Luke Voit, former home run champ, signs minor league deal with Mets, after Brewers release

NEW YORK (AP) — Former big league home run champion Luke Voit signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets and will report Tuesday to Triple-A Syracuse.

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New York signed the first baseman Sunday, nine days after he was released by the Milwaukee Brewers, and assigned him to their top minor league team on Monday.

Voit, 32, hit .221 with a .284 on-base percentage, .265 slugging percentage, zero homers and four RBIs in 22 games with Milwaukee, which designated him for assignment on May 29. He had just three extra-base hits, all doubles, in 74 plate appearances.

Voit hadn’t played for the Brewers since May 13. He went on the injured list two days later with a neck issue and had been hitting .259 with a .444 on-base percentage, one homer and eight RBIs in eight games during a rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Nashville.

Voit entered this year having homered 20 or more times in three of his past four seasons, including a major league-leading 22 for the New York Yankees during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

He batted .226 with a .308 on-base percentage, 22 homers and 69 RBIs in 135 games with the San Diego Padres and Washington Nationals last season. After earning $5.45 million last year, he agreed to a minor league contract with the Brewers and opted out of it before signing a $2 million, one-year deal just before the start of the season.

TOP PHOTO: FILE – Milwaukee Brewers’ Luke Voit is greeted by a teammate after scoring during the second inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, April 17, 2023, in Seattle. The Milwaukee Brewers have designated first baseman Voit for assignment on Monday, May 29, 2023. The 32-year-old Voit could not provide the Brewers the type of power had had produced for much of his career. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)