Welcome back to the Reds Beat newsletter! Mark Sheldon has covered baseball for MLB.com since 2001, including the Reds since 2006.

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THREE STORYLINES FOR REDS CAMP

CINCINNATI -- There’s just one week to go until Reds pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in Goodyear, Ariz. The long and mostly quiet winter is nearly over.

A rebuilding club not anticipated to be contenders, Cincinnati is hoping to defy low expectations while seeing some of its younger talent flourish at the big league level.

Hope is never in short supply for teams -- and their fans -- when it comes to the start of Spring Training.

Here are three Reds camp storylines to watch:

1. The battle at shortstop

I discussed this at length in a recent newsletter. If Jose Barrero can show consistent improvement after he made approach adjustments at the plate during the offseason, he has a great chance to land the everyday job. Cincinnati acquired veteran Kevin Newman from the Pirates and he would be more than capable to fill the role.

The X-factor is Reds No. 1 prospect Elly De La Cruz. Although he has limited experience above the High-A level, things could get interesting if the 21-year-old blows everybody’s doors off this spring.

2. What is Joey Votto’s status?

Votto, 39, is entering the final year of the 10-year, $225 million contract extension he signed in 2012. He’s also coming off the worst season of his career and is still rehabilitating from surgery that repaired a torn rotator cuff and biceps in his left shoulder.

At Reds Caravan last month, general manager Nick Krall didn’t expect Votto to be full-go for the start of camp. The club still wants to get eyes on Votto and his progress in Goodyear before determining his timeline for the regular season.

3. The back of the rotation

The Reds are depending on young pitchers Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo and Graham Ashcraft to front their 2023 rotation and will certainly be hoping all three take steps forward in their sophomore seasons. But what about the final two spots?

Four pitchers will be the primary candidates: offseason signing Luke Weaver, plus Luis Cessa, Connor Overton and Justin Dunn. Two prospect candidates will also be in the mix in lefty Brandon Williamson and right-hander Levi Stoudt. A big key for whoever gets the spots will be the ability to provide innings.

Storylines worth mentioning:

The battle for left field and center field; Nick Senzel’s health and readiness, the bullpen’s makeup and the team’s preparation to play under several new rules in place for the 2023 season.

Reds position players report to camp on Feb. 19, but utility player Alejo Lopez had planned on being in Arizona early when I spoke to him at the Caravan stop in Columbus on Jan. 27.

Lopez, 26, batted .259 with one homer and 10 RBIs in 61 games for Cincinnati last season. But he was also on a shuttle back-and-forth to Triple-A Louisville and had four separate stints in the big leagues in 2022.

The Reds love Lopez’s ability to stay ready on the bench. With his bat, he frequently makes contact and handles himself well as a role player. He can also play five positions in the field, but his glovework is an area that needs improvement.

I spent a couple of minutes with Lopez during the Reds Caravan stop.

MLB.com: What’s the offseason preparation been like?

Lopez: I started training a while ago. Now I’m transferring everything into baseball shape for spring.

MLB.com: You obviously will try to make the team out of camp. Where do you view your best opportunity?

Lopez: I will do anything to stay on the team. [Manager] David Bell already knows I can play any position and can do it well. I’m not afraid of any challenge. I want to stay on this team, help this team and I want to keep proving to everyone that I’m really that player.

MLB.com: When last season ended, what was something Bell and the club told you to work on?

Lopez: He told me just to be ready for everything. Every position, I’ve been working on. He knows how good my bat is. I did a lot of defensive work.

This could be an important development season for outfielder and 2020 Reds first-round selection Austin Hendrick. In his first two pro seasons, Hendrick has yet to take off consistently as a hitter.

In 109 games combined at Low-A Daytona and High-A Dayton, Hendrick batted .216 with a .739 OPS, 21 home runs and 69 RBIs. He struck out 165 times with 43 walks in 444 plate appearances. The 21-year-old did hit two homers while batting .300 over his final six games to gain some confidence.

“I think at the end of the season last year, I really started to find a groove,” Hendrick said late last month. “For me, it’s kind of taking that progression and keep growing and full steam ahead going into Spring Training. I’ll get to Spring Training, stay healthy and just be ready for the 2023 season.”

Hendrick credited hitting coach Daryle Ward -- who was with Dayton and is headed to Double-A Chattanooga for 2023 -- with his improvement and felt like he’s getting back to the hitter he was when taken with the 12th overall pick in the ’20 Draft.

What are Hendrick’s goals for 2023?

“I’m trying to keep the strikeouts down to a minimum,” Hendrick said. “Home runs are not really my main goal. I’m trying to get that batting average up. That’s something I’ve been working on with my two-strike approach, going into that routine and keep growing and progressing. The home runs will come, they’re mistakes. I try not to focus on that and have some fun.”

Feb. 7, 1936: Reds players, coaches and officials set sail on a ship from New York to San Juan, Puerto Rico, for Spring Training. They opened their camp three days later.

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