JUGGLING JOE
Girardi will need to rethink lineup with Gregorius back
BOSTON — When Didi Gregorius is activated from the disabled list Friday night, Joe Girardi will try and figure out where the lefthanded hitting shortstop fits best into the Yankees’ lineup.
“I don’t know. I started going over it with some guys and I am going to have a flight and all day [Friday] morning to think about it,’’ Girardi said of adding Gregorius into the lineup against Orioles right-hander Kevin Gausman.
Since Gregorius developed into a run producer last season when he hit .276 with 20 homers and 70 RBIs, he isn’t going to hit in the lower third of the order.
“I am going to have to make an adjustment now that Didi is coming back because you figure he is going to hit somewhere in the middle area,’’ Girardi said. “I am going to have to figure that out and how to separate the lefties.’’
When spring training opened, Gary Sanchez and Gregorius were healthy and that led to speculation Jacoby Ellsbury could be dropped to seventh. However, Ellsbury has hit first, second, fourth and fifth so far and is hitting .301 (22for-73).
One option for Girardi is to use Ellsbury in the leadoff spot and drop the icecold Brett Gardner (2for-23) down to the lower third of the order. Gardner was on the bench Thursday when the Yankees faced Red Sox lefty Chris Sale with a .186 (11-for-59) aver- age and Ellsbury led off.
When Sanchez returns from a right biceps injury, Girardi will have to adjust the lineup again.
Sanchez is scheduled to start a minor league rehab assignment Tuesday. It most likely will be for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but foul weather could change the location.
“He will catch a little bit and DH some,’’ general manager Brian Cashman said of Sanchez, who last played April 8 when he injured the biceps area swinging a bat.
Thursday was the first time since the injury Sanchez took batting practice on the field.
Sanchez still has to throw to bases and will likely do that Saturday or Sunday.
Masahiro Tanaka needed just 97 pitches to beat the Red Sox on Thursday night. That is the fewest by a Yankee in a nine-inning, complete-game outing since Chien-Ming Wang threw 93 against the Red Sox on April 11, 2008 at Fenway Park.
The Yankees improved to 13-7 and while they will welcome Gregorius and Sanchez back, shortstop Ronald Torreyes and catcher Austin Romine have been capable replacements.
Torreyes had two hits off Sale Thursday and is hitting .308 (20-for-65) with 13 RBIs. Romine is at .273 and getting high praise from the pitching staff and Girardi for his game-calling and defensive prowess.