MIAMI Jabrill Peppers Jersey Luke Voit didn't change teams at the Trade Deadline, but when he returns from the injured list, he'll certainly have a new role.While the first baseman works back from his in 2021, the Yankees , looking to potentially move the slugger before Friday's Deadline pa sed.New York didn't trade their slugger, but they did acquire Anthony Rizzo, a first baseman that's exponentially better on the defensive side of the ball, providing manager Aaron Boone with a left-handed bat to balance his starting lineup on a daily basis.So, where does that leave Voit when it comes to finding playing time once he's cleared to rejoin the big-league club?"We'll see," Boone said Friday afternoon. "Things change day-to-day all the time, and certainly have with us over the last few years. So obviously, we know what Rob Gronkowski T Shirts we have in a really good player with Luke. We'll see how the days unfold. But right now it's about getting him just back up to speed and getting some game reps under his belt."Voit faced live pitchingduring a Luis Severino sim gameat Tropicana Field on Thursday in the hours leading up to New York's series finale against the Rays. Rather than traveling with the team to Miami, the first baseman stuck around in Tampa on Friday, working out again and getting more live at-bats at New York's complex.Giving an update on when Voit is expected to return from his left knee injury, Boone said the first baseman could be back before the end of the road trip, although he hinted at the po sibility of a rehab a signment.General manager Brian Cashmanwatched Voit go through his workout in Tampa on Friday, emphasizing the slugger's health as a way for him to factor into the Bombers' equation."He needs to knock some rust off now," Cashman said. "I had a chance to see Voit's offense today, he faced some live pitching, got a chance to see him run the bases, got a chance to see him work on his defense. So that was good to see that he's healthy and Ronnie Perkins Jersey trending in the right direction."Scroll to ContinueEven when Voit is healthy, it's going to be hard to take Rizzo out of the starting lineup. Especially if the lefty is clubbing mammoth home runs and contributing on both sides of the ball, like In other words, while the Yankees are remorseful about the challenges Voit has faced so far this season, they understood this week that an upgrade at the first base position would give this club a better chance to accomplish their goals and distance themselves from a disappointing start to the season."We're sorry about Luke Voit's season, the way it's gone thus far, but obviously we have a two month sprint now to try to push ourselves into the postseason and take a shot at the ultimate Chris Slade Jersey prize," Cashman said. "We felt this enhances those opportunities for us."One po sible avenue for Voit to snag some playing time once he's healthy is if Giancarlo Stanton can play the outfield, opening up the designated hitter spot. Stanton has occupied that hole for 81 games this year, but he returned to the outfield on defense for the first time in almost two years on Friday.That was a nece sity with New York playing in a National League ballpark, though. When this team returns to the Bronx, it's unlikely that Stanton will play the outfield routinely (although he's been ).In last year's pandemic-shortened season. Voit mashed 22 homers to lead all of Major League Baseball. He's shown at times this year that last season's outburst wasn't a fluke, but until he can stay on the Curtis Martin Jersey field, Cashman's move to upgrade at his position will be at the forefront of the conversation.Once Voit is healthy and swinging a hot bat, however, it's a different story. Then, the Yankees will have a surplus of sluggers and some decisions to make each time Boone fills out his lineup card.MORE:
