[More Cowbell]

Conine has played the last couple of games over Hatteberg, which blows my mind because Conine is not the future and Hatteberg is the teams best hitter...Go figure. I would disagree with you though, keeping Hatteberg as your insurance in case Votto flops is not a bad idea. You can't really platoon the two of them though because they both hit lefthanded...Again, go figure? And since Votto hits lefthanded, that nulls the idea of having him share time with Dunn at 1B. Same problem.

But, the real "waiver" trading deadline doesn't end until September, so things can still happen. I just want to know when are the Reds going to turn the page to next year. Playing Conine and not having Votto up here, or starting Victor Santos this weekend instead of Ramirez is blowing my mind...Go figure.

We will just have to disagree about the best use of Hatteberg, then. My feeling is that if Votto is going to start, then Hatteberg becomes a glorified pinch-hitter, which is a luxury this team can't afford. If he's just going to sit the bench, the team would be better in the long run shipping him off for bullpen help to some team that does plan to use him in a greater role, either as a full-time starter or in a platoon situation. You can't platoon him and Votto, so it seems to be an either/or scenario where the team will need to pick who the full-time starter will be. If they don't plan to start Votto, then by all means keep Hatteberg, but I really think Votto has nothing left to prove in AAA ball.