Gallo departs game with groin injury
KANSAS CITY — Joey Gallo left Saturday night’s game against the Royals with a left groin strain, according to the Yankees. The left fielder felt it tighten up in the fourth inning after an infield single when he tried to break for second base.
Gallo is optimistic he will be able to avoid missing time.
“I mean, I have to see tomorrow, but I think I’ll be fine,” Gallo said after the Yankees’ 3-0 win over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium. “I’ll be ready to go if the team needs me and stuff. I wanted to keep playing today, but I think it’s just a smart move to not make it worse.”
Gallo said he only felt a “give” when he broke to try and steal second and then it got tighter.
“I felt it kind of give on me a little bit and feel [it] tighten up a little,” Gallo said. “And then they noticed I was grimacing a little bit and kind of asked me about it. I went out to the field [in the bottom of the fourth] and they just thought it was better just getting out of there.”
Gallo had an infield single to reach in that inning. After a dreadful start to the season, Gallo is starting to hit.
“I’ve been feeling really good. So it’s tough to come out after feeling so good as far as I’m really wanting to stay in there and keep going,” Gallo said. “I feel like I’m starting to get there and get closer to the player that I can be. So it’s exciting for me.”
Gallo is hitting .153/.254/.271 with two home runs, eight walks and 29 strikeouts.
ERRORLESS STREAK ENDS
Thirteen turned out to not be so lucky for the Yankees. After having an error overturned on Friday night, the Bombers’ 13-game errorless streak was snapped early Saturday night.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa bobbled a Salvador Perez ground ball to lead off the second inning to end the Yankees’ second-longest error-free streak.
Defense was a point of emphasis when the Yankees made the change at shortstop this offseason and continued with more infield work before games this season.
“I’m really excited about the way DJ [LeMahieu] has looked, especially being able to go back over to third base as much as he’s been able to do. I feel like he’s moving and throwing better than he was at any time last year. That’s been really encouraging to see,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “You know, obviously, what [Kiner Falefa] brings, his athleticism in the middle of the diamond. Feel like we’re in really good hands behind the plate with our tandem back there. Then there is the anchor over there at first [Anthony Rizzo] just kind of brings it all together.
“I feel like we’ve worked hard on our defense ... it’s a priority. And so far it’s been good, but it’s April.”
The 13-game stretch was tied for their second-longest errorless streak in franchise history, behind the 18 games the 2009 team went without an error.
Their four errors through 20 games are the fewest in the big leagues this season, ahead of Saturday’s opponent the Royals, who have five.
The addition of first base coach Travis Chapman, who works with the infielders, and Luis Rojas to work with the outfielders has played a part, Boone said.
JUDGE SITS
Aaron Judge was out of the starting lineup Saturday night, a scheduled day off that comes in the middle of his hot streak. Judge has hit three home runs in his last four games and five in his last seven.
“I was kinda targeting this middle day [of the Royals series] with him,” Boone said. “Again it’s always hard to have him out of the lineup, but I was going to be pretty disciplined about it going into tonight. With another day game [Sunday] after a night game and then going into the turf in Toronto. I just felt like this was the day.”
Judge has seven RBI in his last two games and has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games, hitting .325/.372/.750 with 12 RBI in that span.