Luke Voit has two rehab games under his belt, and will play nine innings for the first time on Wednesday night in Somerset when the Yankees’ Double-A squad takes on Richmond.
Voit went 1-for-3 in five innings at first base for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Sunday, and after an off day Monday, was 1-for-4 in seven innings at first base for Somerset on Tuesday. This will mark his first back-to-back action, but Patriots manager Julio Mosquera said after Tuesday’s game that Voit “told me he felt good,” and the first baseman echoed that in his media availability on Wednesday.
“Two games under my belt so far and I feel great,” Voit said. “Excited to play nine, been a while since I did that, but the oblique is fine, and I feel great physically.”
Voit will be off Thursday, and from there, he thinks it’s really up to how he feels when he checks in with the New York staff, and where he feels his timing is, as it relates to a possible return.
“I’m hoping this weekend; maybe Sunday, maybe Tuesday, but it depends, because I just want to get my timing and get some at-bats,” he said. “I wanted to see some velo and some good breaking balls, try to pull some balls, get some in the air, get things rolling and feel confident in the plate.”
And that’s Voit being patient, as he is really chomping at the bit to get back.
“This is killing me, having had some injuries and not being there; it’s frustrating to not be there and partake and support the guys,” he said. “Our first base position has been the worst in baseball, and that’s on me not being able to be there, so I have to do some damage when I get up there.”
While Grade 2 oblique strains usually seem to take more time than Voit has had to heal, he believes he knows exactly how and why he succumbed to the injury, and has taken steps to prevent that going forward.
“My second plate appearance after coming back from the knee injury, I got hit on the hand, and I think it changed my mechanics to where I started overcompensating with my right side,” he said. “Most right-handed hitters hurt their left oblique, but I felt like I couldn’t stay through the ball and I think that’s why I used my right side so much, and my body isn’t used to swinging like that.”
For now, he’s loving his rehab so far – his game with SWB was in Trenton, where Toronto’s Triple-A team is playing this season, so all three games he’s played have been within an hour of home and his newborn, and as he noted, the Yankees fan base travels well.
“I’ve loved the cheers and hearing all the ‘Luuuuuke’ chants,” he smiled. “That’s why I love playing for the Yankees, with this huge fan base.”
But, as noted, he can’t wait to get back to the Bronx full-time to try to push the Yankees towards October.
“Our team is super talented and we have a long way to go. I know what this team is capable of, and guys just have to control what they can control and be team players to try to get the W,” Voit said. “It’s been a very frustrating year so far, but I just have to look forward, get healthy, and try to do my best to help this team get to the playoffs.”
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
