Aaron Boone explains the tough choice to designate Randal Grichuk for assignment

Grichuk Designation Surprises as Yankees Move Forward

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Yankees’ decision to designate veteran outfielder Randal Grichuk came just as the 34-year-old seemed to find his stride, having gone 6-for-16 after a rocky start of 0-for-15.

He had signed a minor league contract with the Yankees during spring training, transitioning to the team primarily as a left-handed hitter.

“It was a tough call because Randall showed us he could be a great fit,” said Aaron Boone prior to the team’s 3-0 loss to the Rangers. “Even though his initial numbers weren’t great, he demonstrated the kind of at-bats we wanted when he faced left-handed pitchers.”

“But right now it’s just not working,” Boone continued. “I still believe Randall can play at a high level. It was just hard because he really gelled with the team.”

Volpe and Cole Rehab Progress

Meanwhile, Anthony Volpe has been working through his rehab, appearing in 10 games with Double-A Somerset as of Wednesday. He went 2-for-4 at bat while starting at shortstop for the second game in a row.

The Yankees plan to reassess Volpe on Thursday, marking the 17th day of his 20-day rehab window. However, Boone sounded cautious about whether Volpe would return on Friday.

“Let’s see,” said Boone. “He’s playing today at Somerset, so we’ll evaluate after that.”

Cole’s Rehab Session

Gerrit Cole also had his third rehab outing on Wednesday, throwing 60 pitches, with 45 being strikes, across 5⅓ innings for Double-A Somerset. He gave up three runs on three hits without any walks, striking out three batters. Remarkably, Cole has walked only one hitter in his 14⅓ innings pitched during rehab.

“I’m feeling good about it. It was a productive day,” Cole shared with reporters. “We threw a lot of strikes and avoided major mistakes, which was nice to see.”

The former AL Cy Young Award winner will likely need a few more rehab outings before making a potential return in mid to late May.

Rodriguez Changes Gloves

In another note from the game, rookie right-hander Elmer Rodriguez was asked by umpires to change his gloves after the second inning. It wasn’t entirely clear why, but Rodriguez initially wore gloves in colors symbolizing his native Puerto Rico before switching to black gloves for the last two innings.