Giancarlo from starting lineup vs. Cleveland
Higashioka back in there,” Boone said. “He’s obviously an important part of this.”
Facing right-hander Aaron Civale, who holds righties to a .125 batting average against, Boone decided to shake the lineup a little bit. He had lefty Brett Gardner leading off and DJ LeMahieu, who has led off every game he has started since Aug. 17, 2019, hitting second. Lefty first baseman Mike Ford was cleaning up after Judge.
SIXTH MAN
The Yankees have not decided on who they will start for Sunday’s series finale against Cleveland, but they plan to insert a sixth starter at some point in this stretch of 13 straight games. Deivi Garcia is here on the taxi squad and is an option, Boone said.
“I’m still probably looking to insert a sixth starter in the stretch. Not necessarily Sunday. It could be Sunday, Monday, Tuesday in there and it could be Deivi. He’s with us on the taxi squad,” Boone said. “We’ll probably make a decision one way or the other. Of what we want Sunday, Monday Tuesday to look like sometime in the next 24 hours.”
VOIT VOLT
Boone said that Luke Voit remains on track to return in the next few weeks after surgery to repair a partially torn meniscus on his left knee.
“I would say that’s potentially in play being a couple of weeks out,” Boone said. “He will be in Scranton, early part of next week where he will start to take regular (batting practice) and then work into some live BP. And then hopefully get a few games under his belt down there as well. But he is doing really well.”
The Yankees could use the production boost from first base from Voit, who led the majors in home runs last season. They could also use his fire in the clubhouse.
“Luke brings a ton to the table. He has been one of the elite hitters in the game the last few years,” Boone said. “And he is certainly one of the voices in our clubhouse. So we certainly love having his energy on top of what he brings to the batter’s box.”
A START
Aaron Hicks, who has used his platform to support the racial justice movement in the wake of last May’s George Floyd murder at the hands of a former Minnesota policeman, said he was glad to see the verdict that came down in that trial this week.
“I think that that’s a no-brainer,” Hicks said of Derek Chauvin being found guilty on all three counts of murder of the unarmed Black man last May. “I still think that we have a long way to go.
“But, I think it’s a good start.”