Joey Votto returns action with Blue Jays rookie league team

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Joey Votto is back in game again, the far away early steps for the Etobicoke native to return to the big leagues with his hometown Blue Jays.

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Votto, who hurt his ankle in a spring training game way back in March, had a couple of at-bats and played first base for the Jays entry in the Florida Complex League on Monday in Clearwater, Fla.

Thus marks the first significant move for Votto to progress towards potential game action with the Jays — and, if all goes well, another bat to help boost the team’s ailing offence.

The 40-year-old veteran signed a minor league deal with the Jays in March which included an invitation to big league spring training.

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That assignment started with a bang when he hit a home run against the Phillies in what would be his only at-bat. When Votto returned to the dugout, he injured his ankle after stepping on a bat.

The untimely injury derailed Votto’s plans and led to a lengthy time rehabbing the injury before finally returning to game action following Monday’s transaction.

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In each of his first two at-bats against the Phillies entry in the FCL, Votto flew out to centre fielder Jorge Garcia.

What’s next for the veteran, who played in the majors for the Cincinnati Reds for 17 years, remains to be seen. Jays manager John Schneider will no doubt update Votto’s status prior to Monday’s opener of a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox at the Rogers Centre.

The FCL Blue Jays are Toronto’s rookie league affiliate based at the club’s Dunedin, Fla. headquarters. A return to the big leagues would undoubtedly require some time at triple-A Buffalo where Votto would face stronger pitching than he would at his current stop.

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