Jay Bruce Plays Firstbase For Reds Joey Votto Examined Today

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Jay Bruce and Joey Votto were friends that date way back to the minor leagues in 2007, so there is no way Bruce wants to "Wally Pipp" Votto.

That being said, Bruce is at firstbase Monday against the Cubs while Votto nurses a sore knee.

Skip Schumaker, rather than Chris Heisey, will play rightfield.  Ryan Ludwick will play leftfield and Billy Hamilton centerfield against Edwin Jackson.

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Votto spent the day at Beacon Orthapedics.

“He spent some time today at Beacon Medical, doing some extensive tests on the quad. It got to a certain point where he was able to play on it, but we weren’t able to maintain the strength and eliminate the majority of the soreness," Bryan Price said. "It’s weaker and getting more and more uncomfortable to play with. It was getting very difficult for him to compete. We’re just verifying that the situation hasn’t gotten worse. We certainly don’t want to regress. We felt the need to look at it much deeper than we had to this point.”

Bruce played firstbase when he first arrived in the Reds organization.  He played it in high school and summer league baseball as well as some in the Reds' minor leagues.  He has been taking ground balls for a week now.

“I kind of grew into my body a little bit. I could run, had a fairly good arm. Something that kind of organically happened. Everyone felt that I was athletic enough to play outfield. I played center field at first and center a little bit when I got here and then moved to right," Bruce said. “I told Bryan a couple of weeks ago that, if he ever needed me, that I was confident that I could do it, especially with the strength of our team being the outfielders that we have that can really play. The main priority is winning baseball games. One of our best players can’t go out there every day and play to his abiliy right now. I told Bryan that I was confident that I could do it. He asked me today when I could be ready to play and I said tonight, and here we are. It’s something that I think is inside every player here. I expect to play first base, not just be at first.”

 

The Reds decided not to bring up Neftali Soto or Donald Lutz, while Votto is still on the active list.

 

Bruce hasn't played the position in awhile but take groundballs occasionally during the season to break the routine a little bit but it has been awhile in a regular game.

 

“Seventeen years old, but until I was 16, I played it exclusively," Bruce said.. "It feels like I’ve played it before, but I’ve gone on record too as saying this is the major leagues – the best players in the world. I’m sure it’s going to be a little quicker, but I’m banking on the fact that I’m a baseball player and a good athlete. I have confidence in myself and my ability to play anywhere on the field they need me to.”

 

The recent practice isn't new.

 

“I do it every once in a while justto break up the monotony – you know, every day, go out, take BP, shag fly balls. I just go over there from time to time and mess around and take ground balls. It’s become reality, but I think it’s going to help me a little bit. It’s one of those things where you learn on the fly, but we have great infielders who I expect will make my job easier. I’m going to be talking to a lot of guys, just doing everything I can to make it a seamless transition, even though it won’t be. Joey’s one of the best first basemen in the game.”

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With Brayan Pena on paternity leave, Bruce is a good temporary alternative.

 

“We knew we weren’t going to have Joey today and we don’t have Pena," Price said. "We don’t have a bunch of true first basemen outside of Joey. Jay’s been taking groundballs over there, ever since he came off the disabled list. It helps him quite a bit with his outfield play. He has some history there, not a lot and none in pro ball. It also allows us to do some things in the outfield. What we do have is a surplus of outfielders. It gives us a chance to get Schumaker and Ludwick in the lineup, and with the doubleheader coming up, it gives us a chance to give some guys who are going to be playing both games a day off on the front end or the back end. Today, it’s Cozart, which means Santiago is at short, which means I need Frazier at third.”