Luke Voit

New York Yankees: Gary Sanchez escapes injury, Luke Voit not so much

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New York Yankees, Luke Voit

The New York Yankees enjoyed a clean sweep of the Boston Red Sox over the weekend in London, putting up a combined 29 runs in two games. However, two influential players, Gary Sanchez and Luke Voit, were forced out due to injury on two separate occasions.

Sanchez, who caught a ball on his left thumb, stated that the finger was sore and would need to be evaluated, but shouldn’t be cause for concern moving forward.

According to the NY Post:

“There was one pitch I caught in my thumb. It’s a little sore, we will see the next couple of days and see how I feel,’’ said Sanchez.

“Not yet, I am going to see them soon,’’ Sanchez said, when asked if he had undergone tests. “I think I am going to be fine, it’s just sore. Ice it well and it should be fine.’’

The All-Star catcher has had a fantastic season up to this point, seeing his defensive skills elevate one year after a tough campaign all around. He allowed 18 passed balls last season in 67 complete games, while only allowing five in 47 games this year. He’s also hitting much better — .261 BA with 23 homers and 54 RBIs, surpassing his numbers from last year while playing in 27 fewer games.

Luke Voit, the starting first baseman for the Bombers, pulled his lower abdomen running the bases after a fifth-inning double on Saturday. He was seeing jogging lightly on Sunday during practice but the injury is cause for concern

“There is concern. I don’t know yet if it will take him out of action for any extended periods. We will take advantage of the off day [Monday],’’ Cashman said before Sunday’s game, in which Voit didn’t play. “Currently no tests are scheduled. If they change that decision we will let you know. He said he is feeling better. I don’t think there is anything new from [Saturday night]. He had a little discomfort. If it is something that will take him off line for a period of time then I think it is going to take a few more days to figure that out.’’

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I anticipate he will be placed on the 10-day injured list while he works his way back from the ailment. There’s no reason for him to play with Edwin Encarnacion on the roster and more than capable of filling in while he recovers. Abdomen issues can be sneaky and re-injuries are frequent with strain.

Especially when considering the flexibility required to play first base, it’s better the Yankees take it easy with Voit and ensure he’s 100% healthy before testing him out in live-action.

 

Three New York Yankees Snubbed From The All-Star Game

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New York Yankees, Gleyber Torres

Three New York Yankees stars were snubbed hard from the 2019 MLB All-Star Game in Cleveland, Ohio. What makes it even more interesting is that some players were replaced with ones that have had worse seasons thus far. Keep reading to find out who was snubbed.

Luke Voit

Out of all three players snubbed, Luke Voit was probably the least worthy of the all-star game, but still worthy enough.

In 293 at-bats, Voit is batting .280 with 17 home runs and 50 runs batted in. His OBP is at .393 and his OPS is at .901. 32 of his 82 hits have been for extra bases.

Voit has a .989 fielding percentage and has a 1.6 WAR.

Gleyber Torres

Gleyber Torres was probably the worst snub of all position players this year.

The 22 year old middle infielder is batting .295 with 19 home runs and 47 RBIs in 278 at-bats. He has a .361 OBP and a .911 OPS. Torres has 33 extra base hits.

The second year player has a .973 fielding percentage at second base and a .964 fielding percentage at shortstop. He has a 2.6 WAR on the season.

Adam Ottavino

Adam Ottavino not getting into the all-star game absolutely blows my mind.

The first year Yankee and NYC native is currently has a 2-2 record out of relief with a 1.49 ERA. He has 50 strikeouts in just 36 and 1/3 innings pitched.

Ottavino has a 1.294 WHIP and has a 1.8 WAR on the season, and has been dominating batters with his wipeout slider.

These three players not getting into the all-star game bothers me. The MLB should take away the silly rule of each team being required to have one player represented at the game, and just select the three most worthy players at each position and one DH. For pitchers, assemble your top five starters and top 10 relievers for a 40 man roster (39 in NL without DH).

That way, it would give the best players a better shot at getting in the all-star game.

 

New York Yankees: Voit Leaves Game With Injury

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New York Yankees, Luke Voit

The injury bug has bitten the New York Yankees again.

Luke Voit left Saturday’s game against the Boston Red Sox in London with an apparent injury. He was seen limping around the bases.

By the looks of it, we believed that it was a foot or ankle injury. However, reports say that the injury is in his abdomen, just beneath his belly-button.

It’s not known his status at this time. The Yankees won’t be completing any more tests until Sunday. He may very well be able to play through his injury.

If he does go onto the IL, DJ LeMahieu would play first and Thairo Estrada would likely crack the lineup either at second or as the designated hitter.

New York Yankees: Luke Voit Continuing To Live Up To Expectations

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New York Yankees, Luke Voit

New York Yankees first baseman Luke Voit has been continuing to live up to the expectations that he set at the end of 2018.

Over 268 at-bats, Voit has a .269 average with 17 home runs and 46 RBIs. He’s drawn 48 walks, but has 84 strikeouts as well. But, all of that is good enough to become a finalist for the starting spot at first base in the 2019 all-star game in Cleveland.

Proving everyone wrong

In July of 2018, the Yankees acquired Luke Voit from the St. Louis Cardinals for Chasen Shreve and Giovanny Gallegos. Gallegos hadn’t spent much in the bigs, but Shreve did and constantly struggled with the Yankees.

So, the trade was basically a salary dump so the Yankees could make more trades at the deadline, and thought they were just getting a AAA first baseman.

But, Greg Bird wasn’t producing with the Yankees so the team called Voit up and gave him a shot. He had a successful final month and a half of the season in the majors, batting over .300 and leading the MLB in home runs during that time.

Though he isn’t batting .300 this year, .270 is still real solid. He continues to drive in runs and get on base, while playing solid defense for a first baseman.

His impact on the Yankees continues to be felt, and hopefully he will get the shot he deserves to start the all-star game.

 

New York Yankees: What does Encarnacion trade mean for Luke Voit?

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The New York Yankees are creating more questions with their most recent trade.

The most exciting news on Saturday night wasn’t the New York Yankees demolishing the Chicago White Sox to stop a potential sweep in its tracks, it was the trade for slugger, Edwin Encarnacion.

The Mariners star first baseman, who is currently leading the American League with 21 home runs, will join the ranks of the Bombers. Adding yet another power-hitter to the lineup will certainly help the Yankees put runs on the board – they’re clearly following a home run agenda.

With both Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton nearing a return, the lineup will be one of the most intimidating in baseball. My question is – why did they trade for a first baseman and not a star pitcher?

Additionally, what happens to Luke Voit in this trade, considering his efficiency this year? Voit is hitting .263 on the year with 17 homers and 45 RBIs. He’s in the running to make the AL All-Star team. Replacing him with Encarnacion doesn’t make much sense, but here’s what will happen:

The Yankees will utilize Voit as their everyday first-baseman while Edwin features in the DH spot. This indicates that Stanton will be the daily left fielder. Clint Frazier will go back to the bench despite his offensive production. Stanton will move back to left field and Judge to right. With the injury bug being a major issue this season, it’s a safe move adding more firepower to the batting order, however, it doesn’t make much sense not to address the starting pitching rotation.

The Bombers have Frazier, Cameron Maybin, Brett Gardner, Mike Tauchman, and several minor-league prospects to use as trade bait. Rumors have the Yanks and Brian Cashman looking into Madison Bumgarner and a slew of other talented pitchers to supplement the injuries current affecting the rotation.

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How does Edwin Encarnacion’s defense compare to Luke Voit’s?

Interestingly enough, both Edwin and Voit have played the exact same number of games this season at first base (45), making the defensive comparison rather seamless.

The former Mariner has committed 2 errors with a .995 fielding percentage while Voit has committed 4 with with a .989 fielding percentage. Clearly, the former has the better glove but has been struggling through a back injury recently.

However, it’s confirmed via Aaron Boone that Voit will remain at first – an interesting move, but they’re likely sticking with the familiar option. It’s also possible they want to rotate the two players to ensure health heading into the latter part of the season.

It will be interesting to see how they utilize the pair at first base moving forward.

New York Yankees: Gio Urshela has been a blessing from above

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New York Yankees, Giovanny Urshela

After averaging a putrid .233 during the 2018 season, New York Yankees current third baseman, Gio Urshela, has seen the light. He’s now hitting .312 on the year over 173 at-bats. What happened to the once forgotten infielder? He put on the pinstripes, a factor that some don’t mention.

The expectation from the Yankees is large, and it often brings the best out in players, in addition to the responsibility they placed in the hands of the unexpected star.

It seems as if the Yankees are never hit with reality. They always seem to escape inadequacy by the skin of their teeth, as they’re neck-and-neck with the Tampa Rays for first place in the division. Having 19 players on the injury list at one point didn’t stop them from going on an eight-game win streak and dominating on the road. Reserve options have stepped up and performed at a level not even the most die-hardiest of fans could have predicted.

The New York Yankees have been blessed by the baseball gods:

The influence of Urshela, though, has been phenomenal. A player that not only has been a positive contribution on the field but in the locker room as well. Imagine one year ago I told you that Miguel Andujar would be out for the season and his replacement was performing at an even higher level, and his name wasn’t Manny Machado. You probably wouldn’t believe me.

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Instead of dropping $30 million-per-season on Machado, the Yankees and the wizardry of Brian Cashman added both Luke Voit and Urshela for under $1 million. Talk about stealing, Cashman really put his last name to good use.

The number of times we’ve seen Urshela, let alone Voit, come up clutch and propel the Yanks to victory has been countless. It’s now imperative that the Yankees provide Urshela with everything he needs to continue playing at a high level, as the options behind him will not be able to replicate his extravagant production.

 

A Comeback Only Capable By The 2019 New York Yankees

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Entering the top of the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles on Monday, things were looking bleak for the New York Yankees. JA Happ struggled again, giving up six runs in less than four complete innings.

Trailing 6-1, a new life emerged in the Yankees. By the ninth inning, the Yankees had taken a 10-7 lead.

How it happened

Starting with first and second with nobody out in the sixth, Gary Sanchez picked up an RBI single and Kendrys Morales scored a run on a grounder to short.

Luis Cessa would give up a run in the bottom of the inning, but the Yankees came back with two more in the seventh. DJ LeMahieu had an RBI single and Hicks brought in a run on a flyball.

The Yankees only scored one in the eighth, but it was a big one, putting them within one. Gleyber Torres hit his second solo-shot of the game, the other coming in the second.

Trailing 7-6 entering the ninth, the Yankees needed a final push, and they scored four to take a three run lead. They took advantage of a few defensive miscues, including a misread pop-up to Baltimore catcher Pedro Severino that landed in foul territory.

After Aaron Hicks hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game, Luke Voit was walked before Gary Sanchez teed off on an inside fastball for a three-run homerun.

Only 2019

What a comeback! This is something only capable of the 2019 New York Yankees. With the amount of injuries sustained, they Yankees are using it as motivation to keep winning.

It’s also a great way to start off the road trip. Starting out a road trip with a win builds momentum, especially in a tight division. The Red Sox won on Monday, and the Rays were off.

With three games left against the Orioles, the Yankees have a one game division lead that they will try to increase. The more breathing room the better.

Go Yankees!

 

New York Yankees Play Poorly In Andujar’s Return, Lose 7-3 To Twins

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New York Yankees, Miguel Andujar

The New York Yankees had an overall poor game-the pitching staff struggled as well as having a limited offense, losing 7-3 to the Twins.

Nobody had it

No Yankee pitcher really seemed to have anything going on Saturday. With the extended use of the bullpen on Friday, Aaron Boone was forced to use the younger, low-leverage guys and it didn’t pan out after JA Happ struggled.

Happ gave up seven hits and four runs over 5 and 2/3 innings of work. He got three strikeouts, walking one and giving up two home runs. Both home runs came off of relatively high fastballs.

Happ got seven ground-balls and six fly-balls, getting eight swings and misses. He threw 81 pitches and 51 strikes.

After Happ, Joe Harvey, Steven Tarpley, and Jake Barrett each pitched, giving up one run each.

It was just one of those days where nobody had it.

Welcome back, Miggy

Miguel Andujar returned from the IL on Saturday, and picked up a hit while batting fourth. That was the only positive; in the field he had two errors-one fielding and one throwing.

But, it was DJ LeMahieu who led the Yankees with two hits, missing the last three games with a knee contusion.

Gary Sanchez hit his 11th home run of the season, now tied for first in the AL. That is extremely impressive since he was hurt for two weeks, and catchers generally rest once every five or six days.

The other Yankee to score was Brett Gardner on a wild pitch, and it seems that that is how a lot of the Yankee runs have been scoring of late.

Torres, Gardner, and Maybin each had base-hits. Defensively, Cameron Maybin robbed Jonathan Schoop of a three-run home run in the fourth. It’s easily the play of the year thus far for the Yankees.

Luke Voit didn’t get on base for the first time all year, ending his streak at 42 games. A very impressive streak for an up-and-coming player.

With weather in the area, Sunday’s rubber-match has been pushed back to a 4:05PM start, still on MLB Network, YES, and Fox Sports Go. Domingo German gets the ball for the Yankees against former Yankee Michael Pineda of the Twins. After everything Pineda went through, it will be nice to see him on a mound again in New York, and he should receive a nice hand.

 

 

Gary Sanchez Goes Yard Twice and Paxton Injured as New York Yankees Win 6-3

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New York Yankees, Gary Sanchez

James Paxton only pitched three innings due to an injury, but the bullpen stepped up, as well as the offense for the New York Yankees to beat the Twins 6-3.

The Yankees return home, and so does their offense

The Yankees got it going early in the first when Gleyber Torres singled home Brett Gardner. Luke Voit walked in the inning to extend his on-base streak to 42 games.

Voit also got a hit in the second, the ball staying in the infield, also registering an RBI.

The Yankees picked up two in the fourth off a wild pitch and a ground-ball to second off the bat of Gardner.

To conclude the offense, Gary Sanchez hit solo-home runs to left in the fifth and seventh for his ninth and tenth of the season.

Paxton’s brief evening

James Paxton was removed after the third inning with knee soreness, and will get an MRI on it Saturday.

He gave up two hits and a run, while walking three. It just looked like he was uncomfortable up there, and it showed in his performance. Now, the Yankees just have to hope that it isn’t too serious.

But luckily, the Yankees had a well rested bullpen.

Jonathan Holder pitched two perfect innings to continue his stretch of strong outings. Adam Ottavino and Tommy Kahnle each followed with perfect innings.

But, come the eighth, Zack Britton came in for an inning of work. After a walk, he served up a two-run homer to Nelson Cruz.

But it never amounted to anything, as Chapman shut it down for the save in the ninth.

Andujar is ready

Miguel Andujar will be in the line-up and be activated on Saturday. He will be the first of a few that are close to returning. Stanton and Hicks will be ready next.

To make room for Andujar, the Yankees sent Mike Ford down to AAA.

Game two of the series will take place on Saturday at 1:00PM on MLB Network, ESPN+, YES, and Fox Sports Go. JA Happ (1-2, 4.68 ERA) gets the ball for the Yankees against Jake Odorizzi (3-2, 3.34) of the Twins.

Series Preview: New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins

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New York Yankees, Luke Voit

The New York Yankees will head home to the Bronx following a lengthy west coast trip,  finishing 6-3 on the week. They will take on a strong Minnesota Twins team, who are currently 18-10 and are leading the AL Central. Having dropped the last two games, the Bronx Bombers look for another series win.

Game One: James Paxton vs. Kyle Gibson

James Paxton is coming off a three-game winning streak, with his last outing being against the San Francisco Giants. Paxton went 5.2 innings, allowing two earned runs and fanned eight. The strikeout count has been high for the Yankees’ left-hander, as he tied the club’s record of 12 strikeouts in consecutive outings. Paxton currently has 51 strikeouts on the season. The Twins are throwing RHP Kyle Gibson, credited with a 4.88 ERA on the year. After starting with a 7.36 ERA, Gibson has settled down; only allowing three earned runs in his past two outings.

Game Two: J.A. Happ and Jake Odorizzi

J.A. Happ‘s start to the season has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride. A recurring theme has been apparent in each of his outings, where he has allowed runs in the early innings of the game and then settling in through the later innings. Yankees’ offense has helped Happ, as they been able to come back from run deficits. Regardless of Happ’s early struggles, his most recent outing against the San Francisco Giants was dominate. Going the distance (7.0 IP), Happ allowed five hits and no earned runs.  Twins’ crafty RHP, Jake Odorizzi, is coming off a strong outing against the Houston Astros, where he outdueled Astros’ ace, Justin Verlander. Odorizzi, commanding his slider and cutter, was able to shut down the Astros offense in only 86 pitches.

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Game Three: Domingo German and Michael Pineda

Game three will be one of the most anticipated games this series. Domingo German, who has stepped up in Luis Severino‘s absence due to injury, has been everything the Yankees needed. Taking the ace role, German has a 5-1 record with a 2.56 ERA. Ex-Yankee, Michael Pineda will be taking the mound for the Twins. Yankee fans remember Pineda’s dominance in the Bronx, as he was considered the ace of the pitching staff during the 2014 season. This season, Pineda has struggled. Coming off a two-game losing streak, Pineda is credited with a 6.21 ERA in 29.0 innings pitched.

Players to watch

Yankees’ hitter Luke Voit poises a threat at the plate, as he is coming off a hot week on the west coast. In the last seven days, Voit batted .435 with seven RBIs and two home runs. Twins’ shortstop Eddie Rosario looks to do damage at the plate, as he leads the team in home runs (11).