Cincinnati Reds: 3 lineup shuffling scenarios to replace injured Joey Votto

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CINCINNATI, OHIO – MAY 01: Joey Votto #19 of the Cincinnati Reds tosses his bat after drawing a walk. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

The Reds need to reshuffle their lineup while Joey Votto is on the IL.

Unfortunately, the Cincinnati Reds are going to be without star first baseman Joey Votto for the next few weeks. After being hit by pitch form Dallas Keuchel in the bottom of the fourth inning of yesterday’s game versus the Chicago White Sox, Votto was forced to exit the game and is expected to miss at least three weeks with a broken thumb.

It looks as though Votto will head to the 10-day injured list while the six-time All-Star recovers. The Reds, unfortunately, do not have a ton of depth at first base. There’s several players on the roster who can, and have filled in when Votto has been absent from the lineup in the past. But this is a chance for David Bell to get creative with his lineup.

We’ve already seen the Cincinnati Reds skipper entertain different, outside-the-box ideas this season that we hadn’t seen in previous years. Jonathan India made the team’s Opening Day roster after the decision was made to move third baseman Eugenio Suarez to shortstop and shift Mike Moustakas to the hot corner.

In an effort to get more at-bats for both Nick Senzel and Tyler Naquin, Bell has given Senzel some reps on the infield dirt. The former first-round pick was brought up through the farm system as a third baseman, and adding Senzel to mix among the group of infielders allows Bell to have a power-packed outfield of Naquin, Nick Castellanos, and Jesse Winker.

Sure, the Reds could call-up a lesser known player like Scott Heineman to fill in for Joey Votto at first base until the former MVP returns, but Cincinnati has some alternative options that may produce better results.

GLENDALE, ARIZONA – MARCH 25: Kyle Farmer #17 of the Cincinnati Reds looks on before the MLB spring training game. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

1. The Reds could platoon Kyle Farmer and Alex Blandino at first base.

If you want to go with a very conservative route to replace Joey Votto at first base, the combination of Kyle Farmer and Alex Blandino is an option. Farmer replaced Votto following the veteran’s exit yesterday, and can certainly handle the rigors of playing first base. Alex Blandino has played five games at first base this season.

There are worse options that a platoon of Farmer and Blandino at first base, let me assure you of that. While neither is a terrific option in terms of offensive production, both Farmer and Blandino have experience playing all over the infield, so defense won’t be the issue.

However, Blandino is hitting just .226 on the season. While the former first-round pick has a .351 on-base percentage, the last few times we’ve seen Blandino in the batter’s box, he’s looked very tentative. The 28-year-old is 1-for-10 over the last seven games and has eight strikeouts during that span.

If the Reds would rather use one of their utility players to replace Joey Votto, Kyle Farmer is the guy. He had looked to be in line to take over at shortstop to begin the season. But, Eugenio Suarez’s position change scrapped that idea.

Farmer has been playing well recently, slashing .286/.375/.357 in his last seven games. However, making Farmer the everyday first baseman takes away some of his versatility, and limits what the Reds can do later in games defensively.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 28: Nick Senzel #15 of the Cincinnati Reds makes a catch for an out. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

2. The Reds could shuffle the lineup and move Nick Senzel to third base.

While inserting Kyle Farmer and Alex Blandino represents a relatively conservative approach to filling in for Joey Votto, shuffling the infield in a way that would move centerfielder Nick Senzel to the infield dirt seems like the better option offensively, especially if Shogo Akiyama returns to the lineup very soon.

One of the interesting developments to watch in the coming days is the return of Akiyama. The Japanese outfielder has been rehabbing in Triple-A Louisville and it’s only a matter of time before he rejoins the big league squad.

In an effort to get the Reds’ best bats in the lineup, David Bell could role with an outfield of Akiyama (CF), Nick Castellanos (RF), and Jesse Winker (LF), while Senzel (3B), Eugenio Suarez (SS), Jonathan India (2B), and Mike Moustakas (1B) patrol the infield.

This would give Bell three left-handed and four right-handed bats in their everyday lineup with the ability to platoon Tucker Barnhart and Tyler Stephenson at catcher based on the pitching matchups. It also gives Bell the ability to put either Senzel or Akiyama atop the batting order with the notion of getting players on base ahead of the team’s best hitter – Jesse Winker.

Nick Senzel has not started a game at third base in his major league career, but the 26-year-old has two infield starts this season and 195 career starts at third base while playing in the minor leagues. This would be the best way for the Cincinnati Reds to replace Joey Votto while the former MVP recovers from his injury.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 26: Tyler Stephenson #37 of the Cincinnati Reds reacts on second base after hitting a double. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images) /

3. The Reds could move Tyler Stephenson to first base temporarily.

Is there a hotter hitting duo behind the dish than Tucker Barnhart and Tyler Stephenson? If the Cincinnati Reds really wanted to shake things up, David Bell could move Stephenson to first base and roll with Barnhart as the everyday regular behind the dish.

Stephenson has just one inning of experience playing first base and that came on Tuesday during the blowout loss to the Chicago White Sox. In terms of defensive experience playing the position, this is by far the worst option.

However, in terms of offensive production, this would give the Reds a ton of power in the lineup. A starting lineup up Stephenson (1B), Barnhart (C), along with the usual suspects playing the field would put a lot of power in Cincinnati’s starting eight. Stephenson’s .839 OPS is quite impressive, but Barnhart’s (.924) is even more impressive.

Bell has been continually platooning Stephenson and Barnhart all season. What started out as Stephenson facing left-handed starters and Barnhart facing right-handed starters has morphed into more of a 50/50 split and given Bell a lot of options.

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The Cincinnati Reds will not be able to easily replace Joey Votto’s leadership and production, despite his OPS sitting at just .730 this season. Votto has been hitting the ball hard, as his average exit velocity, maximum exit velocity, and xSLG all ranks in the top 12% of Major League Baseball this season according to Baseball Savant. Eventually that will turn into production in some other categories.

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