Cozart isn’t letting repaired knee get in his way

LOS ANGELES — Reds shortstop Zack Cozart might be performing as well as anyone could reasonably expect from a player in his first year back from right knee surgery, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t still feeling the effects almost a year since the procedure ended his 2015 campaign.

“To be honest with you, I have my days where my knee doesn’t feel as great,” Cozart said. “I don’t want to make an excuse, but some of my throwing errors, I don’t get into my legs as much as I usually do because I don’t trust my knee as much. Other than that, moving side to side and my quick burst, I feel like I have that.”

Manager Bryan Price echoed the idea that Cozart’s throwing has suffered, saying that the shortstop’s errors are coming because he doesn’t have the same ability to plant his back leg on quick, strong throws.

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The team has been careful with Cozart this season, only once allowing him to start more than five games in a row. When he started six straight at the end of April and in early May, he had to miss two starts with knee tendinitis.

“He feels differently each day,” Price said. “Some days, he …

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