Joey Votto made a quick impact by hitting a home run on the very first pitch he faced as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays, his hometown team.
In his debut spring training game with Toronto, the experienced first baseman smashed a 392-foot homer off Zack Wheeler of the Philadelphia Phillies in the first inning in Clearwater, Florida.
There was some uncertainty about whether the ball went out, and Votto briefly stopped at second base, but the umpires confirmed it was a home run.
Votto decided to join the Blue Jays because he wanted to go back home. After 17 seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, he signed a minor league contract with Toronto this month.
Last fall, the 40-year-old Votto became a free agent after completing a $251.5 million, 12-year contract with the Reds, the team that drafted him in 2002 out of Richview Collegiate Institute in Toronto.
Votto, a six-time All-Star and the 2010 NL MVP, has a .294 average with 356 home runs, 1,144 RBIs, and a .409 on-base percentage in 2,056 games. Cincinnati declined his $20 million option for 2024.
YANKEES INJURIES
The New York Yankees received some positive news on the injury front. X-rays on leadoff hitter DJ LeMahieu's right foot came back clear. Although he's in some pain, LeMahieu is considered day to day after injuring his foot while foul-tipping a ball this weekend.
The injury-plagued Yankees recently found out that ace Gerrit Cole will be unable to throw for three to four weeks due to nerve irritation and swelling in his throwing elbow. It's likely that he will need a period similar to spring training after he resumes throwing to be ready to return to the team.
Slugger Aaron Judge has an abdomen injury. He did some hitting drills and batting practice inside on Sunday.
Judge, who recently had an MRI of his abdomen come back clear, hasn’t taken batting practice on the field or played in a game since a week ago when he struck out in both at-bats against Atlanta.
Reliever Tommy Kahnle pitched 20 pitches in a simulated game. He is expected to miss at least the first week of the regular season due to a right shoulder injury.
ALONSO CONTRACT UPDATE
The owner of the New York Mets, Steve Cohen, indicated on Sunday that it's unlikely the team will sign first baseman Pete Alonso to a long-term contract before the end of the season, during his first media session of spring training.
Cohen stated, “At this point, for Pete, it’s best for him to go and have a great year and not be distracted.”
Alonso currently has a $20.5 million, one-year contract and can become a free agent after the World Series.
Alonso, who will turn 30 in December, was the 2019 NL Rookie of the Year and is a three-time All-Star. Over his five seasons with the Mets, he’s hit .251 with 192 home runs and 498 RBIs.
Alonso recently hired Scott Boras as his agent, and Boras typically encourages his clients to use their free agent rights to maximize their value.
Cohen thinks that his strong connection with Boras might be helpful for the Mets.
“I like having conversations,” he stated.
FOR OPENERS, PART I
The Cardinals have chosen Miles Mikolas as their opening-day pitcher while Sonny Gray is recovering from a strained hamstring. St. Louis begins the season on March 28 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Mikolas will be starting his third St. Louis opener. Last season, the righty pitched 3 1/3 innings and gave up five runs during a 10-9 loss to Toronto. In 2019, he allowed five runs over five innings as St. Louis lost 5-4 at Milwaukee.
Gray, who was the AL Cy Young Award runner-up in Minnesota, signed a $75 million, three-year contract in the offseason.
FOR OPENERS, PART II
Right-hander Josiah Gray will be the starting pitcher for Washington in the season opener at Cincinnati on March 28. Gray had an 8-13 record with a 3.91 ERA last season.
WHEELER’S TIME
Wheeler will be the opening day pitcher for the Phillies, ending Aaron Nola’s streak of six straight opening-day starts. The last time someone other than Nola started on opening day for Philly was Jeremy Hellickson in 2017.
NINE RUNS
The Red Sox scored nine runs in the first inning against the Yankees on Sunday. Trevor Story, Connor Wong, and Rafael Devers all hit home runs in the inning. Boston went on to win 12-6.
GOLD GLOVE GRAB
With his platinum-colored glove, San Diego right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. made a Gold Glove-worthy catch in an exhibition game against Team Korea in Seoul. Tatis ran in from the outfield to make a sliding catch in the fifth inning on Sunday.
Tatis received his first Gold Glove last season.
