Gray will be role player from pen
BOSTON — Sonny Gray’s life as a Yankees reliever began Saturday, and the righthander was told to be ready for multiple situations — but none surfaced in a 4-1 loss to the Red Sox at Fenway Park.
“We have talked to him about being prepared for a lot of different roles and driving home the importance of it because there are going to be games where he gets the opportunity to keep the games close, give us some length, protect guys in the pen, and there maybe nights when we use him for an inning,’’ manager Aaron Boone said before the game.
“Trying to prepare him for many roles and prepare him mentally and being focused. Obviously, moving out of the rotation for a guy who has been in the rotation for his entire career, we are prepar- ing him night in and night out with the expectation that he can really help us. I think he understands that.’’
After giving up seven runs and eight hits in 2 2/3 innings to the Orioles on Aug. 1, Gray was dropped from the rotation. Lance Lynn, who followed Gray with 4 ¹/3 scoreless innings, will take over his spot in the rotation and start at the White Sox on Monday night.
➤ Mookie Betts knows the Red Sox are a victory away from sweeping a fourgame series from the Yankees and burying them further in the AL East race. However, the Red Sox’s best player said nothing has been determined.
“We feel good but we got a long way to go,” Betts said. “There’s a bunch of good teams out there, [the Yankees are] definitely one of them.”
➤ The Red Sox stole five bases in five tries in the first two games of the series, leading Boone to admit his pitchers and catchers needed to improve in that area. Boone stayed with Austin Romine behind the plate Saturday instead of using Kyle Higashioka in a day game following a night game.
“The running game is certainly a factor,’’ Boone said of his decision to play Romine, who has the stronger arm, against a team that was 13for-13 in steal attempts against the Yankees this season but didn’t attempt one Saturday. “It is something we need to do a better job of curtailing.’’
➤ New England’s living room is becoming a nightmare for the Yankees. They are 1-5 at Fenway Park this season and have dropped eight of the last 10 games played there.
➤ The Yankees hope to learn soon whether J.A. Happ will be healthy enough to start Thursday night against the Rangers at Yankee Stadium. Happ had been slated to start Saturday before going on the disabled list with hand, foot and mouth disease. … To make room for Chance Adams on the 25man roster the Yankees sent right-handed reliever Tommy Kahnle to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. … The Yankees acquired righthanded reliever George Kontos from the Indians for cash and assigned him to Triple-A. The 33-year-old likely will replace Adams on the big league roster Sunday.