Cincinnati Reds news: Joey Votto five weeks from return
By Bryan Rose
The Cincinnati Reds had a woeful start to the 2014 season but have since picked things up, despite dealing with some significant injuries along the way. One of those was suffered by first baseman Joey Votto, though the hope was that he wouldn’t be on the shelf for too long.
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That appears to be wishful thinking though as Cincinnati Reds general manager Walt Jocketty recently stated that he believes Joey Votto will be out at least five more weeks as he recovers from a strained quad. To make matters worse, second baseman Brandon Phillips is also expected to be about five weeks from returning meaning the Reds will have to go through a large portion of their summer without two of their biggest offensive threats.
Currently thrust into the best race in baseball, the Cincinnati Reds sit 2.5 games behind the National League Central leading St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers who are tied atop the division. Of course, the Pittsburgh Pirates aren’t far behind either as they sit tied with the Reds at just 2.5 out.
It’s certainly a testament to the Reds organization to battle back from such a slow start and to keep their head above water as they’ve dealt with injuries. They’re going to need to continue to do so as well as they await the returns of both Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips.
Votto has been dealing with the quad injury since May and isn’t expected to be fully healthy (despite a return) until next season. Phillips should be his normal self when he returns to the lineup.