Notorious slow-starter, Reds Joey Votto has struggled mightily during rehab assignment

Joey Votto is a notorious slow-starter, but it's doubtful Cincinnati Reds fans have ever seen the six-time All-Star begin a season as poorly as he has in 2023.

Votto is halfway through a rehab assignment with the Louisville Bats as the former NL MVP is battling back from shoulder and biceps surgery that he underwent last summer. So far, the results are not good at all.

Votto knew it would be a long road back, but even he can't be happy with his 4-for-32 start through his first eight games with Triple-A Louisville. Votto homered in his first at-bat, but has been rather quiet since.

Notorious slow-starter, Reds Joey Votto has struggled mightily during rehab assignment.

Joey Votto has played in eight of the Louisville Bats' first 10 games and received 32 at-bats so far. The 39-year-old has just two extra base hits, a .125 batting average, and has yet to have a multi-hit game.

Honestly, the low batting average at this point in the season isn't overly shocking. Votto has always been slow out of the gate, but finishes strong. However, his struggles to begin this season come with a bit more concern than in years past.

Joey Votto has struck out 20 times so far this season, and has three punch outs in four of his first eight games to begin the year. There has yet to be a game in 2023 when Votto hasn't struck out multiple times.

Votto has a 55.6-percent strikeout-rate according to FanGraphs, but more concerning might be his 8.3-percent walk-rate. Rehab assignments come with a maximum of 20 days, so one has to wonder what's next for Joey Votto if he's struggling when his time in the Derby City comes to a close.

Reds Country was hopeful that Votto would only need a few days down in Louisville before returning to Cincinnati. So far, the results aren't good. But most Reds fans learned long ago that it's not wise to bet against Joey Votto.