Walker soon could find himself the first to go
ANAHEIM, Calif. — It is not fair to suggest Neil Walker is getting a four-game audition to show the Yankees he has enough left in his bat to remain with the club as players make their way back from the disabled list.
Four games filling in for suspended first baseman Tyler Austin is too few games for the 33-year-old veteran to be judged. Still, if Brandon Drury’s migraine headaches and blurry vision don’t resurface, the infielder is likely to come off the DL next week and the Yankees will need a roster spot for the right-handed hitting third baseman who can play second. Then there is first baseman Greg Bird, who could come back from ankle surgery at some point in May.
A look at the boxscore from Friday night’s 4-3 Yankees win over the Angels in 10 innings at Angel Stadium doesn’t paint an accurate picture of what kind of game Walker had. Included in the 0-for-3, oneRBI night, was Walker driving a ball that was caught on the left-field warning track and being robbed of an extra-base hit when right fielder Kole Calhoun climbed the wall to make a sensational catch.
“It was a 4-3 game and at least I drove in one run,” Walker said. “I barreled up a couple of balls. I feel like good things are coming.’’
Since singing a one-year deal for $4 million after spring training started, the switch hitting Walker has played sparingly and is hitting .181 (13-for-72)after going 2-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored in the Yankee’s 11-1 victory over the Angels on Saturday. Ten of those hits were singles. The other two were doubles. He has started 13 times at first and four games at second.
“Walk almost hit a ball [out] right handed and almost hit one left-handed,’’ manager Aaron Boone said. “Good at-bats all night by Neil. Encouraging sign for him.’’
Miguel Andujar, after going 3-for-5 on Saturday, has 19 hits in his past 45 at-bats (.422) but there is no guarantee he remains with the club when Drury comes off the DL, which could happen next week.
“We view him as a third baseman and frankly we view him as a front-line third baseman,’’ Boone said before Saturday’s game of Drury, who played for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday and Friday and saw the team’s game postponed Saturday. In the first two games, Drury went 4-for-7 (.571). In eight big league games Drury is 5-for-23 (.217) and hasn’t played since April 6 because of migraine headaches and blurry vision.
Boone has been very impressed with Gleyber Torres’ defense after watching the second baseman for six games.
“There is a confidence, there is a heartbeat and there is a clock that he plays with out there that is really impressive,’’ Boone said of Torres, who made one error in those six games. “The way he goes after the ball almost reminds me of [the Cubs’] Javy Baez a little bit, the way he plays out there.’’
The Angels were without DH Shohei Ohtani and shortstop Andrelton Simmons on Saturday night. Ohtani was removed from Friday’s game with a mild sprain of the left ankle. Simmons was scratched with soreness in the right forearm. He was hit in that area last Sunday.
“Not after that swing I saw [Friday] night,’’ Boone said when asked as a baseball fan was he disappointed Ohtani wouldn’t face Masahiro Tanaka on Saturday night.