Cincinnati Reds outfielder Will Benson credits Joey Votto for turning around his struggles at the plate: "I really thank God for Joey Votto"

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Will Benson credits first baseman/designated hitter Joey Votto for turning around his major league career.

Benson told Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer:

"I really thank God for Joey Votto."

Benson is in his second MLB season and his first with the Reds after an offseason trade with the Cleveland Guardians. He was hitting just .074 when he struck up a chat with Votto on a team flight from Chicago to Boston on May 28.

The two talked about how to approach at-bats and hitting philosophies. In the Reds' next game against the Boston Red Sox, Benson logged three hits and he has batted .358 since that day.

Will Benson was initially called up when then-outfielder Wil Myers went on the injured list with a kidney stone. However, he has since hit his way into being the Cincinnati Reds' starting left fielder and is hitting .287 entering Thursday's game against the Washington Nationals. Myers ended up being designated for assignment by the team.

Benson says his surge is all due to his chat with Joey Votto, telling Goldsmith:

"I knew at that point that what I was trying to do was correct. There was a lot I was trying to grasp. I'm thankful Votto took the time and broke down some things for me. He helped a lot of things make sense. Then that triple was the moment where I thought, 'Yeah, we’re doing this.'"

Will Benson was selected with the 14th overall pick of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Guardians. However, he was hitting just .221 through seven minor league seasons.

Joey Votto, picked by the Cincinnati Reds in the second round of the 2002 MLB Draft, has a .297 career average in 17 MLB seasons. He hit a career-best .324 in 2010, winning the National League Most Valuable Player award for the season.

Joey Votto, Will Benson, and the Cincinnati Reds a shock division leader

Will Benson #30 of the Cincinnati Reds reacts to the dugout

Thanks in part to the hitting efforts of Benson and the expert tutelage of Votto, the Reds are quite surprisingly leading the NL Central with a 48-39 record entering Thursday.

Cincinnati has made the playoffs just five times since sweeping the Oakland Athletics to win the 1990 World Series, and has not advanced as far as the NL Championship Series since 1995.