Luke Voit has been released by the New York Mets and will return to free agency after failing to make the Mets Opening Day roster. Voit signed a minor league deal with the Mets in February that included an invite to Spring Training. He was competing to be the Mets designated hitter and backup first baseman this season. The 33-year-old struggled in camp batting .118/.220/.235 with a home run and 14 strikeouts in 14 spring games.
Voit started the 2023 season with the Brewers but struggled through 22 games hitting .221/.284/.265 with a 36.5 percent strikeout rate. Those were the only major league games that he played last season. The first baseman split the remainder of the season between the Triple-A affiliates of the Brewers and the Mets. Voit batted .263/.420/.615 with 15 home runs over 45 minor league games.
Luke Voit Released by the Mets
Despite his disappointing 2023 campaign, Voit has seen his fair share of success over his seven-year major league career. Voit made his major league debut with the Cardinals in 2017 and was traded to the Yankees the following year. He had an incredible four-year run in the Bronx batting .271/.363/.520. He even earned a ninth-place finish in MVP voting for the shortened 2020 season. His tenure in the Bronx came to an end once the Yankees acquired Anthony Rizzo from the Cubs in 2021. After extending Rizzo, the Yankees traded Voit to San Diego in exchange for pitching prospect Justin Lange in 2022. Voit played in 82 games for the Padres before he was traded to the Nationals in the blockbuster Juan Soto trade.
Injuries have derailed Voit’s promising trajectory. He tore his meniscus and underwent knee surgery in March 2021 and began the season on the injured list. Then two weeks after returning from the injured list he suffered an oblique strain. He rushed himself back from injury and returned to the injured list with knee pain which ultimately led the Yankees to pursue Rizzo. Voit stayed healthy in 2022, but a neck injury slowed his 2023 campaign.
Even though Voit struggled in spring training, he crushed Triple-A pitching last year. That showed that he still has life in his bat. It has been three years since he led the major leagues in home runs even though his injuries have made it seem much longer. He should be able to find a new team as a backup first baseman or designated hitter, but he may have to spend some time in the minor leagues first.
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