The Cincinnati Reds were counting on Matt McLain to be a cornerstone in the top half of their lineup this season. Entering 2025, McLain looked poised to build off a strong rookie campaign after missing all of 2024 recovering from shoulder surgery, and was expected to solidify himself as a reliable bat. But nearly two months into the season, it’s clear something’s not quite right — and manager Terry Francona has seen enough to act on it.
McLain’s 2025 struggles haven’t just been surface-level; they’ve forced a change in how the Reds deploy him. Slashing .176/.289/.318, McLain has fallen far from the table-setter role he briefly occupied earlier this season.
Francona officially dropped him from the No. 2 spot in the lineup more than a week ago, and since then, McLain has found himself camped out in the bottom third — a demotion that reflects his concerning offensive production.
Matt McLain’s strikeout woes have buried him in the Reds’ lineup
While there’s some reason for optimism beneath the numbers — his 47.3% hard-hit rate and 10.9% barrel rate suggest he’s making solid contact — those positives are buried under a giant mountain of strikeouts. McLain’s 32.8% strikeout rate ranks in the bottom three percent of the league, and that’s simply unsustainable for a player the Reds expected to be a high-contact presence in their infield.
It’s not just about the strikeouts — it’s about when and how they’re happening. McLain is getting beat by fastballs up in the zone and struggling to adjust to breaking balls. At this point, pitchers aren’t even bothering to throw him much off-speed — they know they don’t have to. He’s unfortunately become a momentum killer in key spots leaving Francona with no choice but to hide him.
Interestingly enough, the tools still flash. McLain is stealing bases, he’s drawing walks (12.1% BB rate), and the contact he does make isn’t weak. But if he can’t shorten up with two strikes and make consistent contact, the Reds are stuck with an all-or-nothing bat which isn’t what they need from him.
It’s still early enough in the season for McLain to turn it around, but the leash is shorter now. The Reds are a team trying to stay afloat in a competitive division. They can’t afford to wait forever for McLain to figure it out at the plate. Until he does, expect him to remain an afterthought in the lineup and not the spark plug they hoped for.
