NL Central: McLain's heating up—and so are the Reds

Cincinnati Reds

If the season had started on June 1, the Cincinnati Reds would be leading the NL Central. They have gone 10-6 in June and one thing is clear with new manager Terry Francona at the helm: he's not afraid to tinker with the lineup.

While Matt McLain was off to an abysmal start to the season and his season-long slashline is still pretty dire at .197/.292/.325 in 261 plate appearances, he appears to be heating up in June. In 55 plate appearances this month he's slashing .271/.364/.417. Tito has not just been rewarded for sticking with McLain after he lost all of 2024 to a shoulder injury, he's looking to move McLain back up in the Reds lineup. Earlier this week McLain hit second, rather than ninth. And while he was back to...

Almost!

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