Cincinnati Reds’ second baseman Matt McLain underwent surgery on his left shoulder and won’t be playing for quite some time.
The Reds’ baseball operations president Nick Krall mentioned that the surgery happened on Tuesday to fix damage to the cartilage and repair the labrum.
“We don’t have an exact timeline yet. It could take some time. We’re hoping Matt will return sometime this season,” Krall stated on Wednesday.
McLain, who is 24 years old, last played in a spring training game on March 17. He got injured the next day while diving for a ball during practice. Reds manager David Bell announced the injury on March 20, the same day Cincinnati got infielder Santiago Espinal from Toronto.
Last year, McLain had a batting average of .290 with 16 home runs, 50 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases. He ended up fifth in the NL Rookie of the Year voting.
When the Reds start against Washington on Thursday, they will also miss third baseman Noelvi Marte, who is serving an 80-game suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance, and center fielder T.J. Friedl, who has a broken right wrist.
Jonathan India, the NL Rookie of the Year in 2021, might play in different positions like first, second, third, and left field. He usually played at second base in his first three seasons.
