One goes down, another rises up for Yankees
PHOENIX – On opening day, about five weeks ago …
Gio Urshela, Thairo Estrada, Tyler Wade and Mike Ford were preparing to start the season at Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Pennsylvania).
Cameron Maybin was a starting outfielder for the Cleveland Indians’ Class AAA Columbus affiliate.
Domingo German was on the Yankees’ roster, penciled in as a back-of-the-rotation starter; he wasn’t being asked to replace Luis Severino, their injured ace.
They’re all part of the Yankees’ surge right now.
Filling a variety of roles, these players have contributed to a club that had won nine of its last 10 games entering the week.
Of course, “I want our guys back,” manager Aaron Boone said of his core players, the group designed to compete for a pennant.
“At the same time, it’s been a lot of fun to see people … come in and contribute and perform,” Boone said. “That’s allowed us to continue to win games and that’s been very rewarding.”
And they’ve put the Evil Empire back on a human scale again.
“It’s fun to have this journey together, especially at this level,” German said through an interpreter on April 28, after his team-leading fifth victory sealed a three-game sweep at San Francisco.
This type of success is “very satisfying,” German said, “understanding that we have a good chunk of the team missing.”
With last year’s trade for Giancarlo Stanton, the Yankees dropped a superstar with a mega contract into the mix of homegrown sluggers like Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez, and players acquired via trade who took off, like Didi Gregorius and Aaron Hicks.
The negative fan reaction to every 0-for-4 by Stanton was a reminder that his MVP season occurred in Miami in 2017, the year the young Yankees quickly came of age and finished one victory short of a World Series appearance.
By winning games minus their full collection of stars, these Yankees have added a dash of likability, charming their fans and bonding the clubhouse.
“I’ve said almost every day, I feel like we’ve gotten a lot closer through the adversity,” Boone said. “I think they’ve really embraced it and wrapped their arms around the kind of nextman-up, do-your-job kind of thing.
“And to their credit, they’ve all had a hand in helping us win games.”
Luke Voit represents the new heart of the Yankees’ order.
Batting in Judge’s customary No. 2 spot, Voit slashed .433/ .528/.867 to capture his first American League Player of the Week award. In that sevengame span, the Yankees (17-11) went 6-1.
“He’s a really good hitter, he’s really caught fire on this West Coast trip,” Boone said of the right-handed-hitting first baseman. “He’s been getting off his A-swing a lot, but really controlling the strike zone.
“It’s what we believed him to be. It’s not surprising at all.”
Lately, Voit has been slugging away with a batch of Miguel Andujar’s bats, an ounce lighter than his usual 32-ounce lumber.
Voit leads the club with 25 RBI in his first 28 games.
“It’s a tribute to our team and our guys getting on base,” Voit said of his production.
“I’m just driving them in in clutch situations — that’s part of it, when you hit in the middle of the order.”