Joey Votto unlikely to return from DL on Saturday, timetable unknown

Joey Votto’s exclusion from the Red’s road trip nearly two weeks ago came as a shock to Reds fans, and his addition to the 15-day disabled list was equally disappointing. However, while he’s eligible to return from the DL on Saturday, fans shouldn’t expect him back in the near future.

According to MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon, Votto is unexpected to make a return this weekend, and his timetable in general is a little hazy. The team plans on taking the rehab on a day-by-day basis, with Votto’s recovery maintaining a slow, but steady pace. In fact, the injury may be as such that Votto won’t be able to fully recover during the season.

"“This particular injury doesn’t have a due date on it,” manager Bryan Price said. “Our target goal is to get him pain free and get his strength up to a level to expect his performance to be more like what we’ve seen in the past. I’m not sure we can get there all the way this year. But we want to get him to a place where he’s confident he will not have regression."

Since losing Votto, the Reds have sputtered to a 4-7 record, with their most recent outing seeing them end Hyun-jin Ryu’s perfect game bid in the 8th inning. Prior to his injury, Votto was certainly struggling at the plate, batting just .257 with six home runs and 12 runs batted in. His 33 walks and .410 on-base percentage both led the Reds.

The injury bug has bitten the Reds badly this season, as closer Aroldis Chapman missed a chunk of time to start the season of his horrific spring training injury and starting pitcher Mat Latos has also been on the DL since early in Spring Training.