Juan Soto isn't going to be one of the most coveted free agents of all time this offseason because of his defensive prowess, but he had a particularly tough game in Sunday's 14-7 loss to the Cardinals, misplaying several balls in right field.
That may have been partly down to the wet field, but Yankee Stadium's short right-field porch means it's unusual for the ball to go over the right fielder's head, but it happened to Soto three times Sunday.
The first blunder came in the second inning, when Brendan Donovan, with a .090 batting average, reached base on a fly ball that went past Soto for a second and allowed a run to score.
“I could see the ball the whole time, but as soon as I hit it, I thought it was going to be a high pop fly to the infield,” Soto said, “but it just took off and the wind kind of sent it flying into the wall.”
And Lars Nootbaar's decisive three-run double eluded Soto on a play he should have been able to hit.
Soto said the backspin on the liner affected his play, but manager Aaron Boone said Soto shouldn't have caught it.
Overall, Soto's defensive metrics as a right fielder aren't bad.
His ability to dominate at the plate makes any defensive shortcomings largely irrelevant, but sometimes, like Sunday's, the shortcomings can affect the game.
The Yankees pitching staff will get a key addition this week, as Luis Gil is recovering from a back strain and is expected to make his final minor league rehab start on Sunday for Double-A Somerset.
He threw 80 pitches and gave up three runs in 3 2/3 innings.
And Clark Schmidt (Rat) is due to play his final rehab match at Somerset on Monday.
Boone said both right-handers will likely be with the team for this week's series against the Cubs in Chicago.
Boone said the team hasn't yet decided what the rotation will be once the pair are ready, but that won't be decided until this weekend.
Boone said Saturday he didn't expect to go with a six-man rotation late in the game.
Right-handers Scott Efros and Ron Marinaccio were recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday.
Efros hasn't pitched for the Yankees since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2022, giving up three hits and two runs in just 2/3 innings.
All four batters Efros faced hit balls over 100 mph, including a home run by Jordan Walker.
Marinaccio pitched one inning, allowing two runs and a home run.
Left-hander Ian Hamilton was sidelined with back spasms but is expected to return for a rehab assignment, and with Nick Burdy and Lou Trivino also pitching in the minor leagues, the Yankees could be looking to revamp their bullpen again in the final few weeks of the regular season.
Aaron Judge was hitless and struck out three times. In the six games since hitting his 50th and 51st home runs, Judge is four hits in 21 at-bats, with one double, six walks and 10 strikeouts.
