Reds star Joey Votto returns after injuries, hits home run in second at-bat vs. Rockies

Joey Votto made his presence known Monday night, the first time he has done that in close to a year.

After more than 10 months away from the game due to multiple surgeries, Votto returned to the lineup for the Cincinnati Reds for their game against the Colorado Rockies.

And in just his second at-bat, Votto hit a solo home run off of Rockies pitcher Austin Gomber that traveled deep over the right field wall at the Great American Ball Park. That shot gave the Reds a 3-1 lead.

Votto underwent surgeries to repair his left biceps and a torn left rotator cuff in August, which knocked him out of commission for the final 46 games of last season. He returned off the 60-day injured list on Monday, and made his first appearance in the lineup since Aug. 16.

The 39-year-old had been on two minor league stints before his return Monday. He hit .173 and had three home runs and 11 RBI in 22 games with the team’s Triple-A affiliate in Louisville.

“I feel much more like myself,” Votto said before the game, via The Associated Press. “I’m back to full health. Ten months is a long rehab. If I’m going to rejoin a winning ballclub, my responsibility is to be up to speed with them.”

Votto, who was the NL MVP in 2010, hit .266 with 36 home runs and 99 RBI last season, his 15th in the league. Votto, who has spent his entire career in Cincinnati, is in the final year year of his 10-year, $225 million deal with the Reds.

The Reds held on to win 5-4 on Monday night, which pushed their win streak to nine games and moved them past the Milwaukee Brewers for first in the NL Central They have been to the postseason just twice since 2013, losing each time in the wild-card round. 

“I’ve been witness to the culture in this clubhouse,” Votto said. “Things are changing for the better.”

While Votto returned, the Reds sent pitcher Hunter Green to the 15-day IL with a hip injury.