The Reds made a notable infield shuffle on Friday, activating Ke’Bryan Hayes ahead of their upcoming series against the Chicago Cubs while placing Matt McLain on the 10-day injured list with a left calf strain.
Hayes’ return comes sooner than expected. He had been out since May 22 because of a back injury and only just started a rehab assignment last week at High-A Dayton before getting bumped up to Triple-A Louisville earlier this week. In all, he played just five minor-league games before Cincinnati brought him back.
McLain, meanwhile, had already been sitting out of the Reds lineup, and manager Terry Francona said he was dealing with a calf issue. The move to the injured list suggests the problem is more serious than first thought, and McLain is now expected to miss time until sometime after the All-Star break.
With Hayes back, the Reds figure to give him most of the starts at third base. During his absence, Cincinnati had been using Sal Stewart and Eugenio Suárez in a platoon at the hot corner, though both could still see occasional spot starts. Hayes is the stronger defender by a wide margin, which should make the decision pretty straightforward.
The question is what the Reds will get at the plate. Before going on the injured list in May, Hayes’ offense had completely stalled. He was carrying a .142/.195/.225 slash line with a 10 wRC+, putting him among the worst hitters in baseball.
His brief stint with the Louisville Bats offered a much better look. Against minor-league pitching, Hayes went 7-for-12 with five extra-base hits and three RBI in three games at Triple-A. That kind of production is not something Cincinnati can reasonably expect to carry over against big-league arms, but even a .250 average would be a step up from what he showed earlier this season.
McLain’s season has gone in the opposite direction. In 83 games, he’s hitting .190/.293/.328 with eight home runs, 25 RBI and a 71 wRC+. He was moved to the bottom of the order barely a month into the 2026 season, and more recently the Reds shifted him off second base and into center field.
At this point, a break on the injured list may be exactly what McLain needs.
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McLains situation has become even more layered because he has also been getting time in center field, a wrinkle driven by injuries and other outfield issues. Arroyo, meanwhile, has given Cincinnati reasons to keep watching, but not enough consistency to force a full-time decision. However the Reds sort it out, the bigger question is whether they can settle on a configuration that helps both the lineup and the defense before the season moves deeper into its stretch run. [Read more 🡒]