San Diego Padres: Luke Voit having miserable time in Triple-A

Luke Voit was supposed to be a key part of the San Diego Padres lineup. His presence was supposed to make Eric Hosmer expendable while providing another power bat in the lineup. For the cost, both in terms of trade and salary, Voit had all the making of being a bargain in San Diego.

That has not been the case. Voit struggled before landing on the Injured List with a biceps tendon injury, producing a disappointing .143/.315/.167 batting line in his 54 plate appearances. While he had drawn ten walks, Voit had struck out 17 times and had just one extra base hit, a double.

Luke Voit does not look close to ready for return to San Diego Padres

As mediocre as that performance may be, it is still better than what Voit has done in Triple-A. He has begun his rehab with the El Paso Chihuahuas last week, hoping to take a few days to get back into the swing of things before returning to San Diego.

At this rate, Voit is not going to be ready for a long time. He has failed to get a hit in his 20 plate appearances, drawing two walks while striking out 12 times. To make matters worse, Voit has struck out in each of his last nine plate appearances, a streak that no one wanted to see.

Minor league stats for rehabbing players do not matter as much. The keys are whether or not they are healthy and if they are getting their timing back. Naturally, it would be best to see some production, but that is not nearly as important as getting back into game shape.

However, the Padres likely wanted to see more. He had already disappointed prior to being injured, and now, he is not even making contact. Voit had been expected to be a solid power bat in the middle of their lineup but he looks overmatched right now in Triple-A.

Luke Voit is in a midst of a horrendous stretch during his rehab at Triple-A. Based on his performance, he is not close to returning to the San Diego Padres.