Joey Votto

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto finished the second half of the season posting a .408 batting average, becoming the first player with at least 200 plate appearances to hit over .400 after the All-Star break since Ichiro Suzuki in 2004, per MLB Stat of the Day.

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto was forced to come out of Thursday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals with a facial laceration. 

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Reds first baseman and slugger Joey Votto was not in Friday's lineup against the St. Louis Cardinals with a neck injury.

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Votto's Injury Details and Timeline for Return Revealed 

Friday, Sept. 2

According to C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Votto is considered day-to-day with a stiff neck.

Without a doubt, Major League Baseball teams hand their players the most ridiculous contracts—in money and length—in all of North American professional sports. 

It is a reason to scoff at cynics who claim baseball is a dying sport, but it is also ammunition for heated debates about just how bad some deals might be, in terms of dollars, duration or both. There are plenty to choose from thanks to owners and front offices willing to pay players greatly for past production while crossing their fingers for some of that production to happen in the future.

The Cincinnati Reds have endured their fair share of struggles throughout 2015, but Joey Votto's superlative campaign has offered the franchise and its fans a reason to remain optimistic as the team's regular-season slate nears a conclusion.  

Josh Donaldson and Bryce Harper are letting their bats and gloves do all the talking in the 2015 MLB MVP conversation.

While the Toronto Blue Jays third baseman and the Washington Nationals right fielder are the front-runners for baseball's most prestigious award in the American League and the National League, respectively, there's an assortment of other standouts who have also played their way into the MVP mix.

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto was ejected from Wednesday night's 5-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates following a heated argument over balls and strikes with home plate umpire Bill Welke, and MLB took action Friday, condemning the star's actions.

Tensions ran high at Great American Ball Park when Reds first baseman Joey Votto was ejected in the eighth inning of Cincinnati's 5-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday.

Pitcher Tony Watson dealt a called second strike on the outside corner to Votto, who argued umpire Bill Welke's call on the 1-1 pitch and was ultimately thrown out.

The Cincinnati Reds' season hasn't quite gone the way the team and fans had hoped, but even despite having a losing record, the 2015 MLB All-Star Game hosts have several players who have made a strong bid to play in the Midsummer Classic.

No Cincinnati position player is in line to start this year's All-Star Game. However, that doesn't mean that there isn't a deserving candidate, like third baseman Todd Frazier.

It's what's on the agenda when a team is eight games under .500 and 11.5 games out of first before June. Because a Reds rebuild seems all but certain with ace Johnny Cueto playing in the final year of his contract, it's time to assess what's worked and what's in store.