Joey Votto hit 36 home runs in 2017, falling just short of winning a second National League MVP Award. Over the three seasons since, the Reds’ longtime first baseman has hit 34 total homers, leaving many to wonder if his power has faded for good.

During Cincinnati’s 3-1 victory at St. Louis on Friday -- the day after Votto turned 37 -- he crushed a first-inning two-run home run to right field. According to Statcast, the homer had an exit velocity of 113.2 mph and traveled a projected 442 feet.

“I don’t know if it says very much. Well, that’s not entirely true. I think it says I can still hit a ball hard out of the ballpark,” Votto said. “Hitting, there’s a lot of skill, there’s a lot of nuance to it. There’s a lot of gray area that only if you have a lot of experience understand it. That’s a good thing, hitting the ball hard. I certainly like that. But success for a hitter is made in between the home runs, to be honest with you.”

It was the hardest-hit homer by Votto since Statcast tracking began in 2015, and his second longest in that span. What was the reaction in the Reds’ dugout?

“Oh my gosh, shock,” utility player Kyle Farmer said. “That was cool. He’s working on his swing a lot. I enjoy talking to him about hitting. He asks me questions about hitting. I think we have a good relationship when we talk about swings and stuff.

“He’s working on stuff, and it’s fun to watch someone who works on something and then it shows up in the game. That’s what happened [Friday] night. It’s really cool to see. He’s had 13 years in the big leagues and he’s still working on stuff. He’s still trying to improve himself, and he did last night.”

Votto entered Saturday in a 4-for-28 stretch, but since a three-game benching last month, he’s hit four of his seven 2020 homers and has had a .927 OPS. From Aug. 19 through Thursday, he made 21 consecutive starts in the leadoff spot. On Friday, Votto returned to a more familiar No. 3 spot that he was in for most of his career until last season.

“I haven’t hit leadoff a lot in my career, so it is a new experience,” Votto said. “Hitting is not that complicated. You’re either missing the pitches or hitting the pitches no matter the spot you’re hitting in. I love the additional plate appearances, but I’m more comfortable and more used to hitting in the middle of the order, certainly, but I don’t know if that means that I should be missing those pitches, right?

"The answer to it is if you hit first or ninth, and everything in between, it’s about what you do with your opportunities. Thus far this year, I’ve not been as good as I’d like to be.”

Miley still sore
The original goal for the Reds was to activate left-handed starter Wade Miley from the 10-day injured list to start on Saturday at St. Louis. Miley, who has been out with a left shoulder strain since Aug. 28, no longer has a specific target date for a return.

“Just some continued muscle soreness,” Reds manager David Bell said. “Nothing overly concerning or anything that’s going to knock him out for the year or anything like that. But we did need to back him off on his throwing, and really no timetable to get him back into the game, unfortunately.”

Garcia struggling at the plate
Before this season, Reds rookie shortstop Jose Garcia had never played above the Class A Advanced level. But the lack of a Minor League season in 2020 and the unique circumstances enabled Garcia, the club's No. 6 prospect per MLB Pipeline, to reach the big leagues ahead of schedule.

Garcia is being tested hard, especially at the plate. Entering Saturday, he was 3-for-33 over his previous nine games and batting .143 in 12 games overall.

“It’s kind of like, ‘Hey, we believe in you. You’re going to be playing here for a long time. It’s normal to not get off to a great start.’ No matter what, it’s going to be a great experience for him,” Bell said. “We knew that he hadn’t played above High A. We knew what we were getting, and he has served a purpose, really, of why we brought him here. He’s provided good defense. He’s made plays. He’s going to be a really good player.

“It’s a lot to ask of him offensively. I think if we were clicking offensively, it wouldn’t even be noticed, and we could keep running him out there. Where we are now, I think it’s just finding the right spots, continue to find the right place to add him in and allow him to bring what he can bring to us.”