Boone liking the progress Didi has made
OAKLAND, Calif. — Monday was a scheduled light day for Didi Gregorius, but according to Aaron Boone, the shortstop is inching toward a return from the ddisabled list.
“He is feeling really strong. I wwould think [Tuesday] he will be out running the bases, and I would say he is getting very close to a return,” Boone said of Gregorius, who hasn’t played since Aug. 19 due to a bruised left heel.
Most encouraging for Boone is that, as the program has intensified, Gregorius hasn’t experienced a setback.
“The last couple days where he has started to ramp up, the good thing is that he has responded,” Boone said. “Each day he would come in and bounce back.”
In the last 11 games Gregorius played, he batted .324 (12-for-37) with a .381 on-base percentage and a .921 OPS. Might there be some plate rust Gregorius needs to get through when he does return?
“Hitting can be a tricky thing. Sometimes it can click right away, sometimes it takes a minute to get your timing, but that can be true if you are playing every day,” Boone said. “I think he should be OK. The BP he has been taking the last couple of days, it looks like balls are jumping off his bat. If he does come back, say in the next few days, it will only be a couple of weeks so hopefully that is something that won’t be too much of an adjustment.’’
After Gleyber Torres started the first dozen games Gregorius missed, Adeiny Hechavarria started a second straight game at short Monday and went 1-for-2 in the Yankees’ 6-3 loss to the A’s. He left the game for pinch-hitter Neil Walker.
Because Jonathan Loaisiga appeared in four games (all starts) earlier in the year and went 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA, Boone was familiar with the slight right-hander. What the manager didn’t know was how Loaisiga would perform out of the bullpen. On Monday, Loaisiga dazzled his boss by throwing two scoreless innings and striking out four.
“That was pretty impressive. You are talking about a guy who can give us length. We have seen flashes of him earlier in the year when he came up as a starter and pitched well,” said Boone, who hinted Loaisiga could get more important work down the stretch. “When guys go out and deliver that kind of goods he did today, he was dominant for two innings. As this month unfolds, there are opportunities to earn a more significant, a larger role, and not just length.”
Miguel Andujar’s throwing motion has been the reason for some of the third baseman’s errors. However, his throwing error in the first inning Monday had more to do with his approach to Mark Canha’s grounder.
“It’s a play he has to move through instead of catching and setting his feet,” Boone said. “I actually don’t think he rushed it. [If ] it was a play he needed to make on the run with one hand, then he would have had plenty of time.”
It was Andujar’s 15th error, which is one back of Torres’ team-high 16.
Andujar’s walk in the eighth inning allowed him to reach base for the 17th straight game.
Andrew McCutchen continued to be a pain in A’s righthander Trevor Cahill’s neck in the first inning when he singled, stole second, went to third on a throwing error and scored on
Aaron Hicks’ sacrifice fly to center.
McCutchen has reached base in 15-of-24 plate appearances against Cahill and has a .412 (7for-17) average.