Reds' Matt McLain Showing Signs of Life Despite Brutal Loss to Cardinals

The entire city of Cincinnati threw their hands up in the air in a helpless motion after the would-be game-winning out slipped out of Dane Myers' glove in the ninth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals. With a 5-4 lead, a routine pop fly that is caught 4,999 times out of 5,000 attempts found safe haven on the outfield grass after Myers made an overaggressive play in left fielder TJ Friedl’s territory, leading to a Cincinnati Reds loss. 

Myers was seen dejected in the dugout long after the game concluded, as Myers' only error in center field this season came at the worst possible time and reminded fans just how dysfunctional this Reds roster is. 

Overshadowed by that colossal mistake was the continued hot streak of Reds middle infielder Matt McLain. The former first-round pick out of UCLA and fourth-year player is hitting .333 with a 1.051 OPS in his last seven games, hitting two home runs and driving in five runs during that span. 

McLain has been one of a very long list of disappointing players this season, especially given his breakout rookie season in 2023. He finished fifth in NL Rookie of the Year voting after hitting .290 with an .864 OPS, leaving the yard 16 times. He suffered an injury and missed all of 2024. Ever since, he hasn’t returned to the form that made many think he and Elly De La Cruz would give the Reds a championship window for 4-5 years. 

McLain hit .220 in 2025 and struck out 167 times, and has taken another step back this season, using this recent hot streak to reach a .200 batting average with a .656 OPS. He hit a huge grand slam on Thursday afternoon to give the Reds a 5-4 lead when they trailed 4-1 in the sixth inning. 

He is 8-for-24 in his last seven games, with two games in which he recorded three hits. McLain has hits in four of his last seven games, showing off his power and consistency at the plate. 

It still feels like McLain is a very long way from returning to form and would have to keep this stretch up for the remainder of the season to convince fans he is the second baseman of the future. Cincinnati is now in a very short window where they can contend for a championship, with Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart playing their best baseball. The duo is unlikely to stick together long-term, so surrounding them with talented hitters is necessary. 

The best-case scenario for the Reds is McLain turning back into that player while playing elite defense at second base.