Reds' Joey Votto accomplishes his goal, drives a bus

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto has accomplished a lifelong goal he revealed back in a July 2018 interview with MLB Network.

“After I’m done playing — drive a bus,” Votto said. “I legitimately would like to drive a yellow bus. That’s something I’m excited about. I’m serious about that, I think that would be great.”

Well, it appeared so Friday that Votto had finally done it, posting a picture on Instagram of him behind the wheel of a bus with the MLB Network interview attached.

He's not done playing yet but Joey Votto accomplished his goal. 😅

Via: @JoeyVotto pic.twitter.com/D4gmp88KqO

— Cut4 (@Cut4) June 3, 2023

“Heading down to Louisville for a few stops,” Votto captioned the post.

Contrary to the post, Votto was back at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati working out, per Charlie Goldsmith of The Enquirer. The Reds later announced that Votto would begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Louisville Saturday.

Votto, 39, has been sidelined since last August after undergoing surgery to repair his rotator cuff and biceps. He attempted a rehab stint at Louisville earlier this season, but had to shut it down after 10 days. Votto batted .184 (7-for-38) with one home run and 21 strikeouts during the rehab stint.

“No, no, no, no. That was right in line with, ‘Let’s try.’ It was almost like no harm, no foul,” Votto said Friday, via MLB.com. “There were occasions [when] someone would throw the ball to me and I got out of the way. As a defender, you have to get in there, stick your nose in there and make a play. My instinct was to get out of the way because I was incapable of actually catching the ball with my arm. As far as offensively, I was fighting for sure in there. But at no point was I ever competitive, like a legitimate threat.”

Joey Votto excited for potential Reds return

Coming off statistically his worst season in the big leagues, in which he slashed .205/.319/.370 with 11 home runs and 41 RBIs, Votto said he feels much better and is excited for the possibility of a return.

“I’ve just been feeling really good with the live work,” Votto said. “At some point, you’ve got to come back and help the team. It’s good. I’m excited to be back. I’ve missed playing with the guys. Going on the road, I was able to work with our bullpen arms that throw. I was able to continue hanging out with the guys staying in the flow of in-season competition.”