NEW YORK — When hit by a pitch from Colorado’s Chad Bettis, Yankees slugger Luke Voit was scared. He remembered when Giancarlo Stanton’s jaw was broken by Milwaukee’s Mike Fiers five years ago.
“I thought broken jaw. My teeth were going to be all scattered everywhere,” Voit said Sunday. “I grabbed my face. So I was like, ‘Oh, oh.’ … But then, it wasn’t as bad as I thought. Just a scary thing.”
Voit was back in the New York’s lineup at first base for Sunday’s 8-4 loss to Colorado.
Voit said his jaw was “super sore” when he awoke, but after icing there was only a little swelling. He said it felt as if he had been punched, and there was a slight cut on his chin. Concussion tests were negative.
Part of the force of the 91 mph pitch was absorbed when the ball grazed Voit’s shoulder. He also was able to turn his face slightly.
“I dodged a bullet, got lucky,” said Voit, who planned to try a protective chin strap on his helmet before the game.
He went 0 for 4 with a pair of strikeouts and allowed Tony Wolters’ sacrifice to bounce off his glove, leading to three unearned runs in a four-run third. Voit batted with a faceguard attached to his helmet.
RAYS: Oft-injured center fielder Kevin Kiermaier was placed on the 10-day injured list with a sprained left thumb.
Kiermaier is hopeful of missing just a couple of weeks. An MRI Sunday found the ligament intact and that no surgery required.
He was hurt diving head first into first base on an infield single Saturday night.
INDIANS: Corey Kluber threw 30 pitches in a bullpen session as the right-hander continues his comeback from a broken forearm. It was his second mound session since being struck on the right arm by a line drive on May 1.
BREWERS: All-Star right-hander Brandon Woodruff is headed to the injured list after straining his left oblique against Arizona on Sunday.
Woodruff left the game after throwing a second strike to the Diamondbacks’ Tim Locasto in the fourth inning. Manager Craig Counsell said after the game Woodruff would have an MRI on Monday and will go on the 10-day injured list.
ROCKIES: Mark Reynolds was cut, two home runs shy of 300, after hitting .170 with four homers and 20 RBI in limited at-bats.
The 35-year-old infielder returned for his second stint with the Rockies in March, agreeing to a $1 million, one-year deal. He had just 135 at-bats in 78 games.
ORIOLES: Outfielder Keon Broxton was after batting .204 with four homers in 37 games for Baltimore.
Broxton was obtained from the Mets on May 22 for $500,000 in international signing bonus pool allotment. He homered on the first pitch he saw as an Oriole.
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