Cincinnati Reds infielder Matt McLain hit a home run Tuesday in his first Arizona Fall League game, a sight for which Reds fans have been waiting since McLain injured his left shoulder during spring training.

McLain missed the entire 2024 season after having shoulder surgery and suffering a rib-cage injury during rehab work. He hasn’t played in a regular-season game since August of last year, and finished the 2023 season on the injured list with an oblique injury.

The Enquirer’s Charlie Goldsmith reported Tuesday afternoon via Twitter that McLain is open to moving around positions, including third base and center field.

A first-round pick of the Reds in the 2021 MLB draft, McLain had his first big-league hit in May 2023.

McLain, who turned 25 years old in August, batted .290 with an OPS of .864 in 403 plate appearances as a rookie for the Reds. He hit 16 home runs and 50 RBIs with 14 stolen bases.

From MLB Pipeline via Twitter:

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The Arizona Wildcats season hasn’t gone as planned, but some individual players have continued to perform at a high level. Of those players is Tetairoa McMillan, who’s expected to be a top-10 pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

While the team hasn’t played as well as they’ve needed to, now 3-2 on the year, he has 37 receptions, 664 yards, and four touchdowns.

His 17.9 yards per catch average is among the best in college football, showing his talent. In Arizona’s recent 28-22 loss to Texas Tech, he finished with eight receptions for 161 yards.

Factor that in with a 138-yard performance against Kansas State, and he’s done everything he’s needed to for NFL Scouts to still want to draft him with that high of a pick.

While the NFL is only five weeks into the season, there’s a good feeling about the teams he could potentially join. One of those is the New England Patriots, a squad that could use his services in the near future.

With rookie quarterback Drake Maye eventually taking over under center, the need for an elite wide receiver is prevalent.

That’s why Bleacher Report’s NFL Scouting Department mocked him to the Patriots on Monday.

“This pick comes from our latest top-10 mock draft from Brent Sobleski. As Sobleski noted, the Patriots just don’t have a go-to receiver right now with any kind of production. Ja’Lynn Polk profiles as a high-end No. 2 option. That was his role in Washington opposite Rome Odunze. Tetairoa McMillan has all the traits to be a true X receiver and would give Drake Maye a consistent downfield threat. Using a top-10 pick on a receiver when the offensive line is a mess could be a risky strategy, but there are other ways the Pats could address the offensive line.”

Adding McMillan could benefit him and Maye, but as Bleacher Report alluded, their offensive line has been one of the worst in the NFL.

Drafting a wide receiver doesn’t necessarily help if they want to give the second-year quarterback time to work in the pocket.

However, one could also argue that McMillan is a generational talent. If he ends up being the wide receiver he’s expected to be in the NFL, they could look to improve their offensive line in later rounds or free agency.

Even if he doesn’t land with New England, look for him to have his name called early on the first day of the NFL draft.

Dr. Jill Biden will be heading to Arizona later this week to campaign for Harris-Walz, marking one of several major events happening locally before the November election.

Dr. Biden is set to campaign in Yuma on Friday, Oct. 11, and in Phoenix on Saturday, Oct. 12, according to a new announcement on Tuesday morning.

More information about those events has yet to be released.

Arizona is one of several states on her campaign trip. She is also headed to Nevada, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

Other campaign events are taking place in the Valley and around the state this week:

Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff is holding a campaign event in Phoenix on Tuesday.

The Trump Campaign is also hosting a rally in Phoenix on Tuesday with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Florida’s U.S. Representative Byron Donalds, Florida’s U.S. Representative Cory Mills, and Missouri’s U.S. Representative Ann Wagner.

Senator JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential candidate, is coming to Mesa for a town hall event and Tucson on Wednesday.

Governor Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, is heading to the Valley on Wednesday for a veterans and military families event with Representative Ruben Gallego and Jim McCain, son of former Republican Arizona Senator John McCain. He will also deliver remarks in Tucson on Wednesday.

Early voting gets underway on Wednesday in Arizona.

ABC15 has a full voter guide and the latest election coverage here.