Luke Voit, arguably the New York Yankees‘ MVP in the 2020 short season, has been bothered by what Aaron Boone called “foot stuff” for several days now. However, he won’t let the ailment derail his performance, as he is now tied for the Major League home run lead. Guess who the other leader is? Mike Trout, no less.
Voit belted a couple of three-run homers in the Yankees’ 10-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles and helped the Bombers sweep a crucial doubleheader, as the stretch run is about to begin.
“I’ll do everything I can to grind through it and do everything I can to help us win,†Voit said to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. “It’s been a weird year for our team this year, so I need to be out there with the boys, helping them grind through this.â€
The Yankees’ turnaround
The New York Yankees had, at one point this week, lost 15 of their last 20. But they now have a three-game winning streak, in large part thanks to Voit. DJ LeMahieu even said he has Voit winning an eventual home run race with Trout.
“Right now, I’ve got Luke for sure,†LeMahieu said. “Just the way he’s hitting mistakes and great at-bats, it seems like he’s putting one out almost every game. It’s quite a roll. It’s a lot of fun to watch.â€
“He’s been great. What an impact performer he’s been,†Boone said. “Where would we be without him?â€
The Yankees’ slugger says he has to manage pain, which can be worse some days than others.
“It has good days and bad days. It felt good when we were in Buffalo. Doubleheaders just put a little bit more wear and tear on it. It’ll feel better [Saturday].â€
As a whole, 2020 has been a blessing for Voit. He is slashing .285/.353/.629 with the 16 bombs, 32 runs and 36 RBI. Could he get to 20 round-trippers?
More importantly, could he lead the Yankees to the postseason?