SAN DIEGO — The Yankees’ victory on Friday night was sweet, but it also took a worrying turn when Jon Berti suffered a serious injury in the ninth inning.
The third baseman hit a grounder to the right side, took two steps from the plate, then collapsed to the ground in pain with what manager Aaron Boone said was a left calf injury.
Boone and the Yankees trainers quickly tended to Berti, who was eventually freed and walked very carefully straight into the clubhouse.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, Oswaldo Cabrera replaced him at third base in a game at Petco Park that the Yankees were winning, 8-0.
“We just grabbed him out of the box,” Boone said. “We’ll see what happens. There’ll be imaging and stuff, but obviously the way he was walking, he looked pretty good.”
Boone said that if Bertie goes on the disabled list, the Yankees would likely call up someone from Triple-A (Oswaldo Peraza could be a candidate) instead of bringing DJ LeMahieu back from his rehab assignment early.
LeMahieu is expected to play two more rehab games this weekend in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre before joining the Yankees on Tuesday in Anaheim.
Berti missed time earlier this season with a groin injury but still batted .273 with a .649 OPS in 17 games.
He singled and stole a base before being injured Friday.
“He’s a good player,” Boone said, “and hopefully this doesn’t put him down for long because he’s definitely going to be a very important piece to our bench going forward.”
Though there was no fear of striking out, Carlos Rodon’s resurgent season continued on Friday night.
In another sign of his maturity as a pitcher, Rodon found a way to hold the Padres in check, pitching six scoreless innings on a night when he wasn’t piling up strikeouts.
Rodon struck out just four times, a season-low, but allowed just six runners on three singles and three walks after inducing a season-high 22 strikeouts in his last matchup against the White Sox.
“Our offense is back on track and it’s easier to run our zone attack,” Rodon said.
Most importantly, Rodon has now produced four straight quality starts. The left-hander has won his past four games, allowing just five runs in 24 1/3 innings and lowering his ERA to 2.95 through 11 starts.
“I feel more confident and at ease,” Rodon said. “I just want to keep going, keep getting on the mound and keep pitching for these guys.”
Nick Vardy returned to the 15-day disabled list on Friday with right hip inflammation, the same injury that sidelined him for about a month earlier this season.
The Yankees recalled right-hander Yoendoris Gomez from SWB to play in the bullpen.
“We don’t know how long it will last,” Boone said, “but it’s similar to the issues he’s had and will have to continue to have. It’s just something that’s come back.”
Boone said he was unsure what Vardy’s next move would be, as he would have to wait for the inflammation to “subside for a few days.”
Vardy returned from the disabled list on May 10 and has pitched in five games, most recently 1/3 of an inning against the Mariners on Thursday.
Gomez, starting for Southwest Bound, struck out three batters in the ninth inning on Friday. He was expected to fill in for the bullpen, possibly until Ian Hamilton returns from the COVID-19 IL on Sunday.
Anthony Volpe was the leadoff hitter of the night and smashed a triple down the third base line, extending his career-best hitting streak to 17 games.
He ended up scoring on Aaron Judge’s sacrifice fly for a 1-0 lead.
Gerrit Cole is scheduled to take another round of live batting practice on Saturday in Tampa.
