Blue Jays' Votto making progress in recovery from ankle injury

It’s been a while since Toronto Blue Jays fans have heard about Joey Votto, but today, the 40-year-old received a positive update.

After spending 17 seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, Votto signed a minor-league deal with the Blue Jays in early March, which included an invite to Major League Spring Training. Unfortunately, he suffered an ankle injury in the dugout following his spring training debut and hasn’t been heard of much since.

That changed this afternoon, however, as Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling provided a positive update on the six-time All-Star.

“Joey Votto (ankle) is in Dunedin continuing to ramp up baseball activity,” Zwelling wrote on X. “Said to be making good progress with hitting, fielding, and throwing. Next steps will be live at-bats and then games. Votto made it clear to Blue Jays he wants to be 100% healthy before he returns.”

Joey Votto (ankle) is in Dunedin continuing to ramp up baseball activity; said to be making good progress with hitting, fielding, throwing

Next steps will be live at-bats and then games. Votto made it clear to Blue Jays he wants to be 100% healthy before he returns

— Arden Zwelling (@ArdenZwelling) May 7, 2024

In the prime of his career, Votto was regarded as one of the best hitters in baseball. He has slowed down with age, as shown by his .205 and .202 batting averages over the past two seasons, though Blue Jays fans were hopeful that playing in his home country could provide a late-career spark.

While it was hard to envision at the beginning of the season, seeing Votto get an opportunity with the Blue Jays is a legitimate possibility should he get healthy. They are extremely desperate, having lost seven of their past 10 games and scoring just 128 runs through 35 games.

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