Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto of Toronto, Ontario will have season-ending shoulder surgery on Friday according to the Associated Press, and will miss the remainder of the 2022 Major League Baseball regular season.
When did the injury occur?
Votto suffered a rotator cuff injury in 2015. He played through the injury, and seven years later it continues to be a problem. The rotator cuff has generated more and more pain for Votto this season, and the pain turned out to be unbearable for the Canadian. As a result, Votto was even having significant difficulty sleeping.
2015 season with the Reds
When Votto suffered the injury with the Reds in 2015, he still batted .314 with 29 home runs and 80 runs batted in. Votto played in 158 games, had 545 at bats, and 695 plate appearances, and scored 95 runs, and had 171 hits, 33 doubles, two triples, 11 stolen bases, 295 total bases, two sacrifice flies, an on base percentage of .459, slugging percentage of .541. The most significant statistic in 2015 was the fact that Votto led Major League Baseball with a career-high 143 walks. He also led the National League in walks in 2011 (110), and in 2012 (94), and Major League Baseball in walks in 2013 (135), and in 2017 (134). Even though Votto was experiencing pain, he was still able to protect the plate extraordinarily well.
2022 season with the Reds
In 2022, it was a struggle offensively for Votto. He batted .205 with 11 home runs and 41 batted in. During 91 games, 376 plate appearances, and 322 at bats, Votto scored 31 runs and had 66 hits, 18 doubles, one triple, 44 walks, 119 total bases, an on base percentage of .319, and a slugging percentage of .370. Votto’s triple came in a 4-3 Reds win over the Chicago Cubs on May 25.
Votto had his only three-hit game this season against the Cubs. It came in a 15-7 Reds loss at Wrigley Field on June 30. Votto had one home run and two singles.
Votto’s .205 batting average was a record low. It was 21 percentage points lower than his previous lowest batting average of .226.
Canadian record
Votto set the Canadian record for most Major League Baseball regular season games played with 1989 on Sunday in a 8-5 Cincinnati Reds win over the Chicago Cubs. He broke the record previously set by Larry Walker of Maple Ridge, British Columbia, who played 1988 games with the Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies and St. Louis Cardinals from 1989 to 2005.
Career Statistics with the Reds
Votto now has played in 1991 games. He is batting .297 with 342 home runs and 1106 runs batted in. During 7044 at bats, he has scored 1145 runs, and has 2093 hits, 453 doubles, 22 triples, 80 stolen bases, 1338 walks, 3616 total bases, 48 sacrifice flies, an on base percentage of .412 and a slugging percentage of .513.
Reds Struggles in 2022
As a team, the Reds have struggled mightily in 2022. First they only won three of 21 games in the entire month of April. The fact that David Bell survived his position of Reds manager was definitely a surprise to many.
The Reds are currently at 46 wins and 70 losses, and 24 games below the .500 mark. They are 19 games back of the division-leading St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central. Still, Cincinnati is not in the basement of the division, as they are a game and a half ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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