Yankees’ Loss Highlighted by Key Mistakes from Rosario and Sánchez

Amed Rosario and Ali Sánchez were expected to add depth and step up for the Yankees when needed. Unfortunately, they fell short on Saturday afternoon.

Their blunders were pivotal in the Yankees’ 6-0 defeat to the Red Sox, marking a tough start to an important day-night doubleheader in The Bronx.

Manager Aaron Boone described the team’s overall performance as “poor,” particularly singling out Rosario’s baserunning misstep and Sánchez’s passed ball, which cost the Yankees valuable runs.

Rosario made a critical error in the fourth inning when he failed to score from second base on a double from Heliot Ramos, which got by Ceddanne Rafaela in deep center field. He attempted to tag up rather than take a more aggressive route and was easily thrown out at home plate.

“It was a tough read, but really I just need to position myself better to take advantage of scoring opportunities,” Rosario reflected through an interpreter. “I put myself in a bad spot there.”

He later expressed, “If I had been in a better position, I definitely would have scored.”

Meanwhile, Sánchez’s passed ball with two outs in the fifth allowed the Red Sox to push their lead to 2-0, complicating matters further for the Yankees. Rosario was also involved in that scoring play. After catching a line drive from Andruw Monasterio, his throw to double up Adley Rutschman at first was wild and hit Rutschman, allowing him to move to second base.

“I think a good throw there could have led to a double play,” Rosario remarked.

Even with two outs and Rutschman on second base, there was still hope, but Carlos Rodón’s errant 2-2 slider eluded Sánchez, who couldn’t catch it. The slider was supposed to be low and inside but ended up being high and away, allowing the slow-moving Rutschman to narrowly beat Sánchez’s throw to Rodón at home plate.

“Sánchez has been doing well behind the plate overall, but that passed ball is one we need to handle,” Boone noted.

Sánchez agreed with the assessment. “I just have to make that catch,” he stated, admitting to struggling at the plate with two strikeouts in the first game of the doubleheader.

The Yankees do have potential backup options. Anthony Volpe could fill in as the right-handed-hitting infielder, as he has been working at second base and was starting at third on Saturday. Rosario has struggled against left-handers, posting just a .192/.244/.367 line.

It’s well-known that the Yankees were on the lookout for a catcher leading up to the Aug. 3 trade deadline but ultimately missed out, especially losing out to the Red Sox for Adley Rutschman. They did sign veteran catcher Mitch Garver to a minor league deal in early August.

Garver’s contract had an opt-out clause that recently expired, and he is reportedly considering major league opportunities while with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. At 35, Garver played 50 games for the Mariners, with a batting average of .175, hitting four home runs, driving in 15 runs, and posting a .596 OPS.

For both Rosario and Sánchez, Saturday’s game may prompt the Yankees to think about their options moving forward.