Terry Francona's late-game decision foreshadows roster move Reds can't ignore any longer

With the Cincinnati Reds trailing by three runs with one out during the bottom of the eighth inning of Tuesday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies, manager Terry Francona was looking for a spark. He turned to pinch-hitter Ivan Johnson who worked an eight-pitch walk against Phillies reliever Orion Kerkering and reached base for the first time in his big-league career.

Unfortunately, Johnson was left stranded on third base with the bases loaded after Eugenio Suárez struck out to end the inning and eliminated any chance of a Reds' rally. Cincinnati dropped the series opener to Philadelphia by a final score of 4-1.

Johnson's substitution, however, came at the expense of Matt McLain who's been a regular in the Reds' lineup despite his struggles this season. The Reds' second baseman has endured a horrendous 2026 campaign, and over his last 15 games is hitting just .081/.150/.108. Francona's removal of McLain from the lineup could (and should) be a sign of things to come.

Reds must option Matt McLain to the minor leagues

The Reds' hopes of contending this season evaporated after a horrific stretch during the month of May gave way to even more depressing record once the calendar flipped to June. After starting out 20-11 to begin the year, Cincinnati has gone 21-38 and are in the NL Central cellar.

With the Reds likely to become sellers at this year's trade deadline, there's little reason to keep McLain on the active roster. Cincinnati's brass should option the 26-year-old back to the minor leagues in hopes that he can somehow return to the promising player Reds fans remember from his rookie season in 2023.

McLain isn't helping the Reds at this point. On the year, he's hitting .190/.293/.328 with a 71 wRC+. He's worth just 0.1 fWAR, and that's only because of his sterling defensive efforts at second base. McLain has been worth 4 outs above average (OAA) at the keystone this season.

But with Johnson, Edwin Arroyo, and Spencer Steer all on the active roster, Cincinnati has plenty of players who can grab a glove and set up shop at second base. Though none of those three possess the defensive prowess of McLain, his spot in the starting lineup has become a black hole.

McLain's outstanding performance during spring training allowed Francona to slot him into the No. 2 spot in the batting order. But his spring success didn't carry over to the regular season, and he's since been relegated to the No. 8 or 9 spot in the Reds lineup.

McLain was supposed to be a key piece of the Reds' roster in 2026, but instead he's become a liability. Cincinnati must option him back to the minor leagues in hopes of salvaging some semblance of the player he used to be.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow