So far, they have lowered the lineup to try to take some pressure off struggling left fielder Alex Verdugo, but to no avail.
He was hitless again Sunday in a 6-4 loss to the Rays in the Bronx.
Verdugo hit a liner to first base with the bases loaded in the bottom of the first inning, then hit a low ball as the leadoff batter in the sixth inning and was out, resulting in Aaron Boone being ejected.
“Right now I’m being tested in a way,” Verdugo said. “It’s not a lot of fun. I’m struggling a little bit, but that’s the game.”
Verdugo said he was “just pulling hits” during his slump, but he worked with hitting coach James Rowson to get the whole field going again.
The left-handed hitter also grounded out to second base more often than he and Boone would have liked.
“I think he’s right now. [hit it] “We played a lot on the ground,” Boone said before the game. “I thought we played really well. [baseball] I’m still there with him. Nothing has changed.”
Verdugo acknowledged the pressure was on.
“Everybody puts pressure on themselves when things are tough,” Verdugo said. “You want to get out of it.”
And with just about everyone outside of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge struggling, Verdugo’s predicament is truly exemplified.
Boone said he remains confident Verdugo can return to his early-season form.
“There’s no question in my mind what kind of player he has been the first two months of the season. He’s been in the middle of the lineup, hitting big hits, just fantastic. That’s who he is.”
Umpire Edwin Jimenez ejected Boone after the bottom of the sixth inning – the manager’s fifth ejection this year – to avoid a possible ejection of Verdugo, Jimenez said.
“It’s an emotional time,” Boone said. “Everybody’s going through a tough time. I was just trying to take my mind off the situation.”
Giancarlo Stanton took batting practice on the field Sunday morning using a high-velocity pitching machine, simulating game situations including jumping out of the box.
“Just duplicating things more,” Boone said.
Stanton said Saturday that he expects to be able to make a decision about his next steps by the end of the week after regaining his fitness.
The Yankees had just one stolen base in their previous 28 games, but on Sunday they recorded four with a double steal.
Anthony Volpe and Oswaldo Cabrera set the records in the second inning, and Volpe and Trent Grisham set the records in the fourth inning, both of which were caught by former Yankee Ben Rotvedt.
The Yankees recalled right-hander Yoendoris Gomez on Sunday to add length to the bullpen if needed.
Gomez was scheduled to start at Triple-A on Sunday but was instead recalled to replace Josh Maciejewski, who was optioned out on Saturday after pitching the final three innings of a loss to Tampa Bay.
