Noelvi Marte returns to Reds roster as Matt McLain lands on injured list

Will Benson makes his way back to the Reds, too, as Carson Spiers was optioned to AAA.

The Cincinnati Reds called time on their willingness to play shorthanded offensively when their bats already were sputtering.

Matt McLain, who’d barely played over the last handful of days after suffering a hamstring issue, was officially placed on the Injured List on Tuesday, with both Noelvi Marte and Will Benson being recalled from AAA as reinforcements. Pitcher Carson Spiers was optioned to AAA as the other piece of these moves, which will pave the way later this week for the activation of lefty Andrew Abbott to take that spot in the starting rotation.

The Reds announced the moves on Twitter, since they won’t announce them on Bluesky yet for whatever reason.

Neither Benson nor Marte are in the starting lineup for the Reds tonight, but I’m assuming they’ll both be in the dugout and able to participate at some juncture. The two were off to blistering starts for the Bats this year, with Benson having slugged a pair of dingers as part of 5 extra-base hits through the first 9 games, while Marte having swatted 6 doubles and posted a .954 OPS through those games.

With Abbott surely slated to return for the start of the Pirates series, it will be interesting to see how the Reds choose to maneuver their active roster when that time arises. Marte, one would presume, will stay up and playing as often as possible while McLain is sidelined, and if Benson shows anything akin to his form from 2023 he instantly rises to starting status among the team’s weak-hitting outfield mix. Such a scenario could end up sending Jacob Hurtubise back to AAA, or even Spencer Steer to the IL/rehab to begin working his way out of DH-only duties and back into the true position-player mix.

Those are problems the Reds will attempt to address down the road, however. For now, they simply get to add McLain to their list of injured stars alongside Tyler Stephenson, Austin Hays, and Steer (to his extent). It’s the latest serious blow to McLain, who missed all of last year after with shoulder issues after having his breakout 2023 season cut short due to a series of oblique issues.