Joey

Votto

The 40-year-old slugger signed a minor league deal with the Blue Jays over the winter, but got hurt during spring training and was working his way back at Triple-A Buffalo — slashing just .165/.298/.271 with a pair of homers and 12 RBI over 104 plate appearances. He finishes an extremely impressive big-league career hitting .294/.409/.511 with 356 home runs, 1,144 RBI, 80 stolen bases and a 1,640/1,365 K/BB ratio over 8,746 plate appearances in 17 seasons with the Reds. He won the National League MVP award in 2010, was a six-time All-Star and a Gold Glove winner. Entertaining on and off the field, Votto was a true joy to cover. We wish him the best in the next chapter of his life.

Unfortunately, Votto, who missed the first 2 1/2 months with an ankle injury, isn’t yet building any sort of case for joining the Blue Jays in September. In 15 games since moving up to Triple-A, he’s gone 6-for-42 with one homer and 22 strikeouts.

He’ll be re-evaluated on Saturday to see if he’s able to play. There’s still no clear timetable on when the 40-year-old slugger could be an option to join the Jays at the big-league level. The club should have an update on his status on Saturday.

Votto has been off for a few days now after beginning a rehab assignment last week, but he’s expected to resume playing in the minors before the end of the week. He was 0-for-5 in three games before going down.

Votto is back in minor league game action for the first time since suffering a right ankle injury back in spring training. The 40-year-old first baseman is hoping to make his Toronto debut at some point this year, but is a non-factor for fantasy purposes at this advanced stage of his career.

Jays manager John Schneider said Votto is working on a baserunning program. The amount of time the 40-year-old has already missed can only make it less likely that he’ll be able to help the Blue Jays this season.

Votto continues to ramp up baseball activity at Toronto’s spring training facility in Dunedin, Florida as he works his way back from an ankle injury that he suffered back in spring training. The 40-year-old veteran figures to be an option for the Blue Jays at some point this summer.

Votto won’t be able to play in minor-league games until he resumes hitting. The 40-year-old suffered an ankle injury during his first spring training game with the Blue Jays and has been out of action since. There’s no timeline for a Votto return at this point.

The veteran first baseman suffered a minor ankle injury when he stepped on a bat during his first game with the Blue Jays. It appears likely that he will start out at the extended spring training complex when the regular season begins and then make a trip to Triple-A Buffalo if all goes well. After that, he could possibly push Daniel Vogelbach for his roster spot.

What’s unclear at the moment, is just how long he’ll be able to hold onto that spot. Joey Votto signed late in the spring and then suffered a minor ankle injury, so he’ll need time to build up at-bats before he’s ready to join the Blue Jays. It’s very unlikely that they’ll have room for two lumbering left-handed sluggers on the same bench, so something will ultimately have to give. Vogelbach, 31, hit .229 (8-for-35) with three homers and four RBI during Grapefruit League action.