DOWN GOES GARY
AND YANKS MAY NEED TO WORRY
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Yankees are headed to Philly after getting swept by the Rays, but Gary Sanchez won’t be joining them. Sanchez is likely headed to the disabled list, according to Aaron Boone, after suffering a right groin/ hip abductor injury while trying to beat out a double play in the 10th inning of the Yankees’ 7-6, 12-inning loss Sunday afternoon at Tropicana Field.
The 25-year-old catcher, who is hitting .190 but had been making more solid contact of late, will stay behind in Tampa and undergo an MRI on Monday.
Kyle Higashioka, who is hitting .191 himself at Triple-A Scranton but is on the 40-man roster, is the likely candidate to be summoned in place of Sanchez, Boone said. Backup Austin Romine will assume starting duties behind the plate.
“It’s bothering me,” said Sanchez, who came up lame after trying to beat out the 6-4-3 twin-killing before walking back gingerly to the dugout accompanied by trainer Stevie Donohue and Boone.
“What can I say? That’s how baseball is sometimes,” Sanchez continued. “You never want something bad to happen. Now, I’m just hoping I’m not out for a long time and I’ll keep my head up and try to come back as soon as possible.”
Sanchez previously dealt with minor cramping in his right calf in both April and May. Boone gave Sanchez a few days off amidst a massive slump a couple weeks ago, which the manager said was just as much physical rest as it was mental.
The fact Sanchez has already been injured multiple times this season and it isn’t even halfway through the year yet is definitely cause for concern.
Romine now gets to be more than just Sonny Gray’s personal catcher. Romine got off to a hot start with the bat, but has since cooled off, notching three hits in his last 23 at-bats after he grounded out to third with runners on the corners to end the 12th. Romine, though, has always been known more for his defensive ability, which remains his No. 1 priority in his expanded role.
“You never want to see your starter go down,” Romine said. “Especially the type of caliber of player that Gary is. He’s an All-Star. He’s big for our team. But we have to move forward. I have to fill-in as best as I can, and I’m looking forward to playing.”
The Yankees endured a brutal weekend in which they scored just one run combined on Friday and Saturday.Their bats finally got it together Sunday, with Miguel Andujar blasting a three-run homer and Giancarlo Stanton recording a career-high tying five hits — including a game-tying solo shot in the eighth.
But Domingo German was shelled in his worst start of the season, allowing six runs on nine hits in three innings. “A really bad day for me,” German said. “All my pitches weren’t there.”
The brilliant bullpen then delivered eight no-hit innings before Bauers ambushed Shreve and took him deep. Shreve described his frustration level as a 10 out of 10, but for Bombers fans it’s probably even higher than that.
Neil Walker has been just as unproductive at the plate, with three hits in his last 27 at-bats. And you have to wonder if either will be on the roster much longer at this rate.
Boone said the Bombers may need to make a move given all their taxed relief arms, and Shreve (5.19 ERA), who has been ineffective in five straight appearances, could be a DFA candidate. As for Walker, Brandon Drury continues to hit at Triple-A Scranton, and you could make a case the Yankees could use Drury at first next weekend against Red Sox lefties Chris Sale and David Price.
Regardless, Boone isn’t panicking in what feels like the first real bump in the road since starting 9-9.
“Stay the course,” the manager said. “It’s a long year. I think we have a great club. I think we have a chance to be a special team. And for those kinds of teams there’s going to be little rough patches along the way. But I wouldn’t even go that far. I’d say we had a tough weekend.”