TAMPA – The Yankees will not have Luke Voit to start the season due to knee surgery, said coach Aaron Boone on Saturday, which means veteran Jay Bruce will open the year as first baseman.
Voit, 30, will undergo surgery to repair a partially broken meniscus in his left knee and will not be able to participate in baseball activities for at least three weeks.
Boone said Voit was playing with his left knee injury sustained during the camp, but the swelling came back recently and he underwent an MRI scan that showed the tear.
“He decided to clean it up,” said Boone. “As far as the calendar is concerned, he felt it was best to get this over with and take care of it for most of the season.”
Bruce, 33, who will carry a $ 1.5 million contract, ends up in the squad after missing the last two days of camping, as the deadline for him to join the list of 40 Yankees players approached.