Yanks glad Cole is next man up
Gerrit Cole wasn't here to see how deep it went. The Yankees new ace wasn't part of the 2019 ‘Next Man Up,' mentality the team needed to get through a record 30 players going on the injured list and still managing to win the division and 103 games.
Now with Aaron Judge, DJ LeMahieu and Giancarlo Stanton on the IL, Cole is seeing what it takes to keep going.
“It's pretty special that everybody here is so focused on winning that everybody can pour into whatever position they're put in the lineup or whatever job that they're given on any given day,” Cole said of witnessing it in action this season. “We have a great amount of talent here and that's a testament to (Brian Cashman) and the front office for acquiring all this depth.”
Tonight, Cole gets to step up and play his biggest role yet for the Yankees in his own way. After Tuesday's loss to the Rays, which snapped a sixgame winning streak, Cole needs to be the stopper.
The Yankees go into tonight's game with just a 1.5game lead over the Rays and have lost four out of five against them this season.
Cole will be making his sixth start this season, carrying the third-longest winning streak in baseball history with him. The last time Cole took the loss in a regular-season game was May, 27, 2019. He's won 20 straight.
JUDGE LOOKS TO SATURDAY
Judge was able to take batting practice Tuesday before the Yankees' series opener against the Rays at Yankee Stadium. The hope is that the slugger will be able to return from the injured list on Saturday — the first day he is eligible.
“Hope so. I mean we'll see again how the ramp up goes this week. As he ramps up the intensity with his running and his movements and everything,” Aaron Boone said. “I know he's hitting again today, hit out on the field today. And I know he's feeling really good and feeling like he is there.”
Judge has been on the IL with a strained right calf, which the Yanks believe he aggravated on the turf of Tropicana Field. He was emphatic that it was a minor issue and tried to convince the Yankees not to put him on the IL, but Boone wanted to err on the side of caution.
He is one of three big bats on the IL right now, joined by LeMahie u (sprained thumb) and Stanton (strained left hamstring). They are both expected to miss weeks.
HIGASHIOKA WAITS
Kyle Higashioka, who was placed on the injured list with a strained right oblique, was eligible to be activated Tuesday, but according to Boone, he is not close.
“He's doing well. He's not going to be coming off (the IL) anytime real soon here, but it is going well and he continues to ramp up from a workload standpoint,” Boone said.
ADDITIONS
The Yankees announced that they had signed infielder Jordy Mercer to a minorleague contract, added him to their 60-man player pool and assigned him to the alternate training site in Scranton. They also added minor-league catcher Wynston Sawyer to the 60-man pool and sent him to Scranton.
The 33-year-old Mercer was designated by the Tigers after three games this season. In parts of nine big-league seasons, he has played for the Tigers and Pirates. He has a career .257/.315/.387 slash line with 166 doubles, 64 homers and 299 RBI. He has played at all four infield positions.