TAMPA — So much for Luke Voit staying healthy this season.
The Yankees first baseman will be out at least a month after an MRI exam revealed a partially torn meniscus in his left knee on Friday. Voit is scheduled to have surgery in New York next week and will be shut down from baseball activities for at least three weeks.
The injury opened a roster spot for Jay Bruce, who will take over at first base in Voit’s absence. Bruce’s future with the Yankees had appeared shaky thanks to a clause in his contract that forced the team to either put him on their 40-man roster or make him available to the other 29 teams.
Manager Aaron Boone said Voit had been playing through the left knee injury suffered during camp after being scratched because of the knee earlier this month.
“He decided to go and have it cleaned up,’’ Boone said of Voit opting to get surgery instead of treating the injury. “Functionally, he was playing, but he was still dealing with some swelling after games. Calendar-wise, he wanted to get it over with and taken care of and put it behind him for the bulk of the season.”
Asked if Voit would be out until June, Boone said he expected Voit’s return to come “considerably sooner than that.”
Voit is coming off a season in which he led the majors in homers, but also dealt with plantar fasciitis for much of the year. In 2019, he was slowed by an abdominal injury.
“It’s gonna be tough,’’ Aaron Judge said of losing Voit. “Luke’s a big part of this team, a big part of this offense who hits in the middle of the lineup. He’s a real vocal guy in the clubhouse who gets us motivated and we’re gonna miss that the next month. I know Jay Bruce is gonna do some special things for us.”
The loss of Voit means Bruce, who signed a minor league deal with the Yankees in the offseason, will get regular playing time at first.
He had stayed away from the team for two days while his contract situation was being sorted out, but will start at first base in Sunday’s game against the Phillies in Clearwater, Fla.
Bruce said he didn’t know of the decision to put him on the roster until late Friday night.
“I’m extremely excited to make the team,’’ Bruce said. “Luke’s injury is disheartening for everyone. … He is a big part of the team. My goal is not to come here and replace Luke Voit. It’s to be Jay Bruce and help this team, just like I planned when I signed here.”
Bruce will continue to get extra work at first base, which he did Saturday at Steinbrenner Field before the Yankees hosted the Blue Jays. He said he’s still a work in progress at the position.
“There are a lot of things I need to work on,’’ said Bruce, who has started 50 games at first in his 13-year career. “I’m confident I can play a very adequate first base, and with more practice, I think I can be good. It sounds like I’ll have the opportunity to be there pretty extensively for the foreseeable future.”
The 33-year-old Bruce was impressive early in the spring before fading of late.
“I didn’t post a great stat line in spring training, but I refuse to think three extra hits would’ve changed anyone’s mind about a roster decision,’’ Bruce said. “The feedback was good the whole time.”
He admitted the prior couple of days weren’t easy as he awaited his fate.
“It was a stress that was new to me in my career,’’ Bruce said. “It definitely was not the most comfortable situation. I plan on making the most of it.”