BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Toronto Blue Jays infielder Joey Votto is scheduled to start for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons on Friday after missing time with ankle and lower back issues.

The six-time All-Star will play for the Herd as they host the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.

Votto, 40, was the 2010 National League MVP. He's played 2,056 games during a 17-year major league career. He has a .294 career major league batting average with 356 home runs and 1,144 RBIs. A Toronto native, he signed a minor-league deal with Blue Jays on March 9.

Last season, he played 65 games for the Cincinnati Reds, the team he played with his entire major league career. He missed much of the season with a shoulder injury.

He appeared in one spring training game for the Blue Jays this year and homered in his only at-bat. He played 13 games with the Dunedin Blue Jays, a Single-A affiliate, this season.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.