Matt McLain is running out of time to justify the Reds decision

When Matt McLain exploded this spring, he set the stage to become the Cincinnati Reds biggest X-factor. He was the hottest hitter in the entire league from wire to wire throughout spring training, raising hopes that his 2025 struggles were just a blip, rather than a sign of things to come.

Through 20 games, McLain is homer-less with a .183/.333/.225, bringing up a litany of questions all over again. The 26-year-old stated that he learned just how much the lingering effects of his 2024 shoulder injury impacted his performance last year. That hinted at a bounce back to his sensational 2023 rookie year, but now, as the games roll on, it's becoming more and more questionable how much water that excuse holds.

The Reds might soon have make a lineup pivot regarding Matt McLain

The hot spring confirmed what we thought would happen. The Reds decided to bat McLain second, making him one of the most important table setters for Elly De La Cruz and blossoming star Sal Stewart.

With De La Cruz looking like an early-season MVP favorite and Stewart looking like an absolute superstar, Cincinnati is missing out on capitalizing on a lot of opportunities thanks to McLain's ineptitude. The question is, how long is the leash if he doesn't pick it out soon?

Through 20 games, the Reds are last in the MLB in runs scored with 66, despite having two of the league's most productive hitters in the heart of the lineup. That can't go on for much longer, and if it does, the Reds' hopes of being true contenders are in jeopardy.

Here's the problem, though. If it's not McLain batting second, then who rises to take the mantle? Will Benson was inserted as the No. 2 batter in the Reds' starting during Saturday's win over the Minnesota Twins, but that's unlikely to stick. It's not entirely McLain's fault that the offense is in the cellar. Eugenio Suarez is the only Reds' hitter with a wRC+ over 100, aside from De La Cruz and Stewart.

With a dearth of options, the easy answer is to simply keep McLain in the role and hope for the best. However, there's something to be said for a shakeup. Sometimes that can be just the catalyst a team needs to break out of a funk.

We might not be at the point to pull the plug on McLain having such an important role, yet, but we're getting close. If he hasn't figured it out by May 1, burying him at the bottom of the order might be the best course of action. What hasn't changed is the fact that McLain is still the team's X-factor, but right now, he's the kind of force that's dragging the team down instead of bringing it up.

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