Questions remain surrounding Votto's future with Blue Jays
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Joey Votto could find himself back in the major leagues in the near future.
With the Reds visiting Toronto from Aug. 19 to 21, it invites a storybook opportunity for the Blue Jays to recall Votto to make his hometown debut against his former team.
However, with the Blue Jays sitting in last place in the American League East with a 55-64 record and playing out the final string of games, there’s a question if Votto would be interested in joining that situation.
“I personally would be excited to see Votto back on a major-league field but I’m wondering how he’d process all that,” ESPN’s Buster Olney told TSN1050’s First Up on Tuesday. “Does he want to come back at a time when the Blue Jays aren’t in the race? He’s [also] not performing well by batting .200 in Triple-A. I don’t know how he’s feeling physically and if he’s not 100 per cent, I don’t know what he wants to do.”
The 40-year-old former all-star signed a minor-league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays after 17 years with the Cincinnati Reds and had an invite to the big team’s spring training.
But Votto twisted his ankle after hitting a home run in his first spring training at-bat, which knocked him out of the lineup and delayed his season.
After suffering a setback in July, Votto has finally become healthy and in August found his way to Triple-A Buffalo where he has hit .211 with a home run and three RBIs in nine games.
Last week, Blue Jays manager John Schneider indicated that the Blue Jays remain open to promoting the former National League MVP if he remains healthy.
“You sign him for a reason, and I think you make room for him,” Schneider told reporters on Aug. 6. “I think having a guy like him here within this clubhouse goes a long way.”
Olney went on to say that one of Votto’s priorities before he signed with the Blue Jays was to make sure he was fully healthy before taking to the field in order to put himself in the best position to succeed and prove he can still produce.
In his final season in Cincinnati, Votto only appeared in 65 games while recovering from left shoulder surgery and hit .202 with 14 home runs and 38 RBIs. The Reds then went on to decline his $20 million club option, making him a free agent.
“Last year when he played [with the Reds], He didn’t perform well and he wasn’t healthy,” said Olney. “I know in the spring he was so focused on trying to be as healthy as possible to give himself a chance to do damage in the big leagues.
“If you call him up for the series against the Reds, it means you’re committed to him pretty much for the end of the month of September. While I think it would be cool, I don’t know how Votto would feel about that.”