can look back on as a successful season despite the early injury. With a big year coming in his third season of eligibility, McLain entered with a mindset of proving himself before the impending MLB Draft in 2024. But a second break of his hamate, this time in his right wrist, derailed McLain from an easygoing season. “I broke the other (hamate) and I'm thinking, it's a draft year. I have to play as much baseball as I can,” McLain said. “I got back in like 26 days. I could barely swing a bat and I was just holding on. It was uncompetitive. It was really bad. I'd say, I think May, is when I started turning it around and everything started clicking again, when my hand felt normal.” Just two months after it all seemed to click for McLain, the 2024 MLB Draft arrived, knowing he would find himself drafted somewhere in rounds three through five. On draft day, everything fell into place, with the Chicago White Sox believing in the pedigreed outfielder who has proven success when on the field. “I got a call at the time from my previous agency and they told me, ‘you’re getting picked’ and I'm like, well I don't know where I'm getting picked and two picks later I got picked by the White Sox,” McLain said. “After that, it was a really easy process. The White Sox did a great job with all the contract stuff and meeting my needs. It was a great day. It was a life-changing day. I got to see my dreams come to reality and I was waiting on that for a while.” Following draft camp and an offseason that included the removal of a bone McLain joked, "Apparently had to not be in my body anymore," he was assigned to Kannapolis' Opening Day roster for the 2025 season. McLain played 13 games with the Ballers and tallied 12 hits but hit another speed bump with a flare-up of back pain stemming from his injury as a freshman at UCLA. Later in the process of recovery, McLain found out that he had tears in both hip labrums, requiring bilateral hip surgery. Injury after injury would take a toll on anyone. But for McLain, despite doubts he’d ever play baseball again, the people around him provided the most help mentally. “I have honestly, a really, really good support group,” McLain said. “My brothers are great and my dad is the best. He’s a huge role model in my life. He has unbelievable life advice. He's raised, I'd say, three pretty, pretty good kids. He always put things into perspective of, yeah, baseball is your job. You love it. But it's not your life. And after all these injuries, I'm not going to lie, I really thought about medically retiring. My mom was there for me too. She's awesome. She's a little more emotional so she was there on the emotional side for me.” Even through all the injuries and rehab to get back on the field, McLain credits the brotherhood by blood and by locker that has gotten him back in the lineup. Now, as the Cannon Ballers push for a second-half playoff spot, McLain has a clear path to a successful 2026. “(My goal is to) try not to get ahead of myself, try not to get too big, try not to go have a little rough stretch and start changing things up,” McLain said. “Stick to an approach, stick to a plan that has been proven successful when I'm on the field and healthy. Have fun with it, have fun with my teammates and take the pressure off me and try to go out there and win some baseball games. Usually when you can take care of that, the game comes a little bit easier. You're not putting so much pressure on yourself. It is not just you. It is a team game.”
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