Amid a season of no contention, longtime Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto will see his 2022 season come to a close, announcing the news himself Wednesday.
Votto, following a 1-0 Reds win Wednesday, announced he will undergo season-ending surgery Friday to repair a torn rotator cuff — ending his 16th big league season at 91 games.
You can watch the full press conference here, per Bally Sports.
“I injured it back in 2015,” Votto told reporters. “And I’ve been able to play through it, and only the past maybe three, four months or so, has it been painful to the point where. … It hurts to sleep. I’m not sure if it’s affected my performance, I can’t say that. I don’t wanna make an excuse, but surgery is necessary and I plan on getting it done on Friday.”
Votto added: “I’ve been told it’s about a six-month rehab.”
Votto made it clear he didn’t want to attribute any of his on-field struggles to the injury. A fair assessment considering since 2015, Votto proceeded to flirt with career highs in batting averages in 2016 (.326) and 2017 (.320) while nearly surpassing a career-high in homers in 2017 and 2021, with 36.
To begin year 16, both as a big leaguer and Red, Votto missed two weeks in May due to a stint on the COVID-19 list. The six-time National League All-Star and 2010 NL MVP winner batted .205/.319/.370 — all career lows for Votto — with 11 home runs and 41 RBIs.
