Matt McLain's Hot Start In Spring Training, Fantasy Baseball Outlook
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The Cincinnati Reds are entering the 2026 season looking to avenge their Wild Card loss to cap off a solid 2025 campaign. Despite an overall successful season, clinching a spot in the postseason for the first time in five years, the team noticed a dip in production from infielder Matt McLain, who struggled to build on an encouraging 2023 rookie performance.
The former first-round pick played through a lingering shoulder injury throughout the 2025 season, which drastically affected his play. His performance raised concerns among fantasy baseball managers, who expected McLain to build on his rookie campaign entering his second season in the majors after missing the entire 2024 season following shoulder surgery to repair a tear in his left shoulder labrum.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleMcLain posted a batting average of .220 over 147 games a season ago, racking up 73 runs, 112 hits, 15 homer runs and 50 RBIs. Aside from his average, which dropped from an efficient .290 mark in 2023, his numbers largely replicated his rookie season, despite suiting up in 58 additional games last year.
Entering the 2026 season, McLain is poised to bounce back from last season’s inconsistency, offering positive updates regarding his shoulder’s status. He comes into the year with elevated expectations, considering his high level of play in 2023, and could be a tremendous sleeper candidate for fantasy baseball. Let’s look at McLain’s strong start to the year through Spring Training with Opening Day just days away:
Matt McLain Entering 2026 Regular Season With Hot Bat Through Spring Training
McLain is entering his third season coming off a strong performance through Spring Training, showing tremendous flashes of potential heading into the regular season. His performance has raised his recent ADP projections in fantasy baseball, though he could still offer notable value early in the season.
Through 17 games, McLain hit .529 from the plate over 51 at-bats, racking up 18 runs, 27 hits, seven homers and 16 RBIs. He’s emerged as one of Spring Training’s top performers and appears ready to live up to the expectations that followed his first-round selection in 2021. McLain is set to miss Cincinnati’s final Spring Training game due to illness, but is ready to make an impact early in the 2026 season.
He enters Opening Day with an ADP of 184.0 among fantasy league drafts and is ranked 14th among second basemen according to FantasyPros’ projections. His momentum could elevate his fantasy stock over the short-term, as managers will anticipate strong production early in the year following a hot start in Spring Training.
The Reds have got plenty of eyes on them coming into the 2026 season, with McLain being regarded as one of the team’s X-factors.
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Ethen Hutton is a MLB, WNBA, College, and Fantasy contributor at On SI. Previously, he's covered the NBA, WNBA and NFL for Sportskeeda. Hutton is also a passionate fantasy football player and an immense music lover.