Joey Votto is moving a step closer to returning to the Cincinnati Reds' lineup.
Votto is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday, serving as the team’s designated hitter. He took batting practice and ran the bases at Great American Ball Park beforehand.
He hit a home run to the batter’s eye on one of his first swings in his BP session, then finished it by hitting three consecutive line drives to virtually the same spot on the center-field wall.
“Right now, he’s just trying to get through some lingering pain of catching the baseball,” Reds Manager David Bell said. “But he’s been swinging the bat and everything. It’s good, because maybe he needs a few extra days because of the pain from catching, and it’ll allow him to get some at-bats. I think that’s a good thing. It’s getting close, though.”
Votto likely won’t rejoin the Reds until next week because he still needs to reach the point where he’s comfortable catching balls at first base. The Reds finish their three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday and then travel to St. Louis for a four-game series this weekend.
He’s done some fielding drills at first base, mostly based around his footwork, but he hasn’t caught balls at first base yet.
