MLB Player News

The Reds selected McLain's contract from Triple-A Louisville on Monday.

McLain is expected to take over as the Reds' primary shortstop while also seeing the occasional start at second base. He slashed .346/.464/.713 to go with 12 home runs and 10 stolen bases across 168 plate appearances with Louisville this season and will get to break in at the major-league level at Coors Field for his first series. McLain is worth rostering in most formats where he might be available.

Barrero is expected to cede the Reds' everyday shortstop duties to Matt McLain, who will be called up from Triple-A Louisville ahead of Monday's game against the Rockies, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Even while McLain had been in the minors, Barrero was already beginning to lose traction as the Reds' clear-cut top shortstop, as both he and Kevin Newman had made three starts apiece at the position over the past six games. Neither Barrero nor Newman have impressed defensively at shortstop this season, and while McLain isn't regarded as a polished defender at the position either and probably profiles as a second baseman over the long haul, the Reds are hoping the toolsy 23-year-old can provide an offensive upgrade over Barrero (.618 OPS in 104 plate appearances) and Newman (.596 OPS in 99 plate appearances). Newman is likely to remain a utility infielder once McLain's call-up is official, and though Barrero has a minor-league option remaining, the Reds may prefer to keep him on hand as insurance in center field while TJ Friedl is day-to-day with an oblique injury.

The Reds will select McLain's contract form Triple-A Louisville prior to Monday's game in Colorado, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

McLain is one of several quality infield prospects in the Cincinnati system, and the 23-year-old has dominated the International League with a slash line of .346/.464/.713 to go with 12 homers and 10 stolen bases across 168 plate appearances. A first-round selection out of UCLA in 2021, McLain should receive immediate regular playing time with the Reds, and while there may be an adjustment period in his first taste of major-league pitching, he's talented enough to be worth rostering in the majority of redraft formats. He's most likely to settle in as the Reds' everyday shortstop, given that the team has struggled to get much production at the position from Jose Barrero and Kevin Newman this season.

DeJong will start at shortstop and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Red Sox.

DeJong will stick in the lineup for a sixth consecutive game, with three of his starts coming against lefties and three coming versus righties. Over the previous five contests, DeJong has gone 5-for-17 with a home run and a stolen base, and that level of production might be enough for him to hold down a near-everyday role in the short term. Tommy Edman is sitting out for the Cardinals' second consecutive matchup with a right-handed starting pitcher and is slashing .163/.178/.279 dating back to April 28, so he could be at risk of moving into a short-side platoon role if St. Louis wants to open up more playing time in the middle infield for DeJong.

San Francisco activated Crawford (calf) off the 10-day injured list ahead of Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks. He'll start at shortstop and bat seventh in the series finale, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Crawford ended up missing just a little over the minimum 10 days while recovering from his left calf strain. The veteran should settle back in as the Giants' everyday shortstop, at least against right-handed pitching. The Giants optioned infielder David Villar to Triple-A Sacramento in a corresponding move.

Edman is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox.

Though Edman served as the Cardinals' leadoff man in each of the past three games, all of those starts came with St. Louis facing left-handed pitchers. He'll now find himself on the bench for the second straight matchup with a right-handed starting pitcher and could be in danger of falling into a timeshare at either middle-infield spot with Brendan Donovan and Paul DeJong.

Wendle is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Wendle is 3-for-20 with a double, two triples, two RBI and a run in six games since being activated from the injured list last weekend, and he'll head to the bench Sunday after he started the past five games. Jon Berti will take over at shortstop in the series finale versus Cincinnati.

Barrero is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins.

Barrero went 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Saturday's 6-5 win, but he also struck out three times and is now sitting on a 28.8 percent strikeout rate for the season. He's posted a modest .588 OPS over his last 15 games and could begin to lose work at shortstop to Kevin Newman, who will replace him in the lineup for the second time in four games.

Turner went 0-for-3 with two walks, a stolen base and two runs scored in Saturday's 7-4 win over the Rockies.

Turner's 11-game hitting streak came to an end, but he still managed to be productive. The steal was his first since April 19 versus the White Sox, which was also the last time he scored multiple runs in the same game. The shortstop is slashing .256/.307/.402 with four home runs, 10 RBI, five steals and 24 runs scored through 39 contests.

Crawford (calf) is likely to come off the injured list before Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Crawford will miss a little over the minimum 10-day minumum after landing on the shelf with a right calf strain May 1. The veteran shortstop likely will handle starting duties against righties, but he hasn't been playing much against southpaws early this year.