ARLINGTON, Texas — Playing DJ LeMahieu at first base in the ALDS against the Twins gives manager Aaron Boone his best defensive infield.
What that means for the slumping Luke Voit is unclear. At best, Voit would become a bench player. At worst, the right-handed hitter could be left off the 25-man roster for the best-of-five series.
If Edwin Encarnacion is healthy enough to be the designated hitter — something Boone believes will happen, though he likely won’t have seen a big league pitch since Sept. 12 — and LeMahieu is the first baseman, the Yankees will have to decide to carry Voit’s frigid bat at the expense of having a 13th pitcher or not taking first baseman Mike Ford’s productive left-handed bat off the bench.
Ford homered in Friday night’s win over the Rangers at Globe Life Park and was hitting .373 (22-for-59) with eight homers and 17 RBIs in his past 22 games entering Saturday night’s action. Ford went 1-for-2 with a walk in the Yankees’ 9-4 loss to the Rangers on Saturday night. Voit, who was the DH, went 0-for-3 with a strikeout.
Though LeMahieu, who will receive AL MVP votes, isn’t the Gold Glove winner at first he has been at second base, he is better than Voit, Ford and Encarnacion at the position — where LeMahieu has started 27 games at this year. And LeMahieu playing first means Boone has Gio Urshela, who does provide Gold Glove defense at third, in the lineup. LeMahieu can play second, but Gleyber Torres isn’t sitting. And though Didi Gregorius is in a 16-for-90 (.178) slide in the previous 24 games, Boone isn’t likely to shift Torres from second to shortstop and bench Gregorius, even against a lefty.
Eleven of Torres’ team-leading 20 errors entering Saturday night’s game were made at short.
Ever since exiting a game on June 29 against the Red Sox in London, where he suffered a strained left abdominal pulling into second base with a double and went on the injured list, Voit’s season has declined. He returned on July 13 but went back on the IL July 31 with a sports hernia that could require offseason surgery. Voit spent a month on the IL.
In 39 games since returning from the IL on July 13, Voit, last year’s feel-good-story who hit .333 (44-for-132) with 14 homers and an OPS of 1.095 as a Yankee, is hitting .233 (31-for-133) with four homers, 12 RBIs, has a .726 OPS and has struck out 51 times.
Lately it has been worse. Starting on Sept. 15 and going through Friday night’s win, Voit was 1-for-29 (.138) without a homer, one RBI and a .211 OPS.
“Last year he was new and tried to hit everything up the middle and to right-center,’’ a scout said of Voit. “This year he is trying to ambush every fastball.’’
Friday night was particularly tough to watch. Voit went 0-for-5, reached on an error and banged into a double play.