Pena will start at catcher Sunday afternoon against the Cardinals.

Pena will make his first start of 2015, as Devin Mesoraco had handled catching duties for the Reds' first five games. He was a big part of an injury-laden Cincinnati lineup in 2014, slashing .253/.291/.353 with five homers in 372 plate appearances. With Joey Votto back at first base, Pena expects to see a significantly decreased workload, so he'll have to make the most of his opportunities.

Pena is in the lineup for Monday's spring training game against the Padres in place of the injured Devin Mesoraco.

Mesoraco's hamstring injury doesn't appear to be serious, but Mesoraco did have two stints on the DL last year, so Pena might get a little more playing time than initially expected.

Pena is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Brewers.

Jack Hannahan will take over first base duties in place of Pena, who will not start for the fourth consecutive game. He appeared Tuesday as a pinch hitter, getting a double in his lone at bat, but has been struggling of late with just two hits in his last 16 at bats.

Pena is out of the lineup Saturday against the Cardianls, MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reports.

Pena will yield the start at first base to Todd Frazier on Saturday, who will move over to first while Kristopher Negron gets the start at third base. Pena is just 1-for-15 over his last five games, but will be able to use Saturday to clear his head.

Pena is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs.

This will be the third time in the last four games that Pena will not start, but it appears manager Bryan Price is just trying to give his regular starters some rest. Jack Hannahan will make the start at first in his place.

Pena is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer

Pena started five of the last six games for the Reds, but manager Bryan Price decided it was time for a day off. Todd Frazier will man first base for the Reds on Sunday.

Pena (illness) is back in the lineup Friday against the Brewers, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Pena will rejoin the lineup behind the plate Friday after being scratched Thursday due to an illness. He will now give Devin Mesoraco the day he had scheduled off Thursday.

Pena was scratched from Thursday's lineup due to illness, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The illness will prevent Pena from handling his normal duties as Johnny Cueto's personal catcher, but he's likely no worse than day-to-day. Devin Mesoraco will step in behind the plate and bat cleanup in his absence.

Pena is out of the lineup Thursday against the Orioles, MLB.com reports.

With Pena on the bench for a second straight day and Devin Mesoraco serving as the DH, Tucker Barnhart will be tasked with catching duties in the finale against Baltimore. Pena is just 3-for-31 in his last 10 games, but he should continue to see starts semi-regular time between first base and catcher, and he has another year remaining on his contract.

Pena is out of the lineup again Thursday.

Todd Frazier draws another start at first base with Kristopher Negron at third in the finale against the Cubs. Pena is batting just .242/.277/.290 this month and is 2-for-his-last-20, so manager Bryan Price may be inclined to give more playing time to Negron while Joey Votto (quad) remains out.

Pena is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Cubs.

After handling duties behind the plate Tuesday night while Devin Mesoraco rested, Pena will bow out of the lineup Wednesday. He still looks like the Reds' preferred first base option until Joey Votto returns, so regular at-bats should continue to come his way.

Pena is out of the lineup Friday against the Braves.

Pena has made seven straight starts for the Reds, but will give way to Todd Frazier at first base Friday, while Kristopher Negron takes over at the hot corner. Pena is 0-for-9 over his past three games, and has collected just three extra-base hits so far in August.

Pena is out of the Reds' lineup Thursday against the Rockies, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

With Pena just getting over a hamstring issue, the Reds will exercise caution and give the 32-year-old a breather after two straight starts. Todd Frazier will jump across the diamond to man first base in his absence as Kristopher Negron steps in at the hot corner.

Pena (hamstring) is back in the lineup Tuesday against the Red Sox.

Pena missed two starts with hamstring tightness but will return to first base and the five-hole in the order Tuesday to take on right-hander Joe Kelly. The Reds have decided to keep Tucker Barnhart around for the time being, suggesting Pena may need another couple days off from catching duties.

Pena (hamstring) remains out of the lineup Sunday against the Marlins.

A bout of hamstring tightness forced Pena from Friday's game and kept him out of the lineup Saturday, but he did single in a pinch-hit appearance to extend his hitting streak to a career-high 13 games. He was clearly still in some pain however, and he will not be able to catch Johnny Cueto as per usual Sunday, so those duties will fall to regular backstop Devin Mesoraco.

The Reds are hopeful that Pena (hamstring) will be able to catch Johnny Cueto on Sunday.

Pena is Cueto's regular catcher, but the Reds have called up Tucker Barnhart from Triple-A Louisville just in case Pena can't go.

Pena (hamstring) is out of the Reds' lineup Saturday against the Marlins.

With Pena out, Todd Frazier will move across the diamond to first with Kristopher Negron at third and Devin Mesoraco behind the plate. Pena was lifted from Friday's game early with what was labeled left hamstring tightness, and it's uncertain whether he'll be an option off the bench.

Pena left Friday's game against the Marlins with left hamstring tightness, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Pena singled in the bottom of the second inning to extend his hitting streak to 12 games, matching a career-high, but he pulled up a bit as he made his way to first. The Reds are saying Pena's removal was strictly precautionary, so it would see he's no worse than day-to-day ahead of Saturday's tilt.

Pena is out of the lineup Thursday against the Indians.

Pena will give way to Todd Frazier at first base, who will slide over from third and give Ramon Santiago the start at third base. The catcher has manned first base for the majority of Votto's absence, and will likely continue in that role going forward. Pena has been hot at the plate lately, and takes an 11-game hitting streak with him to the bench.

Pena plated the only Reds run of the game Monday, doubling in Jay Bruce in the eighth inning.

Pena has been swinging the bat well while playing nearly every day in Joey Votto's stead. A nine-game hitting streak dating back to July has Pena's average up to .263 for the season. Pena has just three RBI and one run scored over the course of his hitting streak.