In Brian Cashman’s year-end press conference, he gave an injury update on New York Yankees first-baseman Luke Voit. He said that Voit had a PRP shot for the plantar fasciitis he’s been dealing with all season.
Although he was hobbling all season, Voit refused to be put on the IL. The team saw extensive injuries once again this season, and they couldn’t afford to put him on the IL.
Voit had an all-star caliber season, although it might never get recognized due to the short season and the absence of an all-star game. In 213 at-bats, Voit bat .277, hit 22 home runs and drove in 52 runs. His OPS was just shy of .950 while he sustained a 1.5 WAR on the season.
He was one of the few players to stay off the IL for the entirety of the season and was one of the best players on the team. They got Voit in 2018 in a trade that saw Giovanny Gallegos go to St. Louis with cash considerations for him. He immediately made an impact, batting .333 and hitting 14 home runs. 2019 saw Voit hit .263 with 21 home runs, a season where he battled injuries and landed on the IL.
Voit’s proven to the Yankees that he’s the franchise first-baseman. They’ve experimented with several first-basemen since the Mark Teixeria era, such as Greg Bird, Chris Carter, and Matt Holliday. But, Voit’s performance over the last few years have shown that he deserves the role.
One of the only good things about the Yankees being eliminated from the postseason is that it allows the team to get healthy. Voit was battling an injury all year, and his perseverance went unnoticed. Now, he can 100% recover to have an even bigger 2021 season.