GOODYEAR, Ariz. — The first time TJ Friedl stepped foot in the big-league clubhouse at the Cincinnati Reds training facility was in 2018, and, like just about every young player walking into the football-shaped room, his eyes scanned for where the No. 19 jersey hung.
Since the Reds moved to Arizona in 2010, lockers have been mostly assigned in numerical order but that number has mostly sat in prime real estate, three-fourths of the room deep and next to an empty spot with shelves and electric outlets for charging devices. That was Joey Votto’s locker.
There is no longer a No. 19 hanging in the Goodyear clubhouse. It’s not officially retired, unlike Nos. 18 (Ted Kluszewski) and No. 20 (Frank Robinson), but it’s highly unlikely anyone will wear it again. Instead, that locker now has Hunter Greene’s No. 21, not because of his status with the team, but because that’s just how the numbers lined up.
“I’ve been talking to guys and thinking about it and it’s going to be really weird to see Joey not be here,” said Greene, who pointed to his right, where Votto sat the year before. “But that’s just part of the business and I wish the best for him.”
While players are used to movement, it’s a bit tougher for fans. Maile, who grew up a Reds fan, can see both sides.
“I don’t want to speak for everybody, but it’s a big deal to me,” Maile said of Votto no longer playing for the Reds. “These teams change all the time. We’re used to that. We’re used to having to be uprooted from our lives and have really important people one day just totally disappear for years at a time. That’s not unusual. So while it’s Joey Votto — a Hall of Famer and a guy we all had the privilege to be around — those are great memories, but we ultimately have a job to do and we don’t control who wears the uniform, we just have to play with them.”
In the end, there just aren’t the at-bats for Votto as a full-time player on this Reds roster. Votto is currently a free agent and has said he wants to play this season. Just as Pete Rose, Joe Morgan and Tony Pérez and so many other Reds legends wore different uniforms in their career, so too will Votto if he plays elsewhere this year. Reds manager David Bell was with the Mariners when Ken Griffey Jr. was traded to the Reds and he then was penciled in to replace Rolen the season after the Phillies traded the Hall of Famer to St. Louis. Player movement is simply part of the game.
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“I miss Joey. People in the organization miss Joey. He was an incredible teammate, friend,” Bell said. “He did so much for our team. He put everything he had into our team and you’ll never replace Joey Votto. But like always in this game, you move forward and you evolve and things change. It’s unfortunate, but it’s also inevitable for all of us.”
Musical positions
The Reds have six infielders — not counting Spencer Steer, last year’s Opening Day third baseman — on their likely Opening Day roster, not to mention Jose Barrero or Josh Harrison, who will be fighting for a bench spot.
While all six can play multiple positions, the lineup will start most days with Elly De La Cruz at shortstop, Bell said Tuesday. Matt McLain will be the team’s primary second baseman. After those two players, there could be a mix, with Jeimer Candelario and Noelvi Marte getting the lion’s share of playing time at third base. Candelario will also play some first base, along with Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Jonathan India, who will also play second base. When De La Cruz gets a day off, McLain is slated to take over at shortstop.
“I think we’ll plan it as much as possible and try to be ahead of it, mainly for the communication to the players,” Bell said. “Sometimes it’s tough to plan too far ahead. Right now I wouldn’t even attempt it, because so much has to play itself out.”
Steer, who played first, second and third base last season in addition to the outfield, will mostly work out in the outfield this spring, but he will get work in the infield to stay sharp. Encarnacion-Strand will get some work in the outfield as well, Bell said.
Harrison has played every position on the field in his 13 seasons in the big leagues except catcher. A non-roster player, he’ll have to show the ability to play all eight to make the team. Barrero, meanwhile, was once regarded as the team’s top shortstop prospect, but with the emergence of De La Cruz, McLain, Marte and Edwin Arroyo, he’s played more outfield. He is out of options and will have to play both in the dirt and the grass to make the team.
De La Cruz made an immediate impact when he came up to the big leagues in 2023 but hit just .191/.272/.355 after the All-Star break.
“Sometimes we forget that he’s just 22 years old,” said Nick Krall, the team’s president of baseball operations. “Marte is 22 years old. Connor Phillips is 22 years old. These guys are young players and not just learning how to be big leaguers, but also how you even get to the big leagues and sustain in the big leagues.”
Fatigue was an issue for all of the team’s young players, Krall noted. Not only are there more games in the majors, there’s not a day off every week like there is the in minor leagues.
De La Cruz emphasized his conditioning and his legs this offseason. He also worked closely with hitting coach Joel McKeithan, who visited him this offseason. Among the things the pair worked on was cutting down on De La Cruz’s leg kick from both sides of the plate. A big part of that change was to shorten De La Cruz’s swing.
“He got a little longer as we went through the season,” Krall noted.
Injury updates
Of the 62 players in big-league camp, only one starts spring training without an expectation or hope of being physically ready for Opening Day, and that’s lefty Reiver Sanmartin, who had Tommy John surgery last July.
That doesn’t mean everyone is full-go for Wednesday’s first official workout for pitchers and catchers, but it is an encouraging sign.
Aside from Sanmartin, there are some other players who may start slower, but six weeks affords time to do that.
• Nick Lodolo and Graham Ashcraft both finished the season on the IL with lower body injuries — tibia and toe, respectively — and are behind other players but should be ready for the season. Because both Lodolo and Ashcraft had lower-half injuries, their arms are in good shape, general manager Brad Meador said, but they have to build up their legs.
• India is dealing with plantar fasciitis and is slowed. He’s working out and worked at first base on Monday. Second base is the only defensive position India has played in the big leagues.
• Marte suffered a hamstring injury in Winter League play and is in his progression. He’s done all the drills — hitting, fielding and running — but he’s just getting built up.
Roster move
Bubba Thompson is back. The 25-year-old outfielder was claimed off of waivers by the Reds for the second time since the end of last season, this time from Minnesota.
Thompson was originally claimed off of waivers by the Reds from the Royals on Oct. 26. The Reds outrighted him in December when reliever Buck Farmer signed a free-agent deal with the team. He was claimed by the Yankees, who then designated him last month and he was claimed by the Twins. A former first-round pick of the Rangers, he’s appeared in 92 games for Texas the last two seasons, hitting .242/.286/.305 with a home run and 22 steals in 241 plate appearances. A right-handed hitter, Thompson had 67 steals between Triple A and the big leagues in 2022 and 31 between the minors and majors last season.
To make room for Thompson, the team designated right-hander Levi Stoudt for assignment. Stoudt was one of four players acquired from the Mariners in the deal that sent Luis Castillo to Seattle in 2022.
Stoudt, 26, made two starts and four appearances for the Reds last season, going 0-1 with a 9.58 ERA in 10 1/3 innings. He was 5-6 with a 6.23 ERA in 25 appearances and 19 starts at Triple-A Louisville.
(Photo: Sam Greene / The Cincinnati Enquirer via USA Today)