CINCINNATI -- Before Thursday's series opener vs. the Cardinals, the last time someone not named Joey Votto started at first base for the Reds was Ivan De Jesus Jr. It was Sept. 2, 2016, also vs. St. Louis.
A streak of 202 starts and games played, including all 162 games of 2017, came to an end when Votto was given a day off from Cincinnati's starting lineup Thursday. It was not for health reasons, but to give him a rare break.
"We talked about it in Spring Training," Reds manager Bryan Price said.