The St. Louis Cardinals travel to Cincinnati for the first of a three-game series this weekend, facing a Reds team that will still not feature star first baseman Joey Votto. The Cardinals currently hold one of the two Wild Card spots in the National League and will be looking to build upon a three-game sweep of the Houston Astros this past week.
Votto has been out since having surgery on his left knee on July 16 and a follow-up procedure on Aug. 10, but started hitting this past week in rehab work according to MLB.com.
"He's been hitting in the cage, running and taking ground balls," Reds head trainer Paul Lessard said.
Scott Rolen has played primarily at first base in Votto's absence and has appeared to wear down lately, with manager Dusty Baker giving the veteran player a day off prior to this weekend's series. It's expected that Rolen will play in all three games against the Cardinals.
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