Bombers forced to give Kahnle another chance

BOSTON — Before elevating right-handed reliever Tommy Kahnle from Triple-A Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre on Friday, the Yankees searched for alternatives to a pitcher who was very good late last year and a dud this season.

“There were a lot of options we were considering, not only internal but outside the organization, a lot of [discussions] which route we wanted to go. In the end, we decided on Tommy,” Aaron Boone said. “He’s a big-league pitcher. We’re in a tough situation. We’ve had some different things that have transpired. [We] feel like he gives us the best chance of winning the game [Friday night]. For the most part, he has been pretty good in Triple-A, feel like getting quality pitcher.”

Kahnle worked a perfect eighth Friday night in the Yankees’ 4-1 loss to the Red Sox.

In his first two stints (eight games) with the Yankees this year, Kahnle was awful, allowing six hits and 10 walks in nine innings. His ERA was 5.73. He last appeared in the big leagues May 28. In 22 appearances at Triple-A, Kahnle was 2-1 with a save and a 2.49 ERA. He struck out 31 in 21 2/3 innings.

Already without Gary Sanchez and Aaron Judge, Boone is hesitant to give Didi Gregorius a day off.

“Obviously it is difficult right now with the situation we are in,” Boone said before Friday’s loss. “At some point here, there is a good chance on this road trip he could get a day [off ]. It’s something I think about a lot with all our guys but especially Didi because he is a guy we lean on pretty heavily.”

Lately, the leaning hasn’t affected the left-handedhitting shortstop, who started his 15th straight game and the 42nd out of the past 43 Friday night, when he went 0-for-3.

On July 13, Gregorius was hitting .260. Beginning the next day, Gregorius batted .333 (19-for-57) with four homers, a .377 onbase percentage and a .991 OPS in the next 14 games. Miguel Andujar’s home run marked the eighth straight game the Yankees hit at least one homer. That is tied for their third-longest streak of the season, and they have hit 13 homers in that span.

Judge continues to take small steps toward coming back from a fractured right wrist.

“Hopefully in the next couple of days, here or Chicago, start doing light swinging of bat or tee or fungo. Getting all that pain out of there,’’ Boone said of Judge.