What happened to Joey Votto? Latest injury updates ahead of MLB Opening Day 2023

Despite there being no real contending future in Cincinnati right now, longtime Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto elected not to retire after last season. However, heading into his 17th season, he's expected to begin the season on the Injured List.

The veteran first baseman has been dealing with a shoulder/biceps injury. Last August, the Reds star had surgery to repair a torn left rotator cuff and a torn left bicep.

The team is opting to give him a little more time to recover from that. Since they're not really competing, they can afford to be without their veteran until he's fully healthy and ready to return.

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Joey Votto on track with rehab after surgery

Joey Votto has reportedly been fine so far, so he shouldn't have any issues reporting to their AAA affiliate this week to start his rehab. He probably won't miss a lot of time to start the season and will be fully healthy and ready to contribute once again.

Votto said via Redleg Nation that he didn't feel like he was ready to retire since he felt like he could still hit:

"I’ve done really well with my offensive work. I mean this, seriously, I think I’m going to play well. I think I’m going to perform well offensively. If not, I’m going to retire. End of story."

Joey Votto is not ready to return to MLB action

The Reds' first baseman struggled offensively last year, posting a 92 wRC+. It was just the second time in his career that he'd been below the league average of 100.