No matter what uniform he’s wearing, Joey Votto is still doing Joey Votto things.

The long-standing Reds’ first baseman is starting 2023 with Triple-A Louisville as he recovers from injuries to his left bicep and left rotator cuff. On the very first pitch he saw Saturday, he sent it flying out of the yard.

Votto's home run traveled 448 feet at 107.9 mph off the bat at Nashville’s First Horizon Park, his longest dinger since he cranked one 466 feet in September 2021. After going 1-for-3 in the first game of a doubleheader, with the long home run and a walk, Votto was out of the lineup for Game 2. The 39-year-old has begun the year with Louisville in an attempt to get up to game speed.

"There is a reason guys ramp up and do the three out of four days, seven innings, nine innings and they do that for a stretch of time," Votto told MLB.com in March. "I’m happy about the progress. My swing doesn’t feel ready yet. My legs don’t feel ready yet. But I’m working hard defensively, on the bases and in competition to be back as soon as possible."