This story was excerpted from Mark Sheldon's Reds Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

As Joey Votto has gotten more active on social media in 2022, the venerable Reds first baseman has shared more and more aspects of his personal life. Earlier this week on Instagram, Votto revealed that he became a United States citizen in January.

In a pair of photos, Votto was shown being sworn by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Black in Cincinnati.

“I’ve been in the U.S. for more than half my life, and it felt like the natural progression. It feels like home here,” Votto said.

A native of the Toronto area, Votto will be a dual citizen of Canada and the U.S. He had been using a permanent resident card for the past 13 years, but he decided it was time to make it even more permanent.

"I renewed it and I elected to go through the process. Fortunately, I was accepted,” Votto said.

Because he had to hustle to get his new passport, Votto didn’t have a celebration after the oath ceremony.

“I think that moment when you drive through the border or fly through the border is a celebration in and of itself,” Votto said. “You just feel like you almost have this confident attitude like, 'Here’s my ID.’”