Cole, Tanaka get extra rest before playoffs
BOSTON — Gerrit Cole and Masahiro Tanaka will get an extra day of rest heading into their final starts of the season, setting both up for added days off before they pitch the first two games of the wild card round, which is set to begin Sept. 29.
Aaron Boone said Saturday that Cole would pitch Tuesday in Buffalo against the Blue Jays, followed by Tanaka on Wednesday, leaving Mon- day as a potential bullpen game.
More importantly, it would mean Cole and Tanaka would pitch with six days’ rest in the postseason, with some work in between starts.
“There’s nothing that’s exactly ideal,’’ Boone said Satur- day before the Yan- kees beat the Red Sox, 8-0, at Fenway Park. “This is what we’ve gone through with them. Giving them an extra day this time and an extra day into a playoff scenario is the best way to go with both those guys.”
➤ Luke Voit continues to hobble due to an unspecified foot injury, but Boone doesn’t think it’s an injury that can get worse.
“He’s fine,’’ Boone said of Voit, who played all nine innings in Saturday’s win despite clearly being in discomfort whenever he moved.
“It’s something that hurts. It’s not something that’s limiting him,’’ the manager said of Voit, who leads the majors with 20 homers. “It’s more when he slows down . ... Hamstrings, calves, groins, quads, those are things you’re concerned about because you can hurt those more. This is limiting his ability to run as fast as he can. He’s dealing with a pain tolerance issue. Obviously, it’s not affecting his performance.”
➤ As of Saturday, Aroldis Chapman still hadn’t learned the fate of his appeal of his three-game suspension stemming from what MLB ruled “intentionally throwing a pitch” at the head area of Tampa Bay’s Mike Brosseau in a Sept. 1 win.
Boone said there might be a second hearing, which could take place in 2021.
Boone didn’t have a lot of details, but said there may need to be “another hearing and more information could be inserted and it could even be put off until next year.”
After the suspension was announced, Chapman said through an interpreter, “I think it was a little harsh and that’s the reason why I’m going to appeal the decision.”
➤ Aaron Judge was back in the lineup as the DH after running into the wall down the right field line in Friday’s win. “He checked out fine,’’ Boone said. Judge was 0-for-3 with two walks, a run scored and a strikeout.
➤ Gary Sanchez, after his stellar day at the plate Friday, wasn’t in the lineup, as Boone decided to rest him Saturday with plans to catch him in Sunday’s day game. Kyle Higashioka caught in his place, and was 1-for-4 with an RBI and two strikeouts.
➤ Gleyber Torres also got a day out of the starting lineup as he comes back from a quad injury. He’s also made seven errors in 33 games at shortstop — although his dropped ball on Friday was his first miscue since his return from the injured list on Sept.5.
“He made a few errors early on [in the season],’’ Boone said. “He’s settled in and played really well. The drop [Friday] night one of those you don’t like to see, but especially ... since he came off the IL, he’s played really well. I feel like his work pregame is translating into the games.”
➤ Gio Urshela is still getting treatment on his right elbow that sidelined him with bone spurs, but he said the arm isn’t giving him any trouble.