TORONTO — Relatively speaking, Tuesday afternoon was a quiet one at Rogers Centre. On the third-base side of the field, various Toronto Blue Jays players completed their pre-game routines while others got ready in the clubhouse, one eye on the Little League World Series. In the tunnel behind the first-base side of the field, Reds manager David Bell fielded questions from the assembled media.
Meanwhile, as this ordinary afternoon unfolded in Toronto, the player who links these two teams together was preparing for a minor-league game two hours away. Facing the Omaha Storm Chasers in Buffalo, Joey Votto went hitless in three at-bats, with a walk and two strikeouts. Barring a surprise promotion on Wednesday, that’s where he’ll stay and the Reds will leave town without facing their long-time star.
So: Missed PR opportunity, or necessary patience on the part of the team? What are the pros and cons of a potential promotion? And what’s next?
Most of this is up for debate. Some is more clear-cut, but before looking more closely at those specific questions, it’s worth thinking back to March, when Votto first signed with the Blue Jays. At the time he said being a minor-league player “invigorates me. It’s what I feel I’ve been about, and it brings me great joy.”
In the moment, the words were jarring. A six-time All-Star with 64.5 career WAR to his name, Votto spoke more like a utility player trying to make a good impression. He had earned upward of $260 million as a major-league player by then, and very few players in that tax bracket spend their summers riding buses.
“I’m on a minor league contract,” he said at the time. “And I’m not on the major league roster, so not only is that my attitude, but that’s the reality of the scenario. And so the idea that I’m going to come in and presume anything is a disconnect from reality, but (also) just what I’m about, right? I just I want to work and I want to compete and I want to fit in. I want to get along with guys, I want to be liked and I want to represent myself, my family and my country well. And this is the perfect opportunity.”
Five months later, it’s clear Votto was serious about his willingness to earn his way back to the major leagues. An ankle injury slowed his momentum for months, but he has been playing regularly in August, with appearances in 15 triple-A games.
Including Tuesday, the 40-year-old Votto is batting .143 with one home run and a .489 OPS in triple-A. He’s striking out at an uncharacteristically high clip, with with 22 Ks in 51 plate appearances, including 12 in his last 26. It’s a small sample, but — name aside — clearly not the stat line of a player who absolutely has to be on a big-league roster.
So, while the Blue Jays could theoretically have called Votto up to face his long-time team, it wouldn’t have been on merit yet. Based on everything he’s said publicly, though, Votto wants to earn his way back. That was his stance when he first signed, and speaking to colleague Shi Davidi earlier this month, his tone remained consistent: he sounds like someone who very much wants to play in the major leagues, and not simply because it’s good PR.
With six weeks remaining in the big-league season, there’s still time for Votto to earn his way back by finding the offensive rhythm that’s been eluding him. It was just last year that he hit 14 home runs with a .747 OPS against big-league pitching, after all. But as nice as the Reds narrative would have been, it would have meant forcing the issue.
Instead, Votto’s work continues at triple-A, where he’s in regular contact with Blue Jays decision-makers. If he eventually finds the swing that made him one of his generation’s best hitters, the Blue Jays will be open to a promotion.
“You sign him for a reason, obviously, and it hasn’t gone exactly how anyone planned,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said earlier this month. “But I think you make room for him. And I think having a guy like him here within this clubhouse goes a long way. So, it kind of depends on him. And I think that if there’s a way to get him on, we would certainly entertain that.”
As Schneider said, Votto’s experience could be a positive within the Toronto clubhouse. He would take the roster spot of a developing young player such as Steward Berroa, for instance. At the same time, Berroa has all of 11 plate appearances this month. He’d certainly get more reps at triple-A, where his development could continue.
Plus, rosters expand by two to 28 on Sept. 1, meaning the Blue Jays will have room for an extra position player. By then, the prorated portion of Votto’s $2-million salary will also cost less — a factor that’s surely on the radar for a Blue Jays team now “on the razor’s edge” of MLB’s competitive balance tax, according to what GM Ross Atkins said on the July 30 trade deadline.
In the end, though, it’s a decision that should be driven by baseball factors. So far, Votto’s performance hasn’t been up to his previous standards, so he remains in the minors. But there’s still time for that to change and opportunity on the Blue Jays’ big-league roster — a combination that leaves open some intriguing possibilities down the stretch.
