Should the Cincinnati Reds shut down Joey Votto?
By Hayden Kane
The Cincinnati Reds are well out of contention by now. Is there any reason for them to bring star first baseman Joey Votto back from injury for meaningless games as they play out their 2014 schedule?
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That is one of the top questions under consideration for manager Bryan Price and the Reds. To date they have indicated that they would like to have Votto play if that is a possibility. Mark Sheldon of MLB.com opines that would be a mistake:
"My opinion: There are 16 games left after today. Votto has little to gain from coming back this season and in a way, more to lose. Let’s say he can play the final week of the season and he hits the cover off the ball — many fans would probably say “it’s too little, too late,” or “why couldn’t he have come back when the season was still meaningful?” If he comes back and performs terribly, it only leaves a bad taste to end the season and leaves no optimism for next season. He also risks re-injury, even if he appeared to be 100 percent."
Public perception should be less of a focus here than the long-term health of Votto. Between now and the year 2024 the Reds owe Votto an average annual salary of $22.5 million. His on-base skills and elite defense, paired with the potential return of his power, make him the face of the Reds’ franchise and their biggest investment.
How he looks to begin the 2015 season is a lot more important than how he looks to end a meaningless 2014 season.
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