Matt McLain is Cincinnati’s Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Week

Welcome back to the big leagues, Matt!

Matt McLain’s stay on the sidelines was a two-fold problem for the Cincinnati Reds.

On the obvious side of things, the multiple injuries - both the recurring oblique issue and the shoulder surgery - were tangible problems he’d have to overcome after they forced him to miss not just the end of the 2023 season but the entirety of 2024. On the less obvious side, there was some worry if the swing alterations McLain had undergone prior to him bursting onto the big league scene with power were behind the injuries in the first place.

He may get healthy again, sure, but would he be able to stay healthy and replicate the newfound power swing? Or would he have to abandon the alterations just to keep the torque on his body manageable?

If the early returns in 2025 are to be believed, it looks like he’s managed to overcome all of those issues, both objective and nebulous, and be precisely the kind of player who looked the part of a budding star in his rookie campaign.

McLain socked a pair of homers and a double in Cincinnati’s first series of 2025, scoring a trio of runs in the process and picking up right where he left off back in 2023. For that, he takes home the first Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Week Award of 2025, and I feel confident that it won’t be his last of the season.

Have a look for yourself at what Matt’s bat - and glove - had to say this week: