Luke Voit has an 1.084 OPS in 148 plate appearances against the Red Sox, his best number versus any opponent against which he’s had at least 36 plate appearances. The only ballpark he has played in more than six games in which he has a higher OPS than his .880 at Fenway Park is Camden Yards (.966).
But with right-handers Nathan Eovaldi and Nick Pivetta scheduled to start Friday and Saturday for the Red Sox, Voit could be limited to just Sunday against lefty Eduardo Rodriguez — if at all.
“I’ll take every at-bat I can,’’ Voit said. “I just want to be in there, but whether I’m starting or on the bench, I’m just gonna do my job- especially with these last games we have.”
Voit’s season has been marred by injuries and then a loss of playing time following the arrival of Anthony Rizzo from the Cubs at the July 30 trade deadline.
Wednesday, against Texas lefty Taylor Hearn, Voit was in the lineup, but went 0-for-3 with a strikeout. He also failed to come up with a hard grounder and later made a throwing error before being replaced by Rizzo in the seventh inning.
It’s unclear what Voit’s future is in The Bronx beyond this season, though Rizzo will be a free agent.
“Obviously, it’s frustrating,’’ Voit said. “I know [manager Aaron Boone] makes the best lineup he can every day. I’ll keep doing what I’m doing. I’m a big leaguer and am gonna be a professional.”
Asked if he sees himself with the Yankees next season, Voit told The Post: “We’ll see. There’s a lot that can happen. We’ve got to get a new [collective bargaining agreement] first and see what’s going on with that. But I love playing here.”
A year ago, Voit led the majors with 22 home runs in 234 plate appearances in the COVID-shortened season. He has six more plate appearances so far in 2021 and exactly half as many homers.
His numerous injuries and inability to stay on the field consistently helped lead the Yankees to make the trade for Rizzo.
Voit was part of a new-look infield that was supposed to have him at first, DJ LeMahieu at second, Gio Urshela at third and Gleyber Torres at shortstop.
The last time the Yankees visited Fenway in July, they had LeMahieu at first and Rougned Odor at second (not to mention Ryan LaMarre in left field and Greg Allen in right).
There’s a lot more at stake this weekend.
The Link LonkSeptember 24, 2021 at 11:57AM
https://nypost.com/2021/09/24/yankees-may-find-it-hard-to-play-luke-voit-versus-red-sox/
Yankees may find it hard to play Luke Voit in critical Red Sox series - New York Post
https://news.google.com/search?q=hard&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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