A notable difference at Redsfest was the fact that McLain has bulked up and gained 12 pounds of muscle.
“I feel fast and strong,” McLain said. “I’m trying to stay more square to the plate and land more closed to be able to drive the ball the other way.”
McLain missed the entire 2024 season due to a major shoulder surgery, and that’s an injury that typically requires two years to truly get back to full strength. McLain grinded through the 2025 season and hit .220. After hitting 16 homers in 89 games as a rookie in 2023, McLain only hit 15 homers in 147 games last season.
Heading into 2026, he has his first normal offseason as a big leaguer. While he was rehabbing an oblique injury entering 2024 and the shoulder injury entering 2025, this year has had a full offseason of training.
“He’s coming off a full season of health,” hitting coach Chris Valaika said. “Him being more physical and how dynamic he is, it’s only going to help him impact the ball. He grew a lot through some of his ups and downs and fought through those. He learned a ton. He’s going to be even more prepared. He has had a great offseason, been very focused and taken things to heart.”
When Terry Francona discussed places where he sees the lineup taking the next step, he started with McLain.
“We all feel, and I’m at the top of the list, that McLain is way better than what he showed now that he’s a year removed from his surgery,” Francona said.
De La Cruz hit .284 during a terrific first half of last season, but he only managed to hit .236 during the second half. He battled a quad injury, but he still made a point to play every day.
“I don’t have an excuse for what my season was,” De La Cruz said. “It was my choice. I chose to play every single day.”
While he wants to play 162 games again in 2026, Francona has said that the Reds will mix in occasional days off for him. Getting De La Cruz off of his legs a bit more often can keep him fresher, help improve his defense and help prevent him from getting worn down.
“No one realizes what his days look like,” Reds general manager Brad Meador said. “He puts in so much time before and after games to play. It was really important to him to play as much as he did last year. To do that, you have to play hurt. He’s also learning — and we have to do a better job, (Francona) has talked a lot about it — he’s learning what does that mean or when do you need to have a day or be a bit more honest about how he’s doing.”
Coming off of a year where he battled a quad injury, De La Cruz won’t be participating in the World Baseball Classic this spring.
“Our biggest focus was health,” Meador said. “It was decision that was best for us to focus on season… Everyone just decided that it’d be best for him to focus on the season.”
With a chance to be full-go in 2026, De La Cruz is setting expectations high.
“I want to take everything to the next step,” De La Cruz said. “I’m not going to settle. I always want more and more. I don’t believe in the top. There’s always a way to get better.”
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