Cincinnati Reds infielder Matt McLain on Tuesday underwent successful surgery to address a damaged labrum in his left shoulder, Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall announced. There's not yet a timetable for McLain's eventual return, but Krall also stated that there is a "wide range of possibilities" for McLain's return and that the current hope is that he'll be able to play in 2024.
McLain, 24, spent time at both shortstop and second base last season and was slated to be the everyday second baseman with Elly De La Cruz at short here in 2024. McLain last season hit .290/.357/.507 (129 OPS+) with 23 doubles, four triples, 16 homers, 50 RBI, 65 runs, 14 steals and 3.7 WAR in 89 games, finishing fifth in NL Rookie of the Year voting.
In addition to the McLain injury, the Reds have lost outfielder TJ Friedl to a fractured wrist and infielder Noelvi Marte to an 80-game PED suspension.
Last week, the Reds added former All-Star infielder Santiago Espinal in a trade with the Blue Jays, which should help with those depth issues.
Espinal, 29, has played second base, shortstop and third base at the big-league level and was a 2022 All-Star for the Blue Jays. In 93 games last season, he hit .248/.310/.335 (80 OPS+) with 14 doubles, two homers, 25 RBI, 30 runs and 0.5 WAR in 254 plate appearances.
The Reds finished 82-80 last season, missing the playoffs by two games after losing 100 in 2022. They'll start the 2024 season at home against the Nationals.
