In a rare acknowledgment of a regret, manager Aaron Boone said he “probably” should have brought in a different reliever in the eighth inning of Tuesday’s eventual 6-3 loss to the Mariners in The Bronx.
Clayton Andrews, who had been called up a day earlier when Ian Hamilton was placed on the seven-day COVID-19 injured list, was warmed up and ready to pitch in a game the Yankees were trailing 4-0.
But Gleyber Torres swatted a three-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. Three pitches later, Oswaldo Cabrera recorded the inning’s final out, and Boone remained with the plan of bringing in the southpaw Andrews.
Due up for the Mariners was lefty-swinging Luke Raley and switch-hitter Cal Raleigh, who has been weaker from the right side over his career, and lefty Dominic Canzone. A lefty pitcher was called for, but Boone admitted that he should have audibled to the more-proven Caleb Ferguson.
“The case there is to bring in Fergy there,” Boone said, “which in hindsight, I probably should have done.”
It was not just an issue with process but with results: Andrews entered for his Yankees debut and fifth major league game ever and allowed a first-pitch home run to Raley that made it a two-run game. The 27-year-old Andrews then plunked Raleigh before striking out pinch-hitter Mitch Haniger and was pulled for Nick Burdi, who escaped the inning.
Immediately after the game, Andrews was optioned back to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Righty Tommy Kahnle, who made five rehab appearances with Low-A Tampa and Double-A Somerset and struck out 11 in five perfect innings, is set to be activated Wednesday.
DJ LeMahieu is approaching a return that will present Boone with a lineup quandary: Who should bat leadoff?
LeMahieu has begun a second rehab assignment that is projected to finish Sunday, positioning the third baseman to be activated as soon as Tuesday in Anaheim against the Angels.
The 35-year-old, whose first rehab assignment last month was halted after he felt soreness in a right foot that had suffered a non-displaced fracture this spring, went 1-for-3 with an RBI single with High-A Hudson Valley on Tuesday night in his third rehab game.
He is next expected to play Thursday, Friday and Sunday.
Boone estimated LeMahieu got around 30 at-bats at the Yankees’ facility in Tampa last week and now will get another 20 or 25 in the minors, which they believe will be enough for LeMahieu to feel ready.
LeMahieu will be the regular third baseman when he does return, Boone has said, which will force Jon Berti and Oswaldo Cabrera to the bench. But Boone was less forthcoming on his position in the order.
“We’ll see,” Boone said.
The contact-hitting LeMahieu typically batted first in his first five seasons with the Yankees, but he is coming off a season in which he hit just .243 with a .718 OPS.
Without LeMahieu, Anthony Volpe, who has a 14-game hitting streak, has risen to the top of the order and owns a .762 OPS, generally swinging well ahead of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge.
As LeMahieu gets closer, so does an interesting Boone decision.
Righty Clayton Beeter was moved to the seven-day injured list with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre with “some shoulder discomfort,” Boone said.
The 25-year-old Beeter, who represents rotation depth, has pitched to a 2.53 ERA in seven starts with SWB.
Trent Grisham received just his 13th start of the season, getting a look in center field, which allowed Judge a half-day off as designated hitter and Giancarlo Stanton a day out of the starting lineup.
Grisham went 0-for-3. Stanton pinch-hit in the seventh inning and fouled out.
Anthony Rizzo was hit by a pitch for the 218th time in his career, which is the eighth-most in MLB history.