San Francisco — Matt McLain, an infielder with the Reds, was placed on the 10-day disabled list on Tuesday due to a mild left hamstring strain.
Carson Spiers, a right-hander, was optioned to Triple-A Louisville, and outfielder Will Benson and infielder Noelvi Marte were called up from Louisville. McLain had been absent from the Reds’ previous four starting lineups, including the weekend in Milwaukee and the series opener in San Francisco on Monday, before being placed on the injured list.
Benson and Marte did not play in Tuesday’s game, which the Reds won 1-0 thanks to six scoreless innings from Nick Lodolo, giving them their first series victory in 2025.
McLain may have started in the opener since he was out testing his hamstring with mild running drills on the outfield grass. However, he was eventually barred from participating in the game.
“Well, he’s got a minor hamstring issue,” said manager Terry Francona. “So, rather than trying to milk it through, he can return next Tuesday, and the hope is that he will be himself. There’s just so much baseball left to play that it didn’t seem like a good idea to try to rush through this right now.”
McLain, 25, has a slash line of.214/.290/.571 with three home runs and five RBIs in eight games this year.
After missing all of 2024 due to left shoulder surgery. Spiers won Cincinnati’s fifth starting spot out of Spring Training and was anticipated to be optioned after Andrew Abbott returned off the injured list.
The additions of Benson and Marte provide the Reds some flexibility as they play this series in San Francisco before going home to Great American Ball Park to face the Pirates and Mariners.
Benson, 26, adds value at all three outfield positions. In 2024, he had 14 home runs in 128 games for the Reds (118 in the outfield).
Marte, 23, appeared in 66 Major League games last year, batting.210/.248/.301 while playing 55 games at third base.
He did not make the Reds’ Spring Training roster this year, but he returns to the team having learned a little about himself along the way.
“I knew it was going to happen,” Marte explained through an interpreter. “And actually I think it was the best thing to happen to me in my career, because I needed to set the ground, go back there and realize that I need to get back and do what I do.”
Marte stated that he has returned with a determination to prove that he has what it takes to succeed in the Majors. He was asked what he would tell them.
version of himself from a year ago. “I think the Noelvi that always draws from his God-given talent, and I think that’s the reason why I’m here today,” he said me. As for what role Benson and Marte can play for the Reds in the coming days, Francona observed that both were hitting effectively in the minors. (In nine games with Louisville, Benson had a.341 hitting average, while Marte hit.353.)
“I don’t know what we’ll do [Wednesday] with the day game,” Francona said, “but I’m sure they’ll play a game or two. They will play here and, hopefully, help us win a few games.”
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