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

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.