Will Votto be ready for Opening Day?

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- As Joey Votto heads into the final year of his long-term contract, this could be the first baseman's final Spring Training as a member of the Reds. Votto, who broke into the Major Leagues with Cincinnati in 2007, didn't feel this was a time to get sentimental.

"Perhaps I should but I don’t. I think that it’s hard to be nostalgic when you’re focused on performing," Votto said Sunday.

Votto, who signed a 10-year, $225 million contract extension in 2012 that reaches its end after the 2023 season (with a $20 million club option for 2024), arrived at camp Saturday. The 39-year-old worked out at the complex Sunday.

Even if it wasn't a contract year, this is a camp like no other for Votto. On Aug. 19, he had season-ending surgery that repaired tears in both the rotator cuff and biceps in his left shoulder. He's also coming off the worst season of his great career.

"I feel like I'm making really good progress. I feel very healthy. I feel good," Votto said. "I'm just going to need a little time to build up actual baseball volume. My offseason was dedicated to rehabbing. I can say that, unequivocally, from Aug. 19 until today, I've taken two little windows off that I was suggested by the PT unit. I stayed working at it steadily. I'm very happy with the results."

The biggest question -- the timetable for being ready for this season -- remained unanswered as Votto met with reporters for the first time this spring. He could not commit to being ready by Opening Day.

"I have to get game reps," he said. "I need at-bats. I need game-speed reps. I haven’t come close to taking those yet. I’ve never been in this position before."

Manager David Bell isn't ruling out Votto for the March 30 opener vs. the Pirates. But Bell also understands the situation must be fluid, especially since Votto has yet to test his shoulder by doing things like diving for a ground ball or sliding headfirst into a base.

Bell planned to not play Votto in the first few Cactus League games while he continued to work. He did not expect him to have limitations during the daily camp workouts.

"It’s just going to be daily communication, seeing where he is and just letting him get himself ready. He knows exactly what he needs to do. Whatever that timing is, is the timing. We’ll just adjust to that," Bell said. "I just don’t know. What I do know is I trust Joey completely to just do everything he can to get back to playing at the time that’s best for him [and] for our team, so that he’s fully healthy and can play well."

In 2021, Votto overcame a slow start before hitting 36 home runs with 99 RBIs. As the Reds endured a 62-100 record in 2022, he batted .205 with a .689 OPS, 11 home runs and 41 RBIs in 91 games. He missed 15 games in May with COVID-19 and the final stretch on the injured list after surgery.

Heading into last season, Votto changed bat models -- opting for a hockey-puck style knob -- while focusing on pulling the ball more instead of his tried-and-true up the middle approach. Both experiments backfired.

"Just greed. I wanted more. I thought there was more. I just made a mistake," Votto explained. "But it was 70 at-bats. I came back and I played well. I felt like I played well until I got dinged up, and at that point, I just couldn’t get over the injury hurdle. But again, maybe I played like [crap] because I’m not good anymore, we’ll see. I doubt that, but we’ll see.

"I was very confident I was going to finish off well by the end of the season. I’ve got a track record of that. Last year was no different. It just so happens that I ran into something unforeseen. When I say I couldn’t practice behind the scenes, I couldn’t practice behind the scenes. I hit a few balls off a tee, took a couple of swings off a seated arm and played the game. And I’ve never been that way."

Because of his tenure, Votto is now part of the club's second rebuilding phase while the team has had one playoff berth (2020) since it reached the postseason in three of four seasons from 2010-13.

A growing cynical fanbase voiced their frustrations repeatedly last season and offseason. Votto gets it.

"We deserve it. We have to play better," Votto said. "It’s a failure of ours to leave such a supportive fan base dissatisfied. We are aware of it. I am aware of it. The cynicism, in my opinion, is completely justified. More of it, give it to us. We deserve it. We’re working toward [winning] but we have to do it collectively. Hearing their challenges, I think, helps us.”

Votto was once part of a young core -- with Jay Bruce, Brandon Phillips, Johnny Cueto, Todd Frazier and others -- that helped Cincinnati reach the postseason. He's expecting to help the next generation learn what it takes to win -- from attention to detail to a focus on defense to base running.

"I hope the fan base and the team and the atmosphere around our team moves toward consistent winning, prestige and championships," Votto said. "The front office and team has that in their sights. We have to earn that from the fan base."