The Cincinnati Reds have dug themselves quite a hole, sitting in last place in the National League Central and six games under .500 despite winning Friday's series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals by a final score of 4-2.

There is still time for them to make a run and potentially sneak into the NL wild card race, but time is running out, especially with the trade deadline approaching and the club listening to offers on many of its players.

Still, the current group is focused on winning, and to do so they need to be at full health. Right now they are not, but they are getting back on the right track as infielder Matt McLain nears his return.

"The Reds today placed IF/OF Matt McLain on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Louisville," the team wrote on X.

McLain was first placed on the 10-day injured list back on July 10 with a left calf strain. After a quick two-week absence, he is back in game action. Given how briefly he has been sidelined, it would not be surprising to see him back with the Reds early next week.

When he does return, he needs to start performing up to his standards. Now in his third big-league season, this has been the worst of his career. Across 83 games, the 26-year-old has posted a .190 batting average, .293 on-base percentage, .622 OPS, eight home runs and 25 RBIs.

He has been solid defensively but his bat has been a clear liability, and a player who once looked like a key piece of the future after the Reds drafted him in the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft is no longer viewed that way. McLain also struggled badly in 2025, though he was given another chance to start this year after missing all of 2024 with left shoulder surgery.

The electric player he was during his debut season in 2023 feels increasingly like a distant memory. In his first rehab game at Triple-A, McLain launched an RBI double, which is at least an encouraging sign, but he will need to do considerably more than that to prove his worth.

Given where the Reds are, they are trying to determine which pieces are worth keeping and which players are not part of the future. McLain is under team control through the 2029 season, but there is always a chance he is moved off the 40-man roster, whether at the deadline or in the offseason, if he cannot turn things around over the final two months.