BALTIMORE — It’s a look that harkens back to the 1960s, a time when sluggers cut their sleeves short to show off their bulging biceps. Pulling it off takes some confidence. Luke Voit has been doing it for years.
It began even before his time as a Cardinals farmhand, and it continues now as he tries to carve out a role for himself after his July trade to the Yankees. Though he has refrained from trimming the sleeves of his game uniform, he’s taken liberties with his batting practice top.
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Until Friday night, that self-assuredness had yet to manifest itself in a game. But when it happened in the Yankees’ 7-5 win over the Orioles in 10 innings, it was unmistakable. Voit swatted a pair of booming home runs, the clearest sign yet that he’s over the jitters that accompanied him in his first failed stint with the Yankees.
“He’s always kind of got that little swagger or bravado about him no matter what,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “He added to it a little bit tonight.”
After the game, Boone wasn’t shy about his openness to finding Voit more playing time. By extension, that could mean fewer chances for Greg Bird, whose persistent struggles at first base have created an opening.
“You swing the bat like that, you create opportunities for yourself,” Boone said after Voit’s first multi-homer game in the big leagues. “Those were quality at-bats tonight and obviously big at-bats in big spots. There are some opportunities out there to be had right now. And performance matters.”
The Yankees could use some performance from unlikely sources, especially as injuries batter every part of the roster.
On Friday, CC Sabathia came off the disabled list and allowed two runs in six innings, a sign that pain in his balky knee has calmed down. The Yankees also received encouraging reports about Didi Gregorius (bruised heel) and Gary Sánchez (strained groin). Gregorius said his condition has improved faster than he had anticipated while Sánchez could be on pace to join the team on a road trip starting next week.
But the news was less encouraging for right fielder Aaron Judge (fractured wrist) and closer Aroldis Chapman (left knee tendinitis). Nearly a month after being struck on the hand with a pitch, Judge has yet to begin swinging a bat. He’s increasingly likely to miss his window for a rehab assignment before the end of the minor-league season. Chapman underwent a PRP injection and will be out at least a few more weeks until he’s re-evaluated by doctors. Discomfort on Tuesday prompted Chapman to ask out of a game.
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“Obviously, he was in pretty good pain the other night,” Boone said. “Hopefully this little time out is something that can help freshen him up and get him back rolling for us before the end of the season.”
Boone insists that both Chapman and Judge will be ready before October. But until the Yankees get to full strength, they’ll need more from those who have sidestepped the disabled list. It was against this backdrop that Voit announced his presence.
Upon his arrival with the Yankees at the trade deadline, Voit fell into a common trap. Eager to make a strong first impression, he pressed at the plate. In five games, he went 3-for-13 and wound up at Class-AAA Scranton/Wilkes Barre. The 27-year-old thought he’d missed a chance to stick. But he viewed a return to the minors as hitting the “refresh” button. He responded by stringing together better at-bats.
When Gregorius’ injury sent him on the DL on Tuesday, Voit got the call. He came off the bench to deliver a pinch hit on Wednesday, which provided a jolt of confidence. On Friday, the righty-hitting Voit found himself in the starting lineup against right-hander Alex Cobb, a spot that would normally be a no-brainer for the lefty-swinging Bird.
Voit began the day 0-for-8 against right-handers. But Bird is hitting .122 in his last 21 games, the latest downturn in what has been a season of frustration. So, Boone went with Voit, who quickly rewarded that faith by hammering a game-tying two-run shot in the fourth. It was his first with the Yankees. The encore came in the 10th, a two-run shot to right-center that gave his team a three-run cushion.
“I know I can hit, I’ve always hit,” Voit said. “I just have to stay within myself and kind of use my hands instead of trying to hit 500-foot home runs.”
Yankees fans have historically treated Camden Yards like a summer cottage, their home away from the city. The effect has only been amplified now that the Orioles are a stripped-down skeleton of what they had been on Opening Day, long before fading a few light years out of first place. After Voit cracked his second homer, chants of “Luuuuke” broke out in the stands.
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“I’ve only been here for a couple of weeks, and to get that shows you how cool playing for the Yankees is and how much they travel to come to these games,” Voit said. “It gives me goosebumps. That’s why my smile was from ear to ear. It’s fun stuff. It doesn’t get any better than that.”
Voit didn’t bother playing it cool. He pumped his fist as he approached first base, then clapped his hands before completing his second trip around the basepaths. He had grown up idolizing Mark McGwire and wound up with the Cardinals. Though he didn’t carve out a niche there, his bat gave him the best chance.
“He has that kind of power,” said Miguel Andújar, who once fended off Voit in the finals of a home run derby when they were both in the Florida State League in 2015. “He can impact the ball and hit it far.”
On Friday, Voit offered the Yankees a glimpse of that strength. His timing may be just right.
“It’s fun,” he said “It’s almost September, this is kind of crunch time. This was a big win for us, especially after that loss to Miami. We’ve to get things going.”
(Top photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
