Miss Joey Votto? Drive up to Dayton

Going through Joey Votto withdrawals? You can see the casual Canadian by heading up to Dayton Tuesday and Wednesday night.

Votto will start a two-game rehab assignment with the Reds single-A minor league affiliate, the Dayton Dragons, beginning Tuesday when they take on the West Michigan Whitecaps at 7 p.m.

Votto has had two surgeries on his knee after an injury during a June game in San Francisco.

If Votto performs well and is feeling good, it's possible he rejoins the Reds when they travel to Houston this weekend.

Be warned if you're headed up north on a whim, the Dayton Dragons have an extremely active fan-base, and many games sell out, especially with the high-profile arrival of Votto. The Dragons set a record in July 2011 for the most consecutive sell-outs, at 815 .

For ticket information, go to http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/1600486EC31A7BE6?brand=daytondragons .

Votto played for the Dragons in 2003 and 2004, appearing in 171 games over those two seasons, according to the Dragons website. His best season with the Dragons came in '04 when he batted .302 with 14 HRs and 73 RBIs in 111 games. Votto returned to the Dragons on a two-game injury rehabilitation assignment in 2009 and belted a home run on his first swing.

The MVP 1st-base ma n has not appeared in a major league game since July 15. He is batting .342 with 14 home runs and 49 RBIs for the Reds this season.