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Joey Votto signs minor league deal with spring training invite with Blue Jays

nbcnewsla.com March 8, 2024

Joey Votto is back.

The longtime Cincinnati Reds first baseman confirmed reports on Friday that he has signed a minor league contract with a spring training invite as a non-roster player with the Toronto Blue Jays. It’s the first time the six-time All-Star and 2010 National League MVP will have a chance to play a professional baseball game in a non-Reds uniform, but it still marks a homecoming for Votto, who is a Toronto native.

The 40-year-old Votto recently confirmed to FOX sports‘ Ben Verlander in an interview on “Flippin’ Bats” that he was not yet ready to retire.

“In my head, the next time I play, I’ll be so excited and grateful to be able to get back on a major-league field, get back on a baseball field and compete,” Votto said. “That’s really all where my head is at.”

Votto’s numbers have dipped, and he’s missed ample time over the past two seasons, and Votto attributes both to a rotator cuff surgery he had on his left shoulder in 2022.

“I want the game to let me know where I fit in,” Votto said. “And I say that as sincerely as can be. I don’t want to play bad anymore. These surgeries and recoveries take a long time, a long time. … I’ve dedicated my entire 2023 to coming back. I didn’t play well [last summer], but I was not healthy. Let me rephrase that: I was healthy enough to get on the field and compete, but I was not at my best self.

“I’ve been so lucky to have gotten to this point, but I need the game to tell me I’m done. I need a healthy version of me to compete, fail, adios, sort of thing.”

Votto’s 2,135 career hits rank fifth all-time in Reds franchise history and second among all Canadian-born players in MLB history — just 25 behind Hall of Famer Larry Walker. Votto and Walker are the only two Canada natives with more than 2,000 career MLB hits.

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