Yankees: Does Luke Voit’s latest injury signal end of his NYY career?

Folks, we love Luke Voit. New York Yankees fans love Luke Voit. We love energy he brings, the homers he hits, the candor he provides. He’s a favorite. But it just might not be working out.

At the time the Yankees acquired him in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals back in 2018, it was immediately viewed as a steal. Voit dominated in his first 39 games with the team and the Yankees only surrendered Chasen Shreve and Giovanny Gallegos.

But the 2020 home run champ has landed on the injured list yet again in 2021. It’s the third time. First it was a knee injury that required surgery. Then it was a strained oblique. Now, a bruised knee will keep him out of action — and he hasn’t even stepped on the field since July 11. How did this latest knee issue even happen ?

Voit’s injuries this year have forced the Yankees to shift around their infield, which hasn’t yielded good results, but you already knew that. Rougned Odor getting regular reps and big-time at-bats has burned this team enough. DJ LeMahieu ping-ponging from second to first to third isn’t a winning strategy. Chris Gittens may not be good enough to be a backup.

Since his first full season back in 2019, Voit has missed 111 games, appearing in 203 out of a possible 314 contests. He’s played just 65% of the time. The Yankees simply cannot afford any more oft-injured players who they view as top contributors.

From a sports hernia to “foot stuff” to this year’s myriad of issues, we hate to ask, but could this be the final nail in the coffin of Voit’s Yankees’ career? The Yankees’ hand might be forced this offseason given the mounting pressure. They need to field a competent, healthy roster.

Will Luke Voit’s latest series of injuries seal his fate with the Yankees?

Once again, if the sky wasn’t falling with regard to just about every other area of the roster, we probably wouldn’t even be entertaining this. But Giancarlo Stanton is untradeable. Gleyber Torres may not be the team’s shortstop of the future. LeMahieu is no longer the offense’s engine. Clint Frazier’s time in the Bronx is all but officially done. Should we go on?

No need. The root of the Yankees’ problems runs deep, but they certainly can’t afford to roster another guy who can’t stay on the field. There’s no more “waiting.” They’ve done enough of that with just about everybody. If the Yankees are going to “go for it” in 2022, it needs to be with a roster of guys they can rely upon to give them reps, because there are already worries with Stanton, Frazier, Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks, Gary Sanchez and others when it comes to injuries.

There’s no timetable for Voit’s return … in a season where the Yankees need him most. Of course, it’s not his fault, but again, it wouldn’t be out of the question if the troubling narrative that’s defined this hellacious campaign plays a large role in Voit’s New York exit.

We don’t want it. You don’t want it. Voit doesn’t want it. But expect there to be a lot of changes — Voit’s departure possibly being one of them — this offseason if the Yankees’ fail to reach the playoffs.

Luke Voit injury history and updates

New York Yankees slugger Luke Voit has had a laundry list of injuries over the last few years, which has really limited him. Let's go through all of them.