The Yankees' lineup issues continued against the Rangers on Wednesday night, when Luke Voit was charged with a throwing error while getting the start over regular first baseman Anthony Rizzo.
The play in question unfolded in the fifth inning. With a man on first and one out, Rangers first baseman Nate Lowe hit a soft bouncer to Voit, who opted to make a difficult pivot and sidearmed throw to second base in a bid to get the lead runner. The ill-advised throw hit the runner in the back and skipped into shallow left field, allowing the runner to reach third.
The run didn't score, so ultimately it didn't prove too costly.
But the play stung for Yankees fans, some of whom had already expressed their frustration that Rizzo wasn't in the starting lineup.
The team has struggled to find an optimal lineup alignment since acquiring Rizzo and outfielder Joey Gallo, both left-handed sluggers, at the trade deadline.
Voit, who led the Majors in home runs in the virus-shortened 2020 campaign, has usually been the odd man out, with the Yankees seeming to favor Brett Gardner in center field, and Gallo and Aaron Judge in the corners, leaving Giancarlo Stanton for designated-hitter duties.
Voit's disappointing followup season was largely derailed by injuries early on, which partly prompted the Yankees to seek the addition of big bats in Gallo and Rizzo. He played better while Rizzo was out with Covid-19, however, making his case for a more prominent role.
In any event, Rizzo was a trending topic on Twitter on Wednesday night, owing to his absence from the lineup -- though he was later inserted into the game at first base in the seventh inning -- and Voit's mishap. Here's what fans and journalists were saying: