In a surprising turn of events that feels straight out of a rom-com script, Joey Votto—the Cincinnati legend who retired after the 2023 season—has reportedly returned to the team… not as a player, but under an entirely new identity: the team batboy.⚾ The Cover Story
Fans and club insiders say the veteran first baseman, whose storied 17-year Major League career with Cincinnati concluded in 2023, never truly wanted to leave the ballpark. According to the club, “Rick Tubbs” (a name eerily close to “Joey Votto”) showed up one afternoon wearing standard batboy gear, complete with a ball cap shading his familiar eyes. No one at first suspected—until someone noticed the jersey number 19 hidden under the coat. Coincidences, apparently, are few at Great American Ball Park.
🧢 A Dugout Love Story
Sources say “Rick” takes his duties seriously: preparing bats, arranging lineup cards, even helping youngsters warm up. But any fan who sees the batboy laughing too hard in the stands or watching every at-bat with nearly supernatural focus is said to do a double-take. Teammates reportedly whisper that “Rick” is eerily patient in silence during games, especially innings like the ninth when a well-placed single or walk would thrill someone who once excelled at accumulation of hits and walks.
🎤 The “Retired” Legend
Joey Votto’s career finishes are well-documented—he journeyed from a six-time All-Star and 2010 NL MVP to officially retiring after the 2023 season with over 2,000 hits and 356 home runs mlb.comen.wikipedia.org. But this new role as a batboy would be a fitting—and hilarious—coda.
🔍 Investigation or Inside Joke?
Is this the work of a player still craving the magic of the game? Or an elaborate inside joke staged by the Reds to lift spirits during a slump? One clubhouse insider, giggling, told us: “He’s already unbeatable at the box score. Now he’s just unbeatable at batboy duties.”
🚨 The Major League Response
The Major League Baseball office reportedly sent a memo after noticing “Rick” at multiple dugouts, asking clubs to confirm all personnel credentials. Rumor has it the Reds simply replied: “Meet Rick. He swings a mean bat… in his past life.”
Leave a Reply