bell said he's unsure if McLain would start the year on the active roster or on the injured list. One of the options for McLain is surgery. A report surfaced on Tuesday night that the 24-year-old would be fine, but this contradicts that news. It's unclear how long McLain might be out if he needs surgery, but fantasy managers considering him as a middle-infield option in mixed leagues after his strong rookie year in 2023 may now want to reconsider. If McLain opens the year on the IL, Jonathan India would serve as Cincy's primary second baseman.

Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell said that second baseman Matt McLain (shoulder) and outfielder Jake Fraley (groin) should both be fine. McLain was scratched from Monday's Cactus League lineup due to left-shoulder soreness, while Fraley was removed from the game early after fouling a pitch off a sensitive area. McLain is scheduled to be back in the spring lineup on Wednesday, but the Reds may give him another day just to be safe. The 24-year-old has played in just five Cactus League games this spring due to an oblique injury that he also dealt with last year. But he should be ready for Opening Day on March 28 and is going to be the Reds' starting second baseman. Fraley has mixed-league value in the strong-side of a platoon because he mashes right-handers.

Cincinnati Reds second baseman Matt McLain (shoulder) was scratched from Monday night's Cactus League game versus the San Francisco Giants for precautionary reasons with left-shoulder soreness. It doesn't sound like a serious injury, but it's something to watch after McLain also missed time earlier this spring due to an oblique injury that cut his rookie season short in 2023. Health issues aside, the 24-year-old earned the right to open the 2024 campaign as Cincy's starting second baseman after hitting .290/.357/.507 with an .864 OPS, 16 home runs, 50 RBI and 14 stolen bases in his first 89 major-league games a season ago. The former first-round pick in 2021 out of UCLA is RotoBaller's No. 7 ranked fantasy second baseman, but injuries are becoming a concern. If McLain is forced to open the year on the injured list, Jonathan India could fill in at the keystone.

Cincinnati Reds second baseman Matt McLain (oblique) said Tuesday that he will "totally" be ready to start the 2024 regular season healthy after missing most of spring training with an oblique injury. The 24-year-old, who made his Cactus League debut on Sunday, has the support of manager David Bell, who said Tuesday, "I am confident he will be ready to go." McLain will look to pick up where he left off in 2023, when he slashed .290/.357/.507 with 16 home runs, 65 runs scored, 50 RBI, and 14 stolen bases in 403 plate appearances.

Cincinnati Reds second baseman Matt McLain (oblique) made his spring debut on Sunday in a 5-3 Cactus League win over the Guardians. The 24-year-old had been battling an oblique injury this spring but made the start and batted third in the Reds lineup, going 0-for-2 with a strikeout. He's looking to build off a solid 2023 season where he put up a .290-16-50-65-14 line in 403 plate appearances. ATC projections see him as a multi-category contributor again, forecasting a .258-22-73-80-20 line with a .343 WOBA and 110 wRC+. RotoBaller ranks him at 74 overall, a little behind his NFBC ADP of 62 overall.

Cincinnati Reds second baseman Matt McLain (oblique) is back in team workouts in camp on Monday, and manager David Bell said that McLain could make his Cactus League debut this week. McLain's right oblique ended his rookie season early in 2023, and he's been held back in spring training with more issues in the same oblique. However, it looks as though he's making nice progress and will attempt to test his oblique out in spring games this week. If he can avoid anymore setbacks, McLain could be ready for Opening Day in late March. Still, the Reds aren't going to rush their primary second baseman along if he's not ready. RotoBaller has McLain ranked as the No. 5 fantasy second baseman entering 2024 after the former first-rounder thoroughly impressed last year with a .290/.357/.507 slash line, an .864 OPS, 16 homers, 50 RBI and 14 stolen bases in his rookie campaign.

Cincinnati Reds infielder Matt McLain (oblique) took 70 swings on Friday and is set to have live-at bats on Wednesday for the upcoming week. McLain has been shut down since he tweaked his right oblique early in spring training. The 24-year-old has progressed well from his oblique injury and no longer feels soreness. In his rookie season, McLain was excellent for the Reds, slashing .290/.357/.507 with 16 home runs, 50 RBI, and 14 stolen bases across 403 plate appearances. It's unclear if McLain will be ready for Opening Day, but he still has time to ramp up his activity and could return to action soon.

Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell said that second baseman Matt McLain (oblique) is progressing well and is going through a lot of core/medicine-ball work. The next step for McLain is light swinging. McLain tweaked his right oblique early in spring training and was shut down for five to seven days, so he should resume light baseball activities in the next few days so that the Reds can see where he's at. Depending on how he bounces back, though, there's a chance the 24-year-old won't be ready by Opening Day. Before an oblique injury ended his rookie season in 2023, McLain was excellent for the Reds, hitting .290/.357/.507 with 16 homers, 50 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 365 at-bats. The underlying numbers suggest that the former first-rounder will face some regression in Year 2, though, and the fact that oblique is still bothering him is also concerning for fantasy managers.

Cincinnati Reds infielder Matt McLain (oblique) tweaked his oblique in the area where he had last year's injury, although an MRI exam was clear. He'll be sidelined for five to seven days, but it "shouldn't" keep him from being ready for the season opener, according to manager David Bell. However, the next five to seven days will give the team a better idea of where McLain stands. It's not a good sign for the 24-year-old, even if there's still time before Opening Day. If he isn't ready for the first game of the regular season, Jonathan India would be the obvious candidate to start at the keystone for the Reds. McLain broke out in his rookie year in 2023 and earned the primary gig at second over India, although his season was cut short by his oblique injury late last year.