Rookie infielder Matt McLain has missed just shy of a month due to a right oblique strain and was expected to return from the 10-day injured list today, ready to join the Reds for the final week of their push for an NL wild card berth. Unfortunately, McLain won’t be activated for at least the rest of the regular season, as the Reds told reporters (including Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer) that McLain suffered another oblique injury while rehabbing.
The new injury is a Grade 2 strain, a more serious type of oblique problem that would usually mean something in the neighborhood of a two-month layoff (at least). Oblique injuries usually don’t have a set timeline, and yet even if the Reds were to make it all the way to the World Series, there doesn’t appear to be any chance that McLain will be part of even a deep postseason run.
More to come….