Joey Votto Injury: Cincinnati Lifer To Undergo Long-Awaited Shoulder Surgery

Reds' first baseman Joey Votto announced on Wednesday that he will undergo left shoulder surgery on Friday and miss the rest of his 16th season.

Joey Votto Injury Update

The surgery will take 6 months to rehab and Votto is optimistic he will be ready for Opening Day in 2023. 

The 38-year-old said that he initially suffered a torn rotator cuff in 2015 and didn't have any significant issues with his left shoulder until “the past maybe three, four months or so.”

Votto will play under 100 games for only the second time in his career and the first since 2014, when a lingering quadriceps injury limited him to 62 games. 

Votto has struggled at the plate in 2022 while going back-and-forth from the injured list, batting .205 with a .689 OPS, 11 home runs, and a career-worst 30.1% strikeout rate in 322 at-bats.

This came after a surprising 2020 season, during which the 2010 MVP hit 36 home runs and 99 RBI in only 448 at-bats. 

Votto is under contract for next season and the Reds have a team option in 2024, when he will turn 40 years old.