McLain, Reds hoping left shoulder injury is just a 'speed bump'

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The Reds may have avoided the possibility of losing infielder and key lineup contributor Matt McLain for Opening Day after he injured his left shoulder. But a lot will depend on how fast it improves.

“Now with it being close to the season, this will have to come around within a few days for sure to still feel that confident," Reds manager David Bell said on Tuesday.

McLain, who is expected to open the season at second base, was slated to start at shortstop on Monday vs. the Giants before he was scratched due to left shoulder soreness.

A doctor's examination cleared McLain of any serious injury.

“Hopefully, it’s just a speed bump of a day or two and then back at it," McLain said.

The 24-year-old McLain was hurt during a team workout.

“I just dove for a ball and [the shoulder] went over the top," McLain said. "I thought it was just one of those stingers that goes away but it didn’t go away. So, we’ll see.”

It's already been a challenging Spring Training for McLain. Early in camp, he missed three weeks with a sore right oblique and didn't debut in Cactus League games until March 10. It was a right oblique strain that cost him the final month of his rookie season in 2023.

Over five spring games, McLain is hitless in 13 at-bats.

"My results weren’t good, but my body was starting to feel good," McLain said. "Then I dove in practice, which I’ve always done so I’m not really mad about it. But at the same time, I am."

McLain, who has had no further oblique issues since returning, was already scheduled to be off on Tuesday when the Reds played the Angels. He could return to the lineup as soon as Wednesday -- if his shoulder feels better.

"Personally, I kind of doubt that but it’s a good sign," Bell said. "If we can get him 15 at-bats every day in the Minor League [games], we can catch him back up. A day or two is not going to set him back. I’m not going to force anything for a day or two.”

Opening Day is March 28 vs. the Nationals and camp will break on Sunday. The club plans on holding two workouts and intrasquad games at Great American Ball Park next week.

That leaves McLain a shrinking window to be ready for the regular season.

"I was getting there but I’m only worried about feeling better today so I can play tomorrow," McLain said. "That’s in the background of things. I literally just want my body to feel good. Once my body feels good, things will start to click.”

If McLain isn't ready, Jonathan India or Spencer Steer could man second base.

In lieu of game action this spring, McLain has spent a lot of time tracking pitches in the batter's box and hitting in live batting practice.

The regular season will be the ultimate determination if McLain took enough swings.

“We just do the best we can with getting guys as many at-bats. I don’t know if there’s a perfect correlation with the amount of at-bats that you get," Bell said. "He’s a good player. He’s done a lot outside of game activity. He’s gotten a ton of live at-bats.

"I would say he has more reps in that way than players used to ever get in a normal Spring Training when they didn’t have any injuries.”

Greene's lackluster spring continues
In his start during Tuesday's 10-6 loss to the Angels, Hunter Greene gave up seven earned runs and seven hits over 4 1/3 innings with two walks and six strikeouts. Greene, who was scheduled to pitch six innings, gave up Zach Neto's two-out, two-run home run in the second inning before back-to-back 1-2-3 innings in the third and fourth.

Some misplayed balls in the infield led to a five-run Angels fifth inning. In four Cactus League starts, Greene has an 8.25 ERA and has one more game scheduled on Sunday.

“It was weird. I had three dominant innings and two innings where it was not crisp," Greene said. "I feel like it’s been like that in my other spring games. I’ll sit down with [pitching coach Derek Johnson], do my own homework and keep it moving and try to clean that up before the season starts.”