Long known for his wit and self-deprecating humor, Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto used social media to send the perfect message about his season-ending surgery.
With the announcement already made that Joey Votto would miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery to repair his left rotator cuff and bicep, Votto used a tweet on Friday to poke a little fun at the situation and himself as well.
I didn’t know I was hurt. Thought I just stunk.
— Joey Votto (@JoeyVotto) August 20, 2022
Despite the tweet, the 38-year-old did indeed know he was hurt, admitting in the days before the surgery that the injury may go back as far as the 2015 season, but it had reached the point of becoming intolerable in the “past three or four months.”
The discomfort might explain some of why this has been a down season for Joey Votto, adding to what has been a nightmarish campaign for the Cincinnati Reds.
Votto finished the campaign slashing .205/.319/.370 and registering a career-low OPS+ of 86. He started the season slashing just .122/.278/.135 and striking out 29 times in his first 90 plate appearances before being placed on the COVID-19 restricted list in early May and heading to Triple-A for a rehab assignment.
Votto’s tough start to the season mirrored the Cincinnati Reds as a whole, a team that began the campaign 3-22 and endured scorn from supporters for not only their record but also the comments of team president Phil Castellini and his “Well, where are you gonna go?” message to fans who wanted to see a change in direction in leadership.
That same leadership decided the Reds would be sellers almost immediately after the 2021 season ended. Since then, the team has sent away several of the faces of the franchise, including pitcher Luis Castillo, outfielder Jesse Winker, and third baseman Eugenio Suarez, all of whom were traded to the Seattle Mariners and are now playing pivotal roles in Seattle’s chase for the postseason.
Votto is expected to be ready in time for 2023 spring training, marking the beginning of his 17th season with the organization that selected him in the second round of the 2002 MLB draft.