The Cincinnati Reds have activated Joey Votto

That noise you hear? It’s the rest of the division running for cover.

“Look to my coming on the first light of the fifth day, at dawn look to the east.”

With the Cincinnati Reds surging and the Milwaukee Brewers looking like a beer in the headlights, it’s hard to think of many things that could go more right than welcoming back a future Hall of Famer. Today, that’s precisely what happened, as the Reds reinstated Joey Votto from the injured list roughly 10 months to the day of when he went under the knife for the first time to repair pretty much half of his upper body.

The Reds announced the move on Twitter at 3 PM ET, with Votto holding a presser at the same time.

The Enquirer’s Gordon Wittenmeyer later confirmed that Votto would be in the starting lineup this evening, though the Reds have, as of yet, not announced the corresponding move needed to get Votto a) off the 60-day IL and onto the 40-man and b) onto the active roster. The Reds did release their lineup, however, with Votto hitting 6th and playing 1B.

Odds are we’ll see Votto at 1B/DH against RHP, with how he’s worked in against LHP given David Bell’s newfound penchant for platoons remaining to be seen. That said, he’s starting tonight against LHP Austin Gomber, so perhaps we’ll see him out there as much as physically possible until further notice.

Welcome back, GOAT.