CHICAGO — Clarke Schmidt had one more solid start Tuesday for the Yankees, but after that, their rotation for the remainder of the week remained very much up within the air.
Wednesday is Luis Severino’s scheduled day to start out, and on Tuesday afternoon, manager Aaron Boone said the struggling right-hander was still set to achieve this “as of now.”
Then, after a 7-1 win over the White Sox, Boone said the Yankees were about to debate how they desired to handle the series finale.
“We’re considering the whole lot,” Boone said.
With a comparatively fresh relief corps and a day without work looming on Thursday, the Yankees could skip Severino and go along with a bullpen game as an alternative.
They may use an opener ahead of Severino, who has a 13.85 ERA in the primary inning, or they might call up a totally rested Randy Vasquez from Triple-A to make a spot start, though he has been expected to take Carlos Rodon’s spot within the rotation.
The Yankees also were still attempting to determine how they desired to handle their three-game series at Miami, which is able to begin Friday.
Nestor Cortes can be on an additional day’s rest to start out the series opener against the Marlins, but Boone said the Yankees might push him to Saturday.
Cortes, who was activated off the 60-day injured list and threw 4 strong innings last Saturday, appears to have come out of it OK. When he landed on the IL in June, his fundamental issue was having the ability to bounce back physically between starts.
“I mean, he’s been sore. I believe normal soreness,” Boone said. “But he definitely knows he pitched and pitched in a competitive game. Hopefully that’s thing. So hopefully we work him through and get him able to go for his next one this weekend.”
Cortes will still be on a pitch count as he builds up his workload.
Between that limit, Severino’s tendency for abbreviated outings these days and Vasquez only having thrown 15 ¹/₃ innings across three profession MLB starts, the Yankees could also be balancing when to fit each of them in depending on how fresh the bullpen is.
Aaron Judge hit a house run and walked thrice because the DH on Tuesday night after he began in right field on Monday.
Boone said the reigning AL MVP has been coming through games “pretty much” despite not being 100% due to toe injury he’s playing through.
“He’s definitely had some days of soreness and coping with it, but I do feel prefer it’s steadily gotten higher, which has been good to see,” Boone said. “I believe he’s moved across the bases pretty much. Obviously getting him out in the sector again [Monday] night went well. I believe overall, it’s gone pretty much. We proceed to play close attention to it.”
Asked if toe surgery is likely to be needed within the offseason, Boone said he was unsure.
“I don’t necessarily think so, but I don’t know,” he said.
Ben Rortvedt began at catcher over Kyle Higashioka for the second straight game and the fifth time within the last seven games. Higashioka pinch-hit for Rortvedt against lefty reliever Tanner Banks within the eighth inning and delivered a two-run homer.
“I might say it’s a shared thing,” Boone said of the catcher spot, adding that Higashioka would likely start the following two games.
A day after former Steelers coach Bill Cowher was a guest during batting practice at Guaranteed Rate Field, Hall of Famer Jim Thome was in attendance and frolicked talking to Yankees staff and players behind the cage.
