SCOTTSDALE, Arizona – Playing in a spring training game for the first time in 19 days, Joey Votto felt “a little bit rusty,” but he felt good enough that he planned to be back in the lineup the following day.
Votto, who returned to Reds camp last Sunday, played five full innings on Friday. He struck out twice and drew a walk in his three plate appearances. He fielded a ground ball from the first batter in the first inning and he caught a pop-up.
It’s uncertain whether he will be ready for Opening Day but playing in a spring training game Friday was an important step.
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“I’m trying to push myself,” Votto said. “There’s three things: I have to help the team, can’t get hurt and I can’t embarrass myself. Once I can get to that point, then I feel like I’ll be ready to play. Today was Day One and I felt nowhere near ready. But that doesn’t mean that it won’t come along quickly. I’ll just keep working.”
When Votto tested positive for COVID-19, he quarantined away from the team’s facility for 13 days. It meant almost restarting his spring routine. He steadily progressed throughout the week, starting Sunday with tee work in the batting cages, some defensive drills and working on his cardio.
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He participated in team activities Wednesday: batting practice, base-running drills and taking ground balls at first base. He even watched Wednesday’s spring training game from the dugout along with injured outfielder Shogo Akiyama. It’s rare to see a veteran player at a game when he’s not playing.
“I just wanted to see how (Eugenio) Suárez was doing, (Mike) Moustakas and the rest of the crew,” he said. “I want to see them all do well. For us to be a good team this year, I think we’re going to have to have a long lineup, and do it collectively, so I don’t know. I feel like I’m cheering on the group in general because if we play well together, we’ll do good things together. There’s no reason why we can’t be a successful offense.”
Votto told manager David Bell a couple of days ago that he was ready to play in a game. He was in Friday’s lineup, batting third, with the likely regulars in the infield: Jonathan India at second base, Suárez at shortstop and Moustakas at third base.
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The goal, bench coach Freddie Benavides said, was three at-bats and four or five innings defensively. The Reds want to see how Votto feels before deciding his workload for the rest of camp with three spring training games remaining.
“We always go along with the player and how he feels,” Benavides said. “If he feels he can get pushed a little bit, that’s all great. With Joey, he’s got so much experience and only he knows himself and his body. Trusting what Steve (Baumann) and the training staff has in place for him. It’s a lot of communication. I know he wanted to play more, but today was three at-bats.”
Votto says he needs to improve in all areas of his game before he’s ready for the regular season.
“Right now, all three aspects – running, defense, and hitting – I feel a little bit off,” Votto said. “I felt like I was starting to move towards feeling pretty sharp before I went away. But I don’t think it’ll take very long. I’ve noticed I’ve been recovering pretty well, feeling really good. I’ve been able to get a lot of work in that I need to get in in spring training, so I’m happy. I’m happy about where I’m at.”
There aren’t specific boxes that Votto needs to check off before he’s ready for the regular season. It’s more of a feeling.
“I think it’s just a feel,” Votto said, “where you play a long game and it’s the eighth inning, and you run a first to home or something like that. It’s hard to explain. It’s just more of a feel. You just feel like you have the stamina for all aspects.
“If you have any sort of subtle injury that can really affect your performance – you see a pitcher with a blister, you see a position player with a jammed finger, something like that – and they won’t play. The average person is curious, ‘why aren’t they playing?’ We’re dealing with very small room for error, so I want to make sure I come back and be on base five times and run first to home five times, and then play the day game the next day sort of thing. I think that’s what I need to be available for and prepared for.”
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Whether it’s Opening Day or shortly afterward, Votto is on track to play at the beginning of the season.
“One day at a time,” Votto said. “Today was a good step in the right direction. I’m glad to be back, for sure.”
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