Joey Votto, a six-time All-Star and former National League MVP, has officially retired from baseball, as revealed in a brief video shared on social media Wednesday.
Born in Toronto, Votto signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays in March. After a prolonged recovery from an ankle injury, he played for Triple-A Buffalo, where he recorded a batting average of .143 with one home run and four RBIs over 15 games, striking out 22 times in 42 at-bats.
At 40 years old, Votto became a free agent following the conclusion of a substantial $251.5 million, 12-year deal with the Cincinnati Reds, the only team he played for throughout his impressive 17-season major league career. The Reds opted not to exercise Votto’s $20 million option for the 2024 season.
Coincidentally, the Blue Jays were facing the Reds on the day of his retirement announcement, marking the end of an era for both Votto and the franchise.
Votto, who earned the NL MVP title in 2010 and received a Gold Glove award in 2011, concluded his career with a .294 batting average, 356 home runs, and 1,144 RBIs across 2,056 games.
In 2023, a shoulder injury limited Votto to just 65 games. He made his season debut on June 19, precisely ten months after undergoing surgery on his left biceps and rotator cuff.
During spring training with Toronto, Votto made headlines by hitting a home run off Philadelphia’s Zack Wheeler in his only at-bat on March 17. However, a mishap in the dugout—stepping on a bat—sidelined him for an additional three months.
