When Reds first-baseman Joey Votto had knee surgery on July 17, doctors estimated his recovery would take 3-4 weeks. This past Tuesday marked three weeks of his absence. According to yesterday’s report from Wrigley Field, filed by Tom Groeschen of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Reds fans should be looking for JoeyMVP’s much-needed return to the Reds lineup to take place at the latter end of the original estimate, at around four weeks. Four weeks would be Tuesday, August 15, the middle of next week’s Mets series. I’ve been counting days, about to start counting hours.
To quickly review two alternative worlds of professional competence:
1. Had Votto been diagnosed right after his injury on June 29 in San Francisco, and undergone surgery the next day, a four-week recovery window would have put his return last Monday, in time for the last homestand, to play against the Padres, the Pirates and then on this glorious road trip to Milwaukee and Chicago.
2. Even if the Reds had allowed him to play injured for the entire West Coast road trip, and then scheduled Votto’s surgery for the Monday after the trip, the four-week recovery window would have placed his return, hmm…this past Monday, for game one against the Brewers.
Just sayin’.