Joey Votto, the longtime Cincinnati Reds first baseman, retires

Longtime Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto, a six-time All-Star and the 2010 MVP in the National League, has retired. 

The 40-year-old made the announcement in a short video on social media Wednesday night accompanied by a longer written post. 

“I was myself in this sport,” he wrote. “I was able to be my best self. I played this sport with every last ounce of my body, heart, and mind. Thank you for everything.” 

After recording the video outside Buffalo’s Sahlen Field, where he’d been playing for the Blue Jays’ Triple-A team, Votto took a ride across the border to Toronto’s downtown stadium, where the Reds had just beaten the Blue Jays 11-7.

Votto went into the Cincinnati clubhouse to meet former teammates and manager David Bell, then spoke to reporters about his decision.

The Toronto-born Votto signed a minor league contract with his hometown team in March and, following a lengthy layoff because of an ankle injury, had been playing at Triple-A. He went 6-for-42 with one homer and four RBIs in 15 games, striking out 22 times.

“I had moments where I was like, ‘Is this the right thing to do?’ and, ‘Do I want the organization to tell me I’m done?'” Votto said. “I just decided, you know, you’ve played long enough, you can interpret what’s going on, and I was awful. I was awful down there.”

Votto said he had “zero regrets” about ending his career but acknowledged disappointment in not playing for the Blue Jays this season.

“I wanted to play a year in Toronto at home, in front of family, in front of my country,” he said. “I desperately wanted to participate in games here. I’m really saddened that I wasn’t able to make it happen.”

Votto became a free agent last fall after the end of a 12-year, $251.5 million contract with the Reds, who selected him in the second round of the 2002 amateur draft out of Richview Collegiate Institute in Toronto. Cincinnati declined Votto’s $20 million option for 2024.

Across his 17 big league seasons in Cincinnati, Votto had a .294 batting average with 356 homers, 1,144 RBIs and a .409 on-base percentage in 2,056 games. He led the National League in on-base percentage seven times and was a Gold Glove winner in 2011. 

Votto said baseball has changed in recent years, adding that he wasn’t able to play at the top level any more.

“This game is faster,” Votto said. “I’m not fast. This game is about more dynamic defense. This game has changed over the course of the back quarter of my career. I’m slower. The one thing I could attempt to do is perform offensively, and I’ve been awful, especially for my position. At some point, the writing is on the wall.”

Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson became friendly with Votto while they rehabbed injuries together, adding that the star slugger was later a guest at his wedding.

“It was an honor to get to know him as a friend and as a player,” Stephenson said. “He’s an all-time great.”

Bell said he learned of Votto’s decision after Wednesday’s win over the Blue Jays.

“I can’t express how happy I am for the career that Joey had as a player,” Bell said. “Just an incredible career, obviously.”

Blue Jays manager John Schneider agreed. 

“An unbelievable career,” Schneider said. “Getting to know him briefly in spring was a treat for everyone.”

A shoulder injury limited Votto to 65 games in 2023. He didn’t play his first game until June 19, 10 months to the day after surgery on his left biceps and rotator cuff.

Votto homered off Philadelphia’s Zack Wheeler in his only spring training at-bat for Toronto on March 17. He stepped on a bat in the dugout later in that game and was sidelined for the next three months.

“I just was not good enough, and that’s the end of it,” Votto said. “I didn’t feel at any point in time like I was anywhere near major league ready.”

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.