It has been “a really weird year” for Luke Voit -- one he hardly would have expected, coming off a season in which the Yankees' slugger led the Majors in home runs -- but the first baseman says he is feeling good and happy to be back in the lineup. He certainly proved it Monday night, with a home run and an RBI single in the Yankees' 8-6 victory over the Royals in 11 innings.

Having returned from his third stint on the injured list, Voit returned to the Yankees' lineup on Sunday as Anthony Rizzo landed on the COVID-19 IL. Voit said he understood why the club traded for Rizzo, who went 9-for-32 (.281) with three homers and six RBIs in his first nine games as a Yankee.

“I get it. I haven't been around a lot this year,” Voit said. “And I guess I was in the trade talks as well; you never know what can happen there. But I'm wearing pinstripes today and my job is to come to the field, work my butt off every day and play my heart out. So whenever my name is in the lineup, I'm going to give it my all.”

Voit began the season on the injured list after undergoing surgery on his left knee to repair a torn meniscus. He made his season debut on May 11, playing in a dozen games before landing on the IL again with an oblique strain. Voit returned from the IL on June 22, playing 17 games before a left knee bone bruise sent him back to the shelf.

“I can go every day,” Voit said. “I’ve had like 100 off-days this year, so I’m good.”

The Wildwood, Mo., product figures to have a solid cheering section on hand for this week’s series against the Royals in Kansas City. Once Rizzo returns, Voit could platoon for at-bats at first base or see time at designated hitter when Giancarlo Stanton plays the outfield.

“The right opportunity came up for the front office to do something,” Voit said. “I’ve played [31] games this year. It’s frustrating, I want to play and it’s going to be difficult when [Rizzo] comes back. But when I was in the Minor Leagues, they always told me, you’re playing for 29 other teams.

“So I’m just glad to be back and healthy, and I want to do whatever I can to help this team win -- whether that’s on the bench or playing first or DH or whatever.”

Down on the farm
Luis Severino, Shawn Semple and Ron Marinaccio combined to pitch a no-hitter for Double-A Somerset on Sunday against Bowie, the first no-no in Patriots history.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he reviewed video of Severino’s four-inning, five-strikeout performance. Boone said that Severino will make one more Minor League rehab start on Friday, likely for Somerset or Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and then could join the big league roster.

“I texted with him briefly about how good he feels and how strong he looked yesterday,” Boone said. “It was a great sign. He’ll get built up a little bit more, and then we’ll have a decision in front of us. He’s certainly getting close.”

‘Next Man Up,’ part II
Nestor Cortes was part of the reinforcement wave that helped the 2019 Yankees reach the postseason, despite setting a then-franchise record for injured list assignments. The left-hander sees some of the same magic developing with the ’21 squad.

“We've called upon the guys in Triple-A, and they’ve come up and done the job,” Cortes said. “We're excited for that. Obviously, ‘Next Man Up’ was ’19, but hopefully we can start a trend here. I hope those guys get well soon, and they can come back and help us.”

Gleyber Torres became the eighth Yankee to hit the IL this month, joining right-handers Domingo Germán and Gerrit Cole, left-handers Jordan Montgomery and Aroldis Chapman, infielders Anthony Rizzo and Gio Urshela, and catcher Gary Sánchez. A franchise-record 41 IL stints have already been served by the Yanks.

“That year [in 2019], a whole bunch of us came up, including myself,” Cortes said. “Hopefully this time around, it's going to be a shorter stay for the guys on the IL. We’re just holding the fort until guys get back.”

If you build it …
The 14-and-under DREAM team’s practice at Roberto Clemente State Park had a pair of special visitors on Monday afternoon, as Yankees general manager Brian Cashman and senior vice president of corporate/community relations Brian Smith stopped by to wish the team well on their way to Iowa.

The DREAM team (formerly RBI) will play in the “A Dream Fulfilled” game in Dyersville, Iowa, on Wednesday against the White Sox ACE Program. The game will be televised on FS1 at 6 p.m. ET.

“Being on a baseball team, playing in a baseball league, being part of your school team -- it creates memories of a lifetime,” Cashman said. “The DREAM team fought to prove they were the best players in this and in the school environment. They've earned the right to go to Iowa to play a team from Chicago and get out of their comfort zone.

“They’re going to have a championship experience. They’re going to get on a plane, which in some cases these kids have never done. They’re going to fly into an entirely different state and play on a field they've never played on, taking part in a great competition against a quality team from Chicago to represent this area. They've earned the right and we're proud of them.”

This date in Yankees history
Aug. 9, 2009: Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira hit back-to-back homers in the eighth inning of a 5-2 victory over the Red Sox. It was the sixth time that Damon and Teixeira hit consecutive homers that year, the most ever for a pair of Yankees in a single season.