Votto is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Pirates.

EDGE Analysis

Votto will get a routine day off as the Reds go with Jordan Pacheco at first base. Pacheco will bat seventh against Pittsburgh's Juan Nicasio.

Votto went 1-for-2 with a solo homer, two walks and two runs scored in Friday's 5-1 victory over the Brewers.

EDGE Analysis

Although he's still significantly underperforming when compared his lofty standards, Votto continues to claw his way back to respectability. One of more encouraging signs has been his patience at the plate, as he's now drawn five free passes over the last two games. He's also reached safely in 14 straight contests, and has upped his average from .172 to .230 over that span.

Votto hit his third home run, a three-run blast, in Monday's loss to San Francisco.

EDGE Analysis

It was Votto's only hit of the game, but after nine days without an extra-base hit, the slumping perennial All-Star will take it. Still, Votto is slugging just .341. While it's hard to imagine he won't figure it out eventually, Votto finished with an isolated power score under .200 in both 2013 and 2014, and he can no longer be considered a reliable power hitter.

Votto is in the midst of an 0-for-16 slump entering Thursday's game. He's been pulling the ball more frequently than usual - 47.7 percent of the time, as opposed to 37.1 percent last year.

EDGE Analysis

He's had a lot of hard hit grounders to the right side of the infield, but contends that his low BABIP (.220) is *not* bad luck. "That's not bad luck. That's me hitting the ball at people," said Votto. "I'm supposed to hit balls where nobody is. That's me working on my swing, trying to get to a certain destination, and I'm not there yet. But I'm working daily. Rome wasn't built in a day. My swing is a fine piece of machinery. Everybody wants to rush the Ferrari, but it comes out every four to six years. It takes time."

Votto went 1-for-4 with a three-run homer Friday at the Cardinals.

EDGE Analysis

Votto's first homer of the year pulled the Reds within a run of the Cardinals in the third inning of a game they'd go on to lose. He's gotten off to a slow start, as the bomb was also his first extra-base hit in 10 games this season. In addition, he's only driven in runs in two of his last nine starts. There's no doubt that better days are coming for the Reds' slugger.

Votto went 2-for-3 with a walk in Saturday's 5-1 victory over the Pirates.

EDGE Analysis

The veteran All-Star bounced back from a hitless outing on Friday to post his first multi-hit game of the new season. Votto now has walks in three straight contests as well, one of the constants across his stellar career. Despite only tallying a .211 average over his first 19 at-bats, Votto's considerable pedigree would point to an imminent resurgence at the plate.

Votto went 1-for-4 with a walk and two runs for the Reds against Philadelphia on Thursday.

EDGE Analysis

Votto is just for 2-for-12 in his first three games this season and the slugger has struck out four times. He hasn't found a power source early on with his two hits both being singles.

Votto hit his second home run of the spring in Monday's loss to San Diego. "He's doing a lot of good things," manager Bryan Price told MLB.com. "He's playing with a lot of energy. It's always fun to see him get to his power. He just looks good. He looks advanced for this time of spring."

EDGE Analysis

While Votto has no other extra-base hits besides the two homers, he seems to be seeing the ball well as he typically does, posting an 8:6 BB:K over his first 13 spring games. Votto doesn't have to hit for a ton of power to be highly valuable in fantasy even at first base, but there's reason to think he could approach 30 homers again given the hard-hit rate from a season ago (13th among qualifiers).

Votto is 3-for-6 with three walks and one run scored through three games this spring.

EDGE Analysis

Votto has a career .311/.423/.534 line and appears to be ready to continue that success heading into 2016. Unfortunately, while the 32-year-old will likely be an on-base machine, his RBI and runs scored may decline due to the many sub par hitters around him in the Reds' lineup.

Votto will not waive his full no-trade clause.

EDGE Analysis

Votto picked up that no-trade clause with his 10-year, $225 million contract extension signed in 2012. "I absolutely love playing here," Votto said during Redsfest on Friday. "When all this trade stuff gets going, it's natural for a player to have that thought process and what would you consider? I just absolutely love playing here. I really like where I live. I like my team and my job.... I don't think of myself as anything other than a Cincinnati Red. It's one of the really cool things about having a no-trade clause."