Yankees: Luke Voit’s latest cameo bodes well for his quick return

The New York Yankees look a little different at the end of this week than they did when it opened.

Home runs make a fairly large difference in perception, don’t they?

Don’t let all the love for Rougned Odor’s hot streak obscure what should be the Bombers’ real goal, though: getting Luke Voit back on track.

Odor is everything Darren O’Day said and more

, and he’s brought an edge to fill-in duty over the past few days in Cleveland. He’s still better suited to the bench, though, and the sooner last year’s AL home run leader returns the better.

Well…how does “two weeks” sound, Yankees fans? It is almost May, after all!

Voit was spotted working on his defense on Saturday by the eagle-eyed Conor Foley in Scranton, and on Sunday, though he didn’t make a repeat appearance, it was because of protocols, not the first baseman’s progress.

Yankees 1B Luke Voit showed up in Scranton at the Alternate Site this weekend.

We don’t want to rush Voit back ahead of schedule, but…if that schedule just so happens to line up with his swift return to the Bronx, then we’re not going to say no.

Voit’s late-spring surgery (announced on March 27) allowed for Jay Bruce, of all people, to make the Opening Day roster. If not for the knee procedure, we might’ve seen Mike Tauchman traded to clear a roster spot — either that, or Bruce’s retirement tour would’ve started a few weeks earlier.

At that point, Aaron Boone assured the media that Voit would be back “well before” June, though we remained skeptical.

If everything proceeds as it has so far, though, we’ll see him before the month is out, and the Yankees could use both his bat and his energy to get back above .500 and start anew.

In 2020, when the Yankees’ offense was stuck in the mud, it was Voit’s postgame press conference that diagnosed the issue and help propel the squad on a 10-game winning streak.

In 2021? It was partially his replacement, Odor, who keyed up the latest change in tone.

Rest assured the Bombers will welcome their muscular engine back whenever he’s ready, though.

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