Blue Jays invite Toronto-born slugger Joey Votto to spring training

After years and years of speculation, Joey Votto is finally joining the Toronto Blue Jays.

At least for now.

As per a report from ESPN’s Buster Olney, Votto has joined the Blue Jays for spring training as a non-roster invite.

Joey Votto has agreed to a non-roster invite with the Blue Jays. He is back.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) March 8, 2024

Votto followed up the news with a statement of his own on X.

I am excited about the opportunity to work my way back to the Major Leagues. It’s even sweeter to attempt this while wearing the uniform of my hometown team, the Toronto Blue Jays. https://t.co/s7xEFLKe8V

— Joey Votto (@JoeyVotto) March 8, 2024

“I am excited about the opportunity to work my way back to the Major Leagues,” he said. “It’s even sweeter to attempt this while wearing the uniform of my hometown team, the Toronto Blue Jays.”

The 40-year-old slugger and a native of the Toronto neighbourhood of Etobicoke, Votto has spent his entire 17-year MLB career with the Cincinnati Reds.

He had a .294 batting average, 2,135 hits, 356 home runs, 1,144 RBIs and 1,171 runs scored across his time with the Reds, including winning the 2010 NL MVP. He also made six All-Star Game appearances during his time in Cincinnati, won seven Tip O’Neill Awards as the top Canadian in baseball, and won the Lou Marsh Trophy twice as Canada’s top overall athlete, the only baseball player to do so.

Despite his possible Hall of Fame resume, Votto entered spring training this year without a contract offer or an invite from one of the MLB’s 30 teams.

Votto had earlier posted in the week a photo of him on a park bench with the caption “missing ball,” in reference to an infamous internet meme of Canadian actor Keanu Reeves once being spotted in a similar pose.

missing ball pic.twitter.com/r8ZG9gfU2i

— Joey Votto (@JoeyVotto) March 6, 2024

While we can’t quite confirm if it was “Sad Keanu” that got the attention of Toronto’s front office, it’s at the very least going to be quite exciting whenever the first pictures of Votto in a Blue Jays uniform do emerge, as he fights his way towards a roster spot ahead of the March 28th Opening Day.

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