Two Yankees players suffered major losses in the long-hitting category in one day.
The Yankees defeated the Rays 9-1 on Monday afternoon in the Bronx, with DJ LeMahieu hitting his first home run of the season and Anthony Volpe hitting his first in two months.
LeMahieu’s home run, his 40th of the season, came after a rough Sunday night that saw him sit on the bench.
He came to the plate in the fifth inning without a hit in his last 18 games and batting just .176 this season, but he took a sweeper pitch from right-hander Zach Littell to center field and smashed it off the wall to put the Yankees up 5-1.
It was LeMahieu’s first home run since Sept. 5, 2023, ending a 57-game streak without a home run, the second-longest of his career.
Meanwhile, Volpe hit six home runs in his first 44 games but didn’t hit one in his final 56 games since May 16.
But that all changed when he took to the mound in the second inning on Monday against Austin Wells.
“He’s worked really hard the last few days, and I think he’s feeling good,” manager Aaron Boone said. “He’s starting to get a little bit better and is getting a lot of quality at-bats.”
Volpe was batting .171 with a .433 OPS in his last 35 games entering the All-Star break.
However, in the four games since the break, he recorded six hits in 14 at-bats, two doubles, and one home run.
That included two hits to left field on Monday, but he’s been hitting fewer of them there this season as he works to get back to a style of pitching that sends the ball flying in all directions, which has drained his power.
“I love seeing him perform like that in the stands,” Boone said. “I don’t care where the ball goes. I want him to have more quality at-bats, more tough at-bats. I feel like he’s starting to get a little bit more going and hopefully it continues.”
Consistent playing time has been hard to come by for Oswaldo Cabrera, but the utility man has been productive lately when he has played, like he did Monday.
Cabrera, starting at second base for Gleyber Torres, was 2-for-4 with one two-run hit, giving him a hit in each of his last six starts (the Yankees’ last 12 games) and giving him 9-for-18 at-bats in that span.
“When you do something good for your team and you win, it feels really good,” Cabrera said.
Alex Verdugo singled to center field in the sixth inning, breaking a 0-for-20 slump.
Nick Burdy (right hip inflammation) faced live hitters at the Yankees’ stadium in Tampa last week and is scheduled to face live hitters again this week.
If that works, the relief pitcher will head to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre later this week to begin a rehab assignment that he has missed since May 24th.
Jon Bertie, whose recovery from a torn right calf has been delayed and who received a PRP injection on Saturday, batted and played catch on Monday but is “still a little bit slow,” Boone said.
“It’s not like he’s going to miss games or anything like that,” the manager said. “The calf can be a bit of a problem sometimes. I’ve experienced it myself as a player. Of course we’re trying to get him back as quickly as possible, but it will be a bit of time.”
