Cardinals' Luke Voit: Sheds pounds for chance in left field
Voit altered his diet and lost approximately 15 pounds during the offseason in preparation to see occasional time in left field in 2018, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Opportunities to show he can play left field are expected to happen later on this spring, but Voit's path to extra at-bats at first base to begin Grapefruit League play has been cleared with early injuries to Matt Carpenter (back) and Jose Martinez (quad). The Cards have a lot of moving parts in their infield if their current options remain healthy, and the 27-year-old Voit is hoping to carve out a role on the 25-man roster in the coming weeks. The uphill battle for playing time is particularly difficult for Voit since he's not an ideal platoon partner for Jose Martinez, as both players hit right-handed. Voit still has minor-league options remaining, which could lead him to return to Triple-A to begin the season.
