Matt McLain was out for nearly two weeks after straining his oblique muscle while swinging at the beginning of spring training. The good news was that an MRI indicated that the situation was not critical, but he would still miss some time while healing. McLain resumed exercises with the team after passing examinations. Manager David Bell told reporters (first reported by Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer) that McLain would start games this week.
The Cincinnati Reds do not play today, but will play two games tomorrow, one against Milwaukee and one against San Diego. On Thursday, however, they will play a night game against the Chicago Cubs. And you’ll be able to watch the game on MLB Network. On Friday, they will face the Los Angeles Dodgers, which will also be broadcast on MLB Network. While Bell did not specify which game McLain would make his debut in, it would be ideal for fans if it was one of the few games they could watch this spring.
So, if Matt McLain returns to the field this week and has no setbacks, he should be ready to start the regular season. There are 23 days till Opening Day. Mixing in a few extra minor league games where he can get nearly as many at-bats each day as he needs (there aren’t regulations that limit him from leading off every inning, for example), it shouldn’t be too difficult to get him “caught up” before the team departs Goodyear for Cincinnati.
Depth Matters
Last week, Fangraphs examined the depth of each team in the league. We addressed that article in relation to the Cincinnati Reds. One item that was mentioned was how the club spent the summer adding depth rather than adding a proven, high-end player(s). One of the hypotheses was that all of that depth increased the Reds’ floor; it’s difficult to see how the team could be awful due to injuries when the backup choices were nearly as excellent as the starters.
As spring training progresses, teams throughout Major League Baseball are already testing their depth. Justin Verlander will begin the season on the disabled list. Lucas Giolito injured his elbow, and initial indications (via ESPN’s Jeff Passan) indicate that he has a partially damaged UCL and a flexor strain. To a lesser extent, new St. Louis Cardinals pitcher and former Red Sonny Gray damaged his hamstring in his last start, and whether he will be ready to begin the season is uncertain.
