Joey Votto announces he has retired

Joey Votto is hanging up the cleats.

The Canadian star announced on Instagram on Wednesday that he is retiring from baseball.

“That’s it, I’m done. I’m officially retired from baseball,” Votto, 40, says on a nine-second video shot at Buffalo’s Sahlen Field

Votto was playing for the Toronto Blue Jays’ triple-A affiliate in Buffalo after signing a minor-league contract with the club prior to this season.

The Toronto native signed with his hometown club after spending his entire 17-year MLB career with the Cincinnati Reds.

But Votto tweaked his ankle during his first spring-training game and never found top form in the minors.

The infielder slashed .165/.298/.271 with two homers and 12 RBIs in 31 games with three minor-league clubs this season. The retirement ends questions about whether the out-of-contention Blue Jays would have considered calling Votto up before the end of the season to play for his hometown team.

In his prime, Votto was one of the best players in baseball.

A six-time All-Star, Votto was National League MVP in 2010.