ATLANTA – Jorvit Vivas expressed, “I like to play the game hard and right.” However, the Yankees rookie faced disappointment on Friday night, making a costly baserunning error that contributed to a 7-3 loss against the Braves.
The Yankees initially started strong, leading 3-0 in the early innings. One of those runs came when Cody Bellinger hit a deep ball into right field. Vivas attempted to tag up and advance from second base, but he miscalculated his timing. He was tagged out, resulting in a damaging double play that left Aaron Judge stranded on deck.
Vivas hesitated as he approached third base, where Ronald Acuña Jr. delivered a stellar throw that caught him off guard, and third baseman Nacho Alvarez made a quick, intelligent play that caught Vivas unaware until the last moment.
Vivas commented, “He seemed like he hadn’t even received the ball yet,” using an interpreter. “It’s not on him; it’s on me to get to that base. A cocina has an impressive arm and can throw it from anywhere.” He acknowledged that the responsibility fell upon him.
The third base coach, Louis Rojas, tried to give Vivas the signal to slide. “I was trying to signal him, but I was late,” Vivas admitted, noting that the third baseman obstructed his path slightly. Ultimately, he took the blame.
Manager Aaron Boone, who experienced similar plays during his career as a third baseman, noted that Vivas misread Alvarez’s body language. He advised his player, “You can’t let that happen again.”
“Yorvit is a player who gives his all,” Boone shared. “He got caught up in the moment; situations like this shouldn’t occur.”
In recovery news, Mark Reiter Jr. and Fernando Cruz are seeing progress. The latter was able to participate in a light bullpen session ahead of the Yankees’ upcoming series against the Toronto Blue Jays, beginning Monday. He will undergo another MRI soon to assess his healing.
Cruz has also started his throwing program following a significant injury at the end of June. A recent follow-up MRI indicated enough healing for him to begin throwing, though he is expected to take a gradual approach until fully recovered.
On another note, Lewis Gill began his second rehab stint on Friday with Double A Somerset. He threw a maximum of 57 pitches over 3⅓ innings, striking out seven batters but walking twice and allowing two runs. If all goes well, he might move to his next rehab start on Wednesday at Triple A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Boone remarked about Gill’s progress, “At that point, we’ll assess whether he should push beyond 70 pitches or if he should go to the next step then.”
Additionally, reports indicate the Yankees plan to call up Alan Winans on Saturday. Joel Sherman mentioned that he will take the place of Rico Garcia, who was designated for assignment after a challenging outing on Friday.
Ryan Yarbro is also in the mix, currently throwing, but he has yet to reach the bullpen stage.
