Yankees first baseman Luke Voit has received a cortisone shot as part of his continuing treatment for a sports hernia. Voit, who went on the 10-day injured list after being removed from Tuesday's game against the Diamondbacks, is hoping to avoid surgery.
The Yankees said they expect it to take at least a week before they know if the injection will enable Voit to return to the lineup. If he needs surgery, Yankees manager Aaron Boone estimates Voit will be sidelined at least six weeks.
“I feel really good, pretty optimistic," Voit said Friday, per the Daily News. "Obviously we’ll see how this week goes. I haven’t ran yet. I rode the bike today and did some other core activation stuff, so, you know, hopefully, it feels good. If not, I can always opt for surgery, too."
Voit, 28, has 19 home runs and 54 RBIs this season, both career highs, despite being limited to 94 games. This isn't his first stint on the injured list this season – he was placed on the IL with a lower abdominal strain after the Yankees' game in London on June 29. If Voit had surgery, he'd likely miss the remainder of the regular season. The Yankees are 69-39 going into Saturday's play and lead the A.L. East by 7.5 games over the Rays.
“As of right now, everything is feeling good," he told reporters. "I guess we’ll see how it is after a week.
"It’s a weird injury. I’ve never had anything like this. I want to play. It’s hard. ... I just care about this team. I want to give my best, I felt like I wasn’t giving my best and that is when I shut it down.”
Voit hit .333 with three homers and 12 RBIs in June, including going 4 for 4 with three doubles in the London game against the Red Sox before going on the IL the first time. But after his return, Voit hit .268 with two homers and four RBIs in 16 games.