Manager Aaron Boone expressed rare regret, saying he “probably” should have brought in another reliever in the eighth inning of Tuesday’s 6-3 loss to the Mariners in the Bronx.
Clayton Andrews, who had been called up the previous day after 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 losing, 4-0.
However, Gleyber Torres hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning with two outs. Three pitches later, Oswaldo Cabrera recorded the final out of the inning, but Boone continued with his plan to bring in the southpaw Andrews.
The players scheduled to play for the Mariners were left-handed swinger Luke Lally, switch-hitter Cal Lally, who has become weak on the right side during his career, and left-hander Dominick Canzone. A left-handed pitcher was needed, but Boone admitted he should have listened to Caleb Ferguson, who had more experience.
“The issue was getting Fergie in there,” Boone said. “In hindsight, maybe we should have done that.”
It wasn’t just a process issue; it was also an outcome issue. Andrews appeared in his Yankees debut and his fifth major league game, but Larry allowed his first pitch home run, resulting in a two-run game. Andrews, 27, then struck out pinch hitter Mitch Haniger before striking out Lowry and replacing Nick Vardy to save the inning.
Immediately after the game, Andrews returned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Right-hander Tommy Kahnle, who pitched five rehab innings at Low-A Tampa and Double-A Somerset, had 11 strikeouts in five innings, is scheduled to return Wednesday.
With DJ LeMahieu’s return looming, Boone will be faced with a lineup dilemma: Who should bat leadoff?
LeMahieu has begun a second round of rehab, which is expected to conclude Sunday, with the third baseman expected to return as early as Tuesday against the Angels in Anaheim.
The 35-year-old, whose initial rehab assignment was halted last month because of pain in his right foot following a non-displaced fracture this spring, went 1-for-3 with an RBI for High-A Hudson Valley in his third rehab game Tuesday night.
He is expected to play on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays going forward.
Boone said LeMahieu took about 30 at-bats last week at the Yankees’ facility in Tampa and expects him to get another 20 or 25 at-bats in the minors, which he believes will be enough for LeMahieu to be ready.
Boone said that if he returned, LeMahieu would be the starting third baseman, with Jon Bertie and Oswaldo Cabrera on the bench, but he was less forthcoming about his position in the order.
“Let’s see,” Mr. Boone said.
LeMahieu, a contact hitter, was usually the leadoff hitter during his first five seasons with the Yankees but is coming off a season in which he batted just .243 with a .718 OPS.
Without LeMahieu, Anthony Volpe would rise to the top of the order with a 14-game hitting streak, a .762 OPS and a significant lead over Juan Soto and Aaron Judge overall.
As LeMahieu approaches, Boone’s decisions become more interesting.
Right-hander Clayton Beater had “some discomfort in his shoulder” and was placed on the seven-day disabled list with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Boone said.
Beater, a 25-year-old who represents the depth of the starting lineup, has a 2.53 ERA in seven starts at SWB.
Trent Grisham made his 13th start of the season in center field, which allowed Judge a half-day rest as the designated hitter and Giancarlo Stanton a day rest from starting.
Grisham went 0-for-3. Stanton was a pinch hitter in the 7th inning and fouled out.
Anthony Rizzo was hit by a pitch for the 218th time in his career, eighth most in MLB history.
