NEW YORK -- Luke Voit created some ripples in the Yankees' universe after Tuesday's doubleheader sweep of the Red Sox, in which the first baseman said that he isn't ready to cede playing time as Anthony Rizzo returns from the COVID-19 injured list, stating that he deserves to play "as much as he does."

The comments prompted a chat between Voit and manager Aaron Boone on Wednesday, with Boone reporting that the exchange was "good" and that "we're ready to roll." Voit was on the bench Wednesday as Rizzo was activated from the injured list, starting at first base.

"I want all our guys to want to play every day," Boone said. "I don't necessarily want guys to be happy when they're out of the lineup. But I'd also say, let this thing play out a little bit. Hopefully it works out to where we're able to keep guys fresh, keep guys continuing at a high level and putting them in the best positions to impact our club on a nightly basis."

Voit led the Majors in home runs during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, earning a top 10 finish in the American League MVP Award race, but he has been slowed by three stints on the injured list this year.

With his left knee feeling healthier of late, Voit has found his power stroke, hitting three homers with nine RBIs in his last nine games.

"I finally feel like I'm hitting my stride after getting a week's worth of games under me," Voit said. "I've been a great player for this organization for the last three years. I'm not going down. I want to play. Obviously, I know it's going to be tougher because of Rizzo. I deserve to play just as much as he does. … The injury bug is the reason he's here, because of me, but I hope Boonie can do whatever he can to get me some consistent at-bats."

Boone said that one arrangement under consideration would be to have Giancarlo Stanton play the outfield "here and there," which would free the designated hitter spot for Voit. Stanton would play one of the outfield corners, with Aaron Judge likely moving to center field, since Boone said he'd prefer Judge in center over Joey Gallo.

"The bottom line is, Luke is going to play a big role on this team moving forward," Boone said. "I think you can all kind of look at it and envision him in the lineup a lot where we're moving guys around, giving a guy a day here or there. Luke factors into that a ton. … This is all about us as a team right now and trying to get as many wins as we can."

Nobody beats the Rizz
Rizzo was activated after he reported no issues following a workout on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium, when Rizzo took grounders in the morning and hit on the field between games of the doubleheader. Boone said that the Yankees would monitor Rizzo's stamina, especially during the first few games.

"There will probably be some off-days here these first several days playing, but that's something that we'll just communicate with him and see how he's doing, day in and day out," Boone said. "It'll probably be a little bit of a build-up for him."

Rizzo said on Tuesday that he was "knocked out" for about six days by his bout with the virus.

"I'd just get up and try to move around and get tired," Rizzo said. "Everything hurt; I felt like my age caught up to me a little bit. Overall, I feel like I started turning the corner a few days ago. The last two, three days, I've been just feeling really good."

Glove story
Stanton was back in the DH spot on Wednesday, but the slugger said that he has enjoyed his turns in the outfield thus far. Until July 30 at Miami, Stanton hadn't played the outfield since the 2019 American League Championship Series, but he has now made eight appearances this year -- four in left field and four in right field.

"I'd say better than I thought it would have been," Stanton said. "The games that I've been out there, the majority of them we've been [winning], so it's been good to ease in them. The flexibility has been perfect. I'm just looking forward to getting back out there doing more."

Stanton said he understands how playing the outfield could help find time for a player like Voit in the lineup.

"That's where me being in the outfield comes into play," Stanton said. "We're dangerous all around and that just makes us even more."

This date in Yankees history
Aug. 18, 2006: The Yankees defeated the Red Sox in the second game of a day-night doubleheader at Fenway Park by a final score of 14-11. The game took four hours and 45 minutes to complete, establishing a Major League record for the longest nine-inning game.