Reds may have found the spark Matt McLain needed to reach another level

What has gotten into Matt McLain? Whatever it is, let's hope it sticks this time. Since the calendar flipped to June, the Cincinnati Reds' infielder has been riding quite the hot streak, and over his last six games is hitting .389/.476/1.000 with five extra-base hits, including three home runs, five RBI, and a 290 wRC+.

Coincidently, McLain's surge has happened in conjunction with the elevation of infield prospect Edwin Arroyo to the active roster. Elly De La Cruz was placed on the 10-day injured list on June 1, prompting the Reds to call up Arroyo who's typically been gathering playing time at second base while McLain slides over to shortstop.

Cincinnati reporter Charlie Goldsmith asked McLain at the time of Arroyo's promotion about whether or not he viewed the Reds top infield prospect as competition for playing time. His response was short and sweet, but got the point across.

“It always is. We’re teammates. We’re out there playing up the middle together. I’m looking forward to turning more double plays together," McLain told Goldsmith.

Did Matt McLain just need a push from Reds' prospect Edwin Arroyo?

The first three words of McLain's response are very telling. Obviously he views Arroyo as a teammate first, but he's also threat to McLain's playing time. The 22-year-old has an above-average glove up the middle, can hit from both sides of the plate, and has found a way to tap into his power recently. Though Arroyo hasn't hit the ground running, his .323/.383/.562 line at Triple-A is proof that he's no slouch.

At some point — hopefully sooner rather than later — De La Cruz is going to return to the Reds' lineup. When he does, one of McLain or Arroyo will either be moved into a bench role or perhaps even sent back to the minor leagues. Based on McLain's performance of late, he doesn't want to be that guy.

If an internal push from an up-and-coming rookie is all it took to get McLain back on track, the Reds are probably wishing they'd have called up Arroyo over a month ago. McLain is vital to the team's success in 2026, but he's arguably been Cincinnati's most frustrating player this season.

McLain's red-hot performance during spring training didn't carry over to the regular season, but this latest surge is giving Reds fans hope that he might in line for a breakout.

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