(Buffalo) Joey Votto’s return to action will have to wait as the Toronto Blue Jays infielder was removed from the Buffalo Bisons’ starting lineup shortly before Friday’s game.
The Blue Jays said Votto “twisted” his right ankle. His ankle will be re-evaluated Saturday.
Votto was scheduled to play against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRaiders at AAA after being sidelined with ankle and lower back issues.
The 40-year-old Canadian has played 2,056 games in 17 major league seasons and was named the National League MVP in 2010. He has a career average of .294 with 356 home runs and 1,144 RBIs. He signed a minor league contract with the Blue Jays on March 9.
Last season, he played 65 games with the Cincinnati Reds, the team for which he played his entire major league career. He missed most of the season with a shoulder injury.
He appeared in one game during Blue Jays camp this spring, hitting a home run in his only at-bat. He then played 13 games with the Blue Jays’ A-team.