Matt McLain Playing Some Center Field In The AFL
5 days agoCincinnati Reds infielder Matt McLain was starting in center field on Tuesday for the Glendale Desert Dogs in the Arizona Fall League. While the 25-year-old hit a home run in the contest, the fact that he was playing the outfield was perhaps the more intriguing development. He missed all of 2024 with injuries, but when he last played for the Reds in his rookie season of 2023, the former first-round draft pick played only second base or shortstop. As the AFL is where a lot of top talent goes to get some extra reps and potentially work on some specific skills, it seems the Reds are seeing if this gives them some flexibility in how McLain is deployed, as they already have plenty of infield talent including Elly De La Cruz, former NL Rookie of the Year Jonathan India, and more. When last healthy, McLain put up a .290-16-50-65-14 line in just 89 games in 2023, so the added versatility could be another way to get his bat in the lineup in 2025.
Source: Doug Gray - Redleg Nation
Source: Doug Gray - Redleg Nation