Two cornerstones of the would-be Cincinnati Reds infield in 2024 ended up on the Glendale Desert Dogs in Arizona Fall League play this October. Both Matt McLain and Christian Encarnacion-Strand dealt with respective injuries that required respective surgeries during the course of this year, and both finished the regular season parked on the 60-day injured list.
All 60-day IL players must be returned to the 40-man roster after the completion of the World Series, their ‘additional’ roster spots no longer a way for teams to backfill for injured players. However, the Reds went ahead and did that with both McLain and CES today due to their play in the AFL being considered a ‘rehab stint’ and the time threshold for their rehabbing had reached its limit.