With the team playing its only game at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, Anthony Rizzo stood near the home dugout, swinging his bat behind protective netting and gesturing toward the mound, telling Aaron Boone and several coaches: “You’re the best.”
“That’s our trade deadline acquisition.”
Rizzo was gesturing toward manager Clark Schmidt, who was warming up to begin the hands-on batting practice that would finally get him and the Yankees brass excited and convinced that he could contribute in the final month of the season.
The first game of a three-game series against the Angels was postponed at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday because of storms in the forecast, with a doubleheader scheduled for Wednesday instead.
About four hours before the game was scheduled to start, with gray clouds thickening overhead, Rizzo and Jon Bertie caught ground balls on the left side of the infield during pre-batting practice, while Jazz Chisholm continued working on his new position at third base. Jose Trevino, in full catcher gear, along with Carlos Narvaez and Ben Rice, caught balls that were hit into the ground by a pitching machine. Rizzo, Bertie and Trevino were moved to batting practice by Schmidt and Cody Poteet. Ian Hamilton pitched in the bullpen.
Getting injured players healthy and bringing in hot prospects for the post-trade deadline period is the final way to strengthen the roster. Boone doesn’t want to be tempted into conversations about when players will return and the ramifications that would entail. That’s understandable. Rosters are living things, constantly changing shape. For example, what are the chances the Yankees can get through the rest of the year without injuries or without currently injured players having a downturn?
When the Yankees’ starting rotation was performing well from No. 1 through No. 5 for the first two-plus months, there was some question about who would replace Gerrit Cole once he returned from an elbow injury. But Schmidt was injured well before that, straining his latissimus dorsi the last time he pitched on May 26.
But he’s now under the spotlight: He threw 20 pitches and is expected to do the same on Saturday, after which he’ll likely move into a rehab period and, if all goes well, could play for the Yankees later this month.
The plan is to groom Schmidt into a starter. Schmidt has said that’s what he wants, and he believes he’ll make it to the playoffs. Why not? At the time of the injury, his ERA was 2.36, ninth-best. The Yankees obviously have concerns about the starting rotation, watching to see if Luis Gil, who missed most of the past two seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery, can reach the innings wall, if Marcus Stroman can get back on track, and if full-time starter Nestor Cortes becomes more valuable as a relief lefty to help the Yankees.
Poteet, who pitched well (2.14 ERA) in four starts for the Yankees but strained his right right triceps, will serve as insurance along with Will Warren, who is scheduled to make his second start in Wednesday’s nightcap.
The easiest return is Trevino (quadriceps injury), who Boone said could begin rehab as early as Sunday. Narvaez will be sent to the minor leagues. But will Trevino’s role change? When he last played on July 16, Trevino had started exactly half of the Yankees’ 96 games. But in his absence, Austin Wells started 15 of 17 games and hit .316 with a .949 OPS, moving into a cleanup role and becoming Aaron Judge’s key lineup protector.
Trevino is a quality pitcher who has great confidence in the pitching staff, and he will likely play a lot more than Narvaez, but will he play half the time?
Boone said Rizzo has made a good recovery from a broken right forearm. Rice has shown good signs of what once made Rizzo special: a quick feel for the strike zone and left-handed power. But the veteran only managed a .680 OPS with eight homers in 70 games, one more than Rice’s .721 OPS in 37 games. Rizzo is all but guaranteed to get his spot back. But with everything on the line, how far will the Yankees go to see if Rizzo can bounce back?
Berti’s return from a left calf injury is less crucial with the addition of Chisholm’s athleticism at third base. Still, Berti’s speed, versatility and right-handed hitting would be complementary benefits. But will they wait until September 1, when the roster will be at 28 players with 14 position players? If not, they’ll probably have to option Oswaldo Cabrera, who brings energy and versatility to the reserves (barring other injuries).
As for Hamilton (back strain), the Yankees did what they did in Hamilton’s absence: elevate their relief pitchers from absentees to effective pitchers. Jake Cousins, Tim Hill and Michael Tonkin combined for 65 games, 84¹/₃ innings, .189 batting average and 2.56 ERA for the Yankees. Cousins has options, but he’s slowly worked his way into Boone’s circle of trust. Hamilton has options, too. And the Yankees could have 14 pitchers available on September 1.
And, as always, the Yankees are hoping they don’t have to make all these devilish choices because everyone continues to be healthy and playing effectively.
