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

CINCINNATI -- Before Reds home games, first baseman Joey Votto is usually visible on the field doing his pregame work. Votto takes ground balls, performs drills and is part of batting practice. Behind the scenes, the 39-year-old continues to do rehab and therapy as he tries to come back from the Aug. 19 surgery that repaired tears in his left rotator cuff and biceps.

During games, Votto is a spectator from the dugout. 

“I like when they come back to town, so I can be there for support," Votto said. "The work has been good when the team has been away. I’ve gotten everything I need to do, including doing my physical therapy. I miss playing with them. I miss playing. I like their style of play. I look forward to rejoining them.”

That target date remains a mystery, however. 

On April 15, Votto and the club stopped his rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville after he batted .184 (7-for-38) with 21 strikeouts. That came after he unsuccessfully made a push to be ready by Opening Day. 

Votto didn't re-injure his shoulder, but he could not get the full extension needed to reach balls with his swing. Fielding was also a challenge on routine plays.

“There were standard playing-the-game things that I wasn’t able to do on my rehab assignment that I’m starting to move towards being able to do," Votto said. "Those are essential things, like picking the ball -- the range of motion that you need to be able to pick the ball. There were balls thrown to me during the rehab that I couldn’t catch. You can’t play me if I’m not catching the ball."

Since returning to Cincinnati from Louisville, Votto's shoulder has felt better.

“Oh my God, yeah. Big time," he said. 

The timetable for Votto to begin a new rehab assignment with Louisville remains day-to-day. 

“I’ll make the decision the day before and just head down there," Votto said. "I don’t really want to say anything. I want to come back and bring joy and optimism and be a part of it. I don’t want to be a distraction.”

Votto is in the final season of his 10-year, $225 million contract but has a $20 million club option ($7 million buyout) for 2024. He has been a fixture for Cincinnati since his 2007 debut and has emerged as a more vocal leader in recent seasons.

Although watching is certainly not preferable, Votto is enjoying how the Reds are playing. 

"It feels like almost every game this year, they’ve been in it. It feels like they’ve been in it all season long. I like that," Votto said. "It’s fun watching younger players break ground, figure themselves out and make adjustments.

“This is the best time because it’s all new. Watching these guys, a lot of these younger players learn the ropes and adjust and adapt to the game and grow individually, it’s fun. This is where you're going to see the biggest difference year to year in each individual player. It’s a great league because it is very much sink or swim. If you don’t perform well, they move on to the next one. It’s fun watching players overcome that and figure out how to swim here. That’s what I enjoy watching.”

While on the bench, Votto prefers to let the active players do their thing on the field and not chime in with advice or conversations. 

"When you’re in the middle of competition, typically you’re trying to problem solve in real time or move on to the next play," Votto said. "It’s best to just be instinctive out there. Conversation or guidance isn’t very instinctive. It’s more of a long-term thing. 

"I offer support. Then behind the scenes, if need be, we can have a conversation. You have to build a relationship first with each guy. It’s important for me to build a relationship and trust, and then maybe you can have a conversation about certain things.”

Jose Barrero was Cincinnati's Opening Day shortstop and has gotten the majority of starts through the season's first month. But in recent days, Kevin Newman has been gradually getting more playing time at the position. Barrero has shown an improved walk rate and lowered his strikeouts but isn't hitting well overall. He's also taken backward steps defensively. 

Manager David Bell didn't feel there's been a change at shortstop, however.

“Kevin is an important player on our team. He needs to continue to play," Bell said on Monday. "He brings a lot when he does. We’re trying to keep both of them in it and fresh. They’re both a big part of our team. I’m happy with doing the best that I can to prioritize the time the right way and keeping them both playing.”

June 30, 2006: Going into the bottom of the eighth inning vs. Cleveland at Great American Ball Park, the Reds were trailing 7-0 against right-hander Paul Byrd and had a one percent probability to win with six outs remaining. Then came a legendary comeback.

Austin Kearns hit a solo homer to begin the bottom of the eighth. Juan Castro followed a pair of singles with a three-run homer, cutting the Reds’ deficit to 7-4. Cleveland added an insurance run in the top of the ninth, but Cincinnati remained within slam range.

With the Reds down to their final out against All-Star closer Bob Wickman, Adam Dunn delivered a walk-off grand slam inside the right-field foul pole for a thrilling 9-8 victory. 

May 8, 1976: Struggling and batting .157, shortstop Dave Concepcion wanted to "get hot." While the team was at Wrigley Field to play the Cubs, Concepcion climbed inside a visiting clubhouse dryer. Teammate and pitcher Pat Zachry shut the door and turned on the dryer, and Concepcion took a few tumbles.

Concepcion emerged with some singed hair on his legs but went 3-for-6 in the game. He batted .304 over the remaining 129 games. 

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