Luke Voit was brutally honest about what he thinks should happen when Anthony Rizzo returns to the lineup, as he's very close to coming off the COVID-19 IL.

"I finally feel like I'm hitting my stride after getting a week's worth of games under me," said Voit following the nightcap of a doubleheader sweep in which he had a solo homer in the 2-0 win. "I was top 10 in MVP last year and I've been a great player for this organization for the last three years and I'm not going down, I want to play.

"Obviously the injury bug is the reason he's here, because of me. But I hope Boonie can do whatever he can to give me some consistent at-bats."

Don't worry, Luke. I got you.

It is true that Voit's injuries this season caused GM Brian Cashman to strike a deal with the Chicago Cubs to land the Gold Glove first baseman. And the reason I have to add Gold Glove is because that is the sole reason Rizzo needs to be at first. That and his patient yet powerful lefty bat.

The trade had many, including this writer, believing that Voit was going to be dealt. But that didn't happen, and luckily so with Rizzo going down.

In turn, the Missouri native has been launching balls left and right. As he's finally showing consistent health this season, Voit is hitting .243/.317/.486 with three homers and nine RBI in 10 games. Since a 3-for-5 day with a crucial two-run bomb in the rubber match against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, he's 6-for-13, so it wouldn't be smart to take him out of the lineup now.

So, Aaron Boone, this is what you could do:

- Play Joey Gallo in center field. He has the experience with the Rangers (55 career games)

- Have Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge play in left and right field respectively for obvious reasons

- Leave Rizzo at first base with Voit serving as DH

And from that foundation, Boone can mess around with it how he sees fit. Voit can relieve Rizzo on days when he can just be DH. Brett Gardner, who will have to take a back seat to those power bats who have been producing recently in the lineup, can give anyone in the outfield a day's rest.

Here's ultimately what the best Voit-Rizzo lineup should look like when everyone is healthy:

DJ LeMahieu, 2B
Anthony Rizzo, 1B
Aaron Judge, RF
Joey Gallo, CF
Giancarlo Stanton, LF
Luke Voit, DH
Gary Sanchez, C
Gleyber Torres, SS
Gio Urshela, 3B

It's righty-heavy at the bottom, but it's the top four who matter most here. The right-left-right-left strategy is working, especially in Game 1 on Tuesday.

Of course, this is all hypothetical. Gardner has been drawing good at-bats and hitting much better in August (.279/.415/.419), so it's tough to have him go back to the bench.

But Voit makes a good case. He's in a rhythm and was MLB's leader in homers just a season ago. He hasn't had a chance to get hot and he's finally doing so at the perfect time for the Yanks in this playoff push.

At the end of the day, it's up to Cashman and Boone to determine what the best lineup will be. However, the one above features the power and strategy New York has been thriving on since the deadline.

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