Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto will begin a rehab stint at Triple-A Louisville on Saturday as he makes another attempt to return from surgery nine-plus months ago.
Votto, 39, had surgery on his left shoulder on Aug. 19 to repair his rotator cuff and biceps. There remains no timetable for his return to the majors.
Votto attempted a rehab stint at Louisville earlier this season and had to halt it after 10 games when it was clear he wasn’t ready to be activated from the injured list. He batted .184 (7-for-38) with one homer and 21 strikeouts.
Votto said he feels better now.
“I couldn’t catch balls. I couldn’t make contact when I wanted to. If you can’t catch the ball and you can’t catch it with your bat, you can’t play,” Votto told reporters on Friday. “You can play but eventually you won’t play. When I went down on my first rehab, I just felt nothing like myself. I felt weak. I felt sore all the time. I wasn’t strong at all. I lacked everything I needed to perform on a consistent basis.”