CHICAGO — The Yankees’ inconsistent offense was without one in all its hottest recent hitters Wednesday night.
DJ LeMahieu was a late scratch with right-calf tightness that kept him out of the Yankees’ 9-2 loss to the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.
“Just felt something in [batting practice] in his calf,” manager Aaron Boone said after the sport. “Went out for ground balls and just wasn’t quite right. We’ll see.”
LeMahieu ended up not being available to pinch-hit. The Yankees have Thursday off before they open a series on Friday in Miami, and Boone said the team would proceed to watch LeMahieu.
The veteran infielder sat out Tuesday as well, but Boone said on the time that he was OK physically.
Entering Wednesday, LeMahieu was hitting .309 with a .824 OPS over his last 23 games.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa moved from shortstop to 3rd base to take LeMahieu’s place while Oswaldo Cabrera began at shortstop.
After unsuccessfully fighting against happening the 15-day injured list, Carlos Rodon is doing the whole lot he can to make sure that he has the minimum stay.
The left-hander threw from flat ground Wednesday, his second day of throwing after was diagnosed with a “low-grade” hamstring strain on Monday.
While Rodon shouldn’t be eligible to pitch again until Aug. 22, he and the team hope that continuing to throw during his IL stint should allow him to return once the 15 days are up.
“For me, there’s little doubt,” Rodon said Wednesday. “Obviously that’s as much as the powers that be. I’ll be ready once they need me on the mound.”
Boone said on Monday that Rodon was “adamant” about not happening the IL, however the Yankees decided to err on the side of caution as a substitute of allowing him to pitch while barely compromised.
“I understand they were attempting to protect me,” Rodon said. “This can be a long-haul form of thing. Obviously I need to be on the mound and compete, as any one in all my teammates must be the identical way. But it surely’s one in all those things that it’s less than me.”
It’s the newest setback this season for Rodon after he signed a six-year, $162 million contract. He suffered a forearm muscle strain in spring training, then experienced back discomfort that delayed his season debut until July. In six starts between IL stints, Rodon posted a 7.33 ERA.
“It’s pretty frustrating,” Rodon said of his season. “At this point, it’s form of one in all those things that’s behind me. It’s what it’s. I used to be on the market competing, felt a hamstring and just gotta put that behind me and prepare 13 days from now to take the ball. That’s form of where I’m at, looking ahead, not behind.”
The Yankees were still plotting out a plan for when Rodon might throw a bullpen session, but he said he didn’t feel any problems on Wednesday while throwing from about 120 feet.
The Yankees will push Nestor Cortes back a day to begin on Saturday against the Marlins, with Gerrit Cole happening Sunday. That leaves Friday open, with Randy Vasquez prone to be called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for the beginning, though Boone said they might use an opener.
Anthony Volpe was out of the starting lineup for under the eighth time this season Wednesday, though he later entered as a pinch-hitter within the eighth inning and walked, ensuring he has still played in all 115 of the Yankees’ games.
