Door still 'absolutely open' for Joey Votto return to Cincinnati Reds

CHICAGO – Joey Votto looked at home again on the air during the broadcast of the Cincinnati Reds‘ game against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Not to mention in the Reds clubhouse before that weekend series finale, catching up with old friends.

As far as the Reds’ front office is concerned, the former Reds MVP has a home whenever he wants for as long as he wants in the organization.

“The door is still open. It’s absolutely open,” said team president Nick Krall, who made initial overtures to Votto shortly after the career Red’s retirement in 2024.

“When he’s around, he’s a huge help,” Krall said. “He’s always a guy you’d love to have part of the organization.”

Votto, who earned six All-Star selections and a Gold Glove during a 17-year Reds career, has occasionally accepted invitations to work with Class A Reds prospects at Daytona, Florida, near his home. He otherwise has done some media gigs, traveled and suggested along the way that he’s not interested, at least yet, in a specific job commitment back in the game.

Being the oldest pro baseball team means lots of players have made their way through Cincinnati. Take a look at these guys, who were more famous elsewhere, but wore a Reds uniform.

<1 / 41

Being the oldest pro baseball team means lots of players have made their way through Cincinnati. Take a look at these guys, who were more famous elsewhere, but wore a Reds uniform.

<2 / 41

Hall-of-Famer Christy Mathewson won 373 career game – 372 with the New York Giants. His other win came in the only game he pitched for the Reds in 1916.

<3 / 41

Don Newcombe was a four-time all-star, a Rookie of the Year and was the 1956 NL MVP and Cy Young award winner with the Dodgers. He pitched in 66 games for the Reds from 1958-1960.

<4 / 41

Billy Martin won four World Series as a player for the New York Yankees before going on to even greater fame as a manager, including a 1977 World Series championship. He spent 1960 in Cincinnati where he hit .246 in 103 games for the Reds.

<5 / 41

Roger Craig (37) managed the San Francisco Giants from 1985-92, including a World Series appearance in 1989. He spent 12 seasons as a pitcher in the majors, including 40 games for the Reds in 1965.

<6 / 41

Charlie Leibrandt won 140 games over a 14-year MLB career, including memorable stints with the Kansas City Royals and Atlanta Braves. He got his start in Cincinnati, throwing 82 games for the Reds from 1979-82.

<7 / 41

César Cedeño was a four-time all-star and won five Gold Gloves with the Houston Astros in the 1970s. He played 429 games for the Reds from 1982-85.

<8 / 41

Gary Redus played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1982-94. He started his career in Cincinnati, where he played from 1982-1985.

<9 / 41

Wyoming High School grad Jeff Russell was a two-time all-star with the Texas Rangers and led the majors in saves in 1989. He began his career with his hometown Reds from 1983-84.

<10 / 41

John Denny was a 13-year MLB veteran who won the 1983 NL Cy Young award with the Philadelphia Phillies. He played the last season of his career with the Reds in 1986, going 11-10.

<11 / 41

When he retired, Kent Tekulve held the major league record for career relief appearances. The Hamilton native pitched his final 37 games as a member of the Reds in 1989.

<12 / 41

Jeff Montgomery was a three-time all-star who saved 304 games in his career with the Kansas City Royals. He came up through the minors (including here with the Nashville Sounds) with the Reds and pitched in 14 games in the majors in 1987.

<13 / 41

Jeff Reardon was a four-time all-star with 357 career saves when he signed with the Reds in 1993. He recorded eight saves in 58 games in his lone season in Cincinnati.

<14 / 41

Juan Samuel spent 16 seasons in the majors and was a three-time all-star. He appeared in 103 games for the Reds in 1993 where he hit .230.

<15 / 41

Tony Fernández was a three-time all-star who won four Gold Gloves with the Toronto Blue Jay in the 1980s. He spent 1994 in Cincinnati where he hit .279 in 104 games.

<16 / 41

Hall-of-Famer Jack Morris won 254 games in his career. He signed with the Reds for spring training in 1995, but retired before appearing in a regular-season game.

<17 / 41

Frank Viola won the American League Cy Young in 1988 with the Minnesota Twins, where he found his greatest success – winning 112 games in eight years. He appeared in three games for the Reds in 1995, going 0-1 with a 6.28 ERA.

<18 / 41

David Wells won 239 games in his MLB career and won World Series with the Blue Jays and the Yankees.
Acquired for help with a playoff push in 1995, Wells went 6-5 over his 11 starts with the Reds.

<19 / 41

The 1989 NL Rookie of the Year with the Chicago Cubs, Jerome Walton served as a backup outfielder and pinch-hitter for the Reds, hitting .309 in 1994 and .290 in 1995.

<20 / 41

Vince Coleman led the NL in steals for six consecutive seasons, from 1985-90. He ended up with 752 career stolen bases, including 12 in 33 games for the Reds in 1996.

<21 / 41

Hall-of-Famer Lee Smith totaled 478 saves in his 18-year career. Two of them came with the Reds in 1996, where he made 43 appearances.

<22 / 41

Rubén Sierra is a four-time all-star who hit 306 home runs and drove in 1,322 runs over the course of a 20-year career. He appeared in 25 games for the Reds in 1997 where he hit .244 with two homers.

<23 / 41

Paul Konerko made six All-Star teams as a member of the Chicago White Sox and ended his career with 439 homers and 1,412 RBI. He played in 26 games for the Reds in 1998, hitting .219 with three home runs.

<24 / 41

Steve Avery was part of the vaunted 1990s Atlanta Braves pitching staff, winning 72 games and making one all-star appearance from 1990-96. He started 19 games for the Reds in 1999, going 6-7.

<25 / 41

Juan Guzmán won a pair of World Series and had a 40-11 record in his first three seasons with the Blue Jays in 1991-93. He boasted a 5-1 career postseason record with a 2.44 ERA. Picked up by the Reds at the 1999 trade deadline, he went 6-3 over 12 starts.

<26 / 41

A four-time all-star Dante Bichette hit .316 with 201 home runs and 826 RBI in seven seasons with the Colorado Rockies before signing with the Reds. He hit .295 with 16 home runs and 76 RBI in 135 games in Cincinnati in 2000 before being traded to the Boston Red Sox.

<27 / 41

José Guillén hit 214 home runs over his 14-year career. He signed with the Reds in 2002 and had an outstanding 2003, hitting .337 with 23 home runs and 63 RBI in 91 games before being traded to the Oakland A’s in the trade that brought Aaron Harang to Cincinnati.

<28 / 41

Todd Jones recorded 319 saves over a 16-year MLB career. One of those came with the Reds in 2004 where he appeared in 51 games.

<29 / 41

Tony Womack led the NL in steals three consecutive seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Arizona Diamondbacks from 1997-99. He appeared in nine games for the Reds in 2006, hitting .222

<30 / 41

Royce Clayton had a 17-year MLB career and was an all-star in 1997 with the Cardinals. He spent 50 games in Cincinnati in 2006, hitting .235.

<31 / 41

Josh Hamilton won an MVP and was a five-time all-star with the Texas Rangers from 2008-12. He began his MLB career with the Reds, hitting .292 with 19 home runs in 2007.

<32 / 41

A four-time all-star and an eight-time Gold Glove award winner, Jim Edmonds hit 393 home runs over a 17 seasons. He ended his MLB career playing in 13 games for the Reds in 2010.

<33 / 41

Dontrelle Willis was the 2003 NL Rookie of the Year and finished second in the 2005 NL Cy Young award voting for the Marlins. The two-time all-star finished his nine-year MLB career with the Reds in 2011. Going 1-6 with a 5.00 ERA over 13 starts.

<34 / 41

An all-star in 2017, Yonder Alonso hit 100 home runs in a 10 seasons. He began his career in Cincinnati, appearing in 69 games for the Reds from 2010-11, hitting five homers.

<35 / 41

Édgar Rentería won the 1997 World Series MVP with the Florida Marlins, was a five-time all-star and two-time Gold Glove award winner over a 16-year career. He spent his final season in Cincinnati, hitting .251 in 96 games in 2011.

<36 / 41

Shin-Soo Choo was an all-star and collected 1,671 hits over a 16-year MLB career. He spent 2013 in Cincinnati, where he finished 12th in MVP voting when he hit .285 and scored 107 runs.

<37 / 41

Matt Harvey was an all-star and finished fourth in NL Cy Young award voting with the New York Mets in 2013. He started 24 games for the Reds in 2018, going 7-7 with a 4.50 ERA.

<38 / 41

A three-time all-star and two-time Gold Glove winner with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Matt Kemp played 20 games for the Reds in 2019.

<39 / 41

Kevin Gausman was named to two all-star teams and finished in the top-10 in Cy Young voting with the Giants and Blue Jays from 2021-23. He appeared in 15 games for the Reds in 2019, going 0-2 while making one start.

<40 / 41

Asdrúbal Cabrera was a two-time all-star in Cleveland and had a 15-year MLB career. His last stop in the majors was with the Reds, where he went 2-for-26 at the plate in 20 games in 2021.

<41 / 41

Tommy Pham is a 13-year MLB veteran. He played in 91 games for the Reds in 2022, hitting .238 with 11 homers.

“He’s awesome. Joey’s still doing his own thing, but he’s a great guy,” Krall said. “We’d love to find something (for him) and be able to do something. He’s just a tremendous asset on all different levels.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Door still ‘absolutely open’ for Joey Votto return to Cincinnati Reds