NEW YORK — Jazz Chisholm Jr. was out of the lineup Saturday night because of a scheduled off day, as he continues making his way back to full strength from missing a month due to an oblique injury. Anthony Volpe was also sidelined after getting plunked by a pitch on his elbow Friday. That left one-third of the New York Yankees lineup against the Boston Red Sox to DJ LeMahieu, Oswald Peraza and Pablo Reyes.
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The Yankees needed an upgrade over the winter to their infield, but they did not add a viable option to improve their bench. LeMahieu has battled injuries to his lower body over the past few seasons, which has zapped his power. Peraza has yet to prove he can hit major-league pitching. Reyes was a nice spring training story, but the Yankees were fooled by meaningless February and March stats. There’s not much reason for Reyes to be one of the Yankees’ 26 players.
The lack of playing time this season for Reyes, in particular, may have burned the Yankees’ chances for possibly pulling out a win in a 10-7 loss against Boston on Saturday. In the third inning, with runners on first and second with one out, Romy Gonzalez hit a grounder in the hole. Peraza, at shortstop, ranged to his right and fired to third base to Reyes, who was two steps in front of the bag and not on the base. Reyes initially ranged for the ball to his left, but where it was hit, he had a slim-to-none chance of making a play. With a force play at third, Reyes should have retreated to the bag.
“If you read it perfect,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone interjected. “Reyes is going after that ball like, ‘I got a chance, too.’ If you read it perfectly right away and know, ‘I can’t get to it,’ and shut down and know Peraza can get to it — so, I don’t have an issue with the play. If it happens to sync up, great, but his first instinct was to go get it.”
The Yankees not getting an out there loaded the bases for the Red Sox. Abraham Toro followed by dunking an RBI single in front of Cody Bellinger to pull Boston within 3-2. And then Trevor Story cleared the bases with a three-run double on a 106.4 mph groundball that ricocheted off Reyes’ glove and traveled down the left-field line. Story crushed the ball, but according to Statcast, hitters were batting only .080 on groundballs hit over 106 mph to third basemen this season.
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“I mean, tough play,” Boone said. “In fairness, he hadn’t been out there a ton, obviously. That ball is smoked off the bat. Tough chance. Little bit do or die. Didn’t make it.”
Reyes had played third only twice this season before Saturday night, April 2 and May 30, but it highlights the need for having someone who can play more if needed. Reyes had just 28 plate appearances entering Saturday’s game and has graded out negatively offensively and defensively in a small sample. Giancarlo Stanton should return in the coming weeks, and Reyes is a candidate to get designated for assignment if a roster spot is needed. That would leave Peraza as the lone backup infielder, but the organization’s actions have shown it does not trust him much, either. Getting a better infielder before next month’s trade deadline should be a priority for the Yankees.
New York did not drop a divisional game solely because of Reyes’ defense. Yankees starter Ryan Yarbrough delivered his worst outing in pinstripes. In four innings, Yarbrough allowed nine hits, two walks and gave up eight runs. He had pitched brilliantly before Saturday’s game, but his ERA minus FIP was the sixth largest in MLB, meaning he was the beneficiary of getting better results than what is likely expected. Still, Yarbrough deserves credit for stepping into the rotation and being a steady presence before Saturday’s implosion. He was added mere days before Opening Day after the Blue Jays designated him for assignment, and he had little idea what his role would be when he signed with the Yankees.
Ideally, the Yankees will add another starter to slot behind Max Fried and Carlos Rodón in their rotation. Another dependable starter would fortify their group and could lessen the pressure on Will Warren, and relying on Luis Gil to return to form after missing the entirety of the season so far with a lat injury. Boone said before Saturday’s game that Gil still needs to complete several bullpens before advancing to face live hitters, meaning he’s still several weeks away from returning to MLB. He would still need to complete the equivalent of a full spring training slate of rehab games before being an option, too. Though less pressing than an upgrade to the infield, a starter should be on the Yankees’ trade wish list.
Even with Yarbrough allowing eight runs, the Yankees still had a chance to steal a win Saturday night. LeMahieu hit a two-run single in the eighth inning, cutting the Red Sox’s lead to 8-7, but the Yankees couldn’t cash in further.
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Reliever Ian Hamilton pitched the ninth inning and could not hold the Yankees’ deficit to one; he allowed two runs on three hits and one walk. It was another poor outing for Hamilton, whose ERA is now 5.14. He has not looked sharp this season, and his biggest issue is his declining fastball velocity and a lack of command. Hamilton has a minor-league option remaining, and it’s reached the point where the front office has to consider sending him to Triple A for refinement.
The Yankees could see if Clayton Beeter would be an improvement, or they could wait until Jake Cousins completes his rehab assignment and replace Hamilton with him. Recent history tells us the Yankees will add at least one reliever at the July 31 deadline; they’ve added at least one bullpen arm in every season since 2020. They could use at least one new arm in what has been an above-average bullpen, even with Hamilton’s and Devin Williams’ early-season struggles.
The Yankees have flaws that need to be addressed, but they’re still one of the best teams across MLB. A few upgrades could improve their outlook ahead of October.
(Photo of Ryan Yarbrough: Brad Penner / Imagn Images)
