Ex-Yankees slugger who felt he could ‘be a stud again’ gets dumped by Mets for second time

Luke Voit’s road back to the major leagues just got a lot harder.

After rejoining the New York Mets this offseason because he felt he had a shot to win a job as a designated hitter and backup first baseman, the former slugger was released Tuesday, according to Mike Meyer of Metsmerized.

Luke Voit got four hits in spring training with the New York Mets.AP

Luke Voit’s road back to the major leagues just got a lot harder.

In 41 plate appearances in spring training, Voit had four hits, including a home run, 14 strikeouts and three walks. Even though spring training stats are meaningless, a .118 average against mostly upper-minor league arms won’t help a veteran trying to salvage his major league career.

Now, Voit is presumably left to find another franchise to latch on to, likely in Triple-A.

Last season, Voit was cut by the Milwaukee Brewers after 22 games and 74 plate appearances in which he hit .221 with three doubles, without a home run. The Mets signed Voit for the first time last June and released him in August when he opted out of his contract as it became clear he wasn’t going to get MLB at-bats. In that time, he showed power at Triple-A in 37 games, batting .264 with a 1.058 OPS, including 14 home runs.

For the 33-year-old, chances could be running out. After a breakout season in 2020 with the New York Yankees when he hit a career-high 22 home runs with a .277 average and .948 OPS, Voit has struggled to make consistent contact. His OPS+ has fallen from 157 in 2020 to 53 in his short time in Milwaukee.

“It’s just a part of who I am, resilient. You know, if my back’s against the wall, I’m going to fight my way out of it,” Voit told NJ Advance Media’s Manny Gomez at spring training.

“And you know, it’s hard, it’s on my family, and these last couple years have been difficult, but I still feel like I have a lot to give to the game and (these) guys. And I feel like I can go out and, you know, be a stud again.”