SARASOTA, Fla. — Ken Griffey Jr. had a busy offseason: He played a lot of golf and moved into a new house.
Best of all, he didn’t have to make a lot of doctor visits.
The 38-year-old outfielder was upbeat Tuesday when he reported early to the Cincinnati Reds’ camp. Unlike a year ago, when he was still recovering from a broken hand, Griffey was in good health and good spirits.
“It’s just a matter of going through the drills and the aches and pains of the first two weeks,” he said after taking batting practice. “You try not to do too much.”
A year ago, he was still severely limited by a broken left hand he sustained in the offseason. He didn’t get into a spring training game until March 24.
While the hand healed, former manager Jerry Narron decided to move Griffey from center field to right, a move that grated on him.
Once he got going, he had a throwback season.
Griffey hit 30 homers, drove in 93 runs and batted .277 in 144 games, the second-best total of his eight injury-filled seasons in Cincinnati. He led the NL in All-Star fan voting and was the Reds’ only representative for the game.
Griffey missed the last 10 games because of a strained groin, finishing the season with 593 career homers. He needs seven more to become only the sixth player in major league history to hit 600.
Instead of talking about his health or his upcoming season, Griffey was more interested in chatting about his offseason, which included watching his son, Trey, play basketball and lowering his golf handicap to six.
Asked how he’s doing, Griffey said, “I’m good. My golf game was tremendous — long off the tee and feathery on the greens.”
He also moved into a new home in Orlando, one that includes a lane for bowling.
“It’s something we all can do,” he said, referring to his family. “That’s the big thing.”
The Reds’ 21 position players are expected in camp Wednesday for physicals and the first full-squad workout.
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