Joey Votto making progress after shoulder surgery

n”,”providerName”:”Twitter”,”providerUrl”:”https://twitter.com”,”type”:”rich”,”width”:550},”type”:”oembed”},{“__typename”:”Markdown”,”content”:”Even if it wasn’t a contract year, this is a camp like no other for Votto. On Aug. 19, he had season-ending surgery that repaired tears in both the rotator cuff and biceps in his left shoulder. He’s also coming off the worst season of his great career.nn”I feel like I’m making really good progress. I feel very healthy. I feel good,” Votto said. “I’m just going to need a little time to build up actual baseball volume. My offseason was dedicated to rehabbing. I can say that, unequivocally, from Aug. 19 until today, I’ve taken two little windows off that I was suggested by the PT unit. I stayed working at it steadily. I’m very happy with the results.”nnThe biggest question — the timetable for being ready for this season — remained unanswered as Votto met with reporters for the first time this spring. He could not commit to being ready by Opening Day.nn”I have to get game reps,” he said. “I need at-bats. I need game-speed reps. I haven’t come close to taking those yet. I’ve never been in this position before.”nnManager David Bell isn’t ruling out Votto for the March 30 opener vs. the Pirates. But Bell also understands the situation must be fluid, especially since Votto has yet to test his shoulder by doing things like diving for a ground ball or sliding headfirst into a base.nnBell planned to not play Votto in the first few Cactus League games while he continued to work. He did not expect him to have limitations during the daily camp workouts.nn”It’s just going to be daily communication, seeing where he is and just letting him get himself ready. He knows exactly what he needs to do. Whatever that timing is, is the timing. We’ll just adjust to that,” Bell said. “I just don’t know. What I do know is I trust Joey completely to just do everything he can to get back to playing at the time that’s best for him \[and\] for our team, so that he’s fully healthy and can play well.”nnIn 2021, Votto overcame a slow start before hitting 36 home runs with 99 RBIs. As the Reds endured a 62-100 record in 2022, he batted .205 with a .689 OPS, 11 home runs and 41 RBIs in 91 games. He missed 15 games in May with COVID-19 and the final stretch on the injured list after…