BOSTON — Yankees first baseman Luke Voit was surprised when he wasn’t in the lineup for the third straight day vs. the Red Sox.
With lefty Eduardo Rodriguez pitching for Boston, it seemed possible the MLB’s reigning home run king would get his shot.
“Obviously frustrating,” Voit told NJ Advance Media before Sunday’s game. “Definitely thought I was going to be in there today. I guess (manager Aaron Boone) felt differently.”
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Voit added that he’s going to continue doing his best to be positive and to be ready to contribute.
“I’m just trying to prepare myself the best I can tonight for a pinch hit,” he said. “Do my homework, hit on the high velocity machine. I’ve just got to be ready, be positive, cheer from the dugout and obviously we want to win. So I’m just doing everything I can to help the team win.”
Boone said it was a “tough call” to go with the lefty swinging Anthony Rizzo instead.
“Certainly there’s a case for him to be in there,” Boone said, referring to Voit. “So that was probably the biggest thing that I kind of slept on and wrestled with most of the day and I just decided this was the way I wanted to go.”
Voit said he and Boone spoke after Boone’s decision today and that “I know he’s trying to get me at-bats but I thought today was a good day and I think there’s two lefties (starting) in Toronto. The frustrating part about it is, I hit righties just as well as lefties.”
Boone added that he believes Voit has been having “having pretty good at-bats” in his limited opportunities recently.
Voit hasn’t had an at-bat since Wednesday vs. the Rangers. He’s hitting .241 with 11 homers and 35 RBI in 67 games. Last season, he led the game with 21 home runs in the shortened 60-game season.
Voit has hit lefties this season (.764 OPS) just about as well as he’s hit righties (.770). For his career, he’s also been just about as good vs. southpaws (.862) as he’s been against righties (.862).
Meanwhile, Rizzo, who provides better defense, has also hit lefties well (.905 OPS).
The Yankees acquired Rizzo at the trade deadline from the Cubs as Voit was working his way back from a third trip to the injured list this season. Rizzo will be a free agent at season’s end. Voit will be a free agent after the 2024 season.
Voit, who says he’s completely healthy, said he’s looking forward to an opportunity to help soon.
“Those (pinch-hit) at-bats are big,” he said. “It could be a close game with two guys one kind of thing. I’ve got to do my job. I got lucky enough to come up with St. Louis to where that was kind of my job for the first year and a half. I know how it’s done and I learned from a couple of big guys in St. Louis on how to prepare yourself. Just got to stick with that and be ready. Hopefully I get to play again sometime soon.”
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Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com.
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