Matt McLain could miss the remainder of his rookie season

The Cincinnati Reds have been playing winning baseball of late, and have done so without the services of rookie sensation Matt McLain. Unfortunately, the injury that has kept McLain out of action for a couple weeks may keep the infielder sidelined for a few more weeks.

McLain was placed on the 10-day injured list with an oblique strain on August 28. The former UCLA Bruin had been the spark plug atop the Reds lineup with a terrific combination of speed and power.

In his stead, Cincinnati has turned to the versatile Spencer Steer to man second base. While fellow infielder Jonathan India may be back as soon as next week, the Reds are certainly missing McLain's bat in the lineup.

Reds news: Matt McLain could miss the remainder of his rookie season.

According to MLB.com, Matt McLain is likely to be out for at least two to three more weeks. With only 21 games remaining, it's very possible that McLain could have played his last game of the 2023 regular season. Could he be back in time for the playoffs? It's a possibility.

However, this would mean that the Reds would essentially need to secure a playoff spot without one of their star infielders. Prior to his injury, McLain was hitting .290/.357/.507 with 16 home runs and 50 RBI.

McLain was an absolute scoring machine at one point and also has great speed, stealing 14 bases before his rookie season was cut short. McLain, according to Fielding Bible, was also among the Reds best defenders with 4 defensive runs saved (DRS) this season.

What started out as just a 10-day injury stint, has turned into what is now expected to be about a month. The injury bug hasn't been very kind to the Cincinnati Reds this season, and McLain is the latest player to feel its wrath. McLain has an incredibly bright future, but if the Reds hope to find success this season, they may have to do it without him.