Cincinnati Reds star Joey Votto isn't thinking about retirement despite age and health concerns: "Never once did I think about walking away"

At age 39 and after an injury-riddled past couple of seasons, Cincinnati Reds legend Joey Votto isn't ready to retire just yet. The first baseman has spent the past 16 years in the MLB with the Reds, but isn't ready to call it quits.

MLB analyst Chris Rose asked why Votto returned to the game after a bad year full of injuries. Votto said he never once thought about retiring despite everything he'd experienced.

He quipped:

"I'm smiling because you're asking me to walk away from a good bit of money, but that wouldn't be the reason why I would stay. The reason why I would want to stay is because I liked the challenge and the idea of coming back from something that I thought was an interference to my typical level of performance appeals to me."

He added that a love for the game helps him return:

"I'm thankful that I get to take on a craft, live a passion that is right in the sweet spot of me as a person. I love the individual part of our job. I love the team part of our job. I love being social but I like concentrating on my own project."

But ultimately, he's just not ready to call it a career just yet:

"I don't know... Never once did I think about walking away. I'm just not there yet. It would feel like I'd be tapping out."

The Reds are not exactly World Series contenders, so it's not as if Votto is ring chasing. He's just a dedicated player who isn't ready to leave his franchise and his sport behind.

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How rough was 2022 for Joey Votto?

Joey Votto had perhaps the worst year of his career last season. He was only able to play in 91 games, the second-lowest total of his career.

Joey Votto is not retiring

During those 91 games, he wasn't exactly good. He batted a career-low .205 and recorded -0.3 bWAR, the lowest of his career and the only time he was in the negative.

Despite all that, Votto isn't ready to hang them up. Perhaps he wants to go out on a high note.