BALTIMORE – Luke Voit is expected to take live at-bats Thursday for the first time since undergoing surgery to repair a partially torn meniscus in his left knee in March.

The first baseman will need to play some rehab games once the minor league season begins on Tuesday, “and not just a handful,” Aaron Boone said.

“It’s important not only for him to regularly see live pitching that he hasn’t seen in five or six weeks, but also from an endurance standpoint,” Boone said. “Coming off a knee cleanup, playing nine innings, back-to-back [days] and moving around.”

The Yankees offense has missed Voit, who led the majors with 22 home runs last season. They tried Jay Bruce to open the season, but Bruce didn’t do much at the plate and opted to retire. They’ve since used DJ LeMahieu and Mike Ford at first, but their lineup is at its best with Voit at first and LeMahieu at second.

That could happen soon, but it doesn’t seem like it will be next week.