SAN DIEGO — It’s that time of the year when scoreboard watching becomes a habit. New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said his eyes don’t dart to the scoreboard any more often in September than they do in April, but there’s more meaning now.
Time is running out for the Yankees to catch the Tampa Bay Rays for the American League East title. The Rays lead the division by four games with 19 to play, including a critical four-game set between the two clubs. FanGraphs’ playoff odds give the Yankees a 16.1 percent chance of winning the division. After a series loss to the San Diego Padres, the margin of error for the Yankees claiming the title has become minuscule.
“I think we’ve got some work to do,” Yankees starter Gerrit Cole said after allowing four home runs in a 4-3 loss to the Padres on Sunday. “We’re within striking distance of our goals.”
Here are three takeaways after the Yankees’ series against the Padres:
Could Judge return Tuesday?
Potentially the final step before Aaron Judge returns to the majors is happening on Monday in an empty Yankee Stadium.
Judge will face live pitching on Monday against to-be-determined pitchers. If all goes well, Judge could make his return as soon as Tuesday against the Colorado Rockies. Boone did not rule out that possibility when asked before Sunday’s game.
“I don’t know,” Boone said with a smile. “We’ll see.”
As is the case with everything related to Judge and injuries, the Yankees will not tell the public anything related to potential timelines of a return. We are left to read between the lines and decipher clues like a bootleg Sherlock Holmes.
What Boone said Saturday might be the biggest breadcrumb of how they’re planning to handle the superstar’s return. Because Judge wants to forgo a traditional rehab assignment, the Yankees must build his durability up in the majors.
One way to do that is to play him several innings and then substitute for him. Boone said that starting him for “five, six, or seven” innings before replacing him is under consideration. They could also start him for a full game and then give him the next game off. They want to be cautious with his workload because of the severity of his rib injury, so it is unlikely that when he returns he will play every single inning of the team’s remaining games.
With the woeful Colorado Rockies coming to the Bronx, the Yankees could, effectively, treat those three games as the equivalent of a minor league rehab assignment for Judge. No matter what they decide, as long as there isn’t a setback on Monday, expect to see Judge back in the lineup in this upcoming homestand.
With Trent Grisham sidelined by injury, Spencer Jones has an opportunity to prove he should be the team’s starting center fielder in October. (David Frerker / Imagn Images)
It’s time for the Spencer Show
Trent Grisham was diagnosed with a Grade 2 right hamstring strain, the same injury that cost him three weeks earlier in the season. Even if it’s the same timeline for Grisham to return from his newest hamstring strain, there may not be enough time for him to return before the end of the regular season.
Boone said “he could” be out for the rest of the regular season, but they haven’t determined a timeline for a potential return yet. Grisham was doing light exercise, testing his hamstring before Saturday’s game. But there may not be time for him to get back into the lineup before the postseason begins.
That gives Spencer Jones an opportunity to prove he should be the team’s starting center fielder in October, even if Grisham can return. Jones started the scoring for the Yankees in Sunday’s game with an RBI double off Padres setup man Adrian Morejon, who is one of the toughest left-handed relievers in the sport.
Jones has had success against lefties this season; he entered Sunday’s game with a 220 wRC+ against southpaws. Some of that is a mirage, as he’s posted a .560 batting average on balls in play against lefties, but the contact quality has been elite while the strikeout percentage has been passable.
Earlier in the year, the Yankees viewed Jones as a platoon bat, with nearly the entirety of his playing time coming against right-handers. With Grisham out, Jones will play nearly every day, no matter who’s on the mound.
Jones’ success against lefty pitching matters because if the current standings hold, the Yankees will face the Boston Red Sox in the wild card. The Red Sox have several lefties they could throw in a three-game series against the Yankees, including starters Payton Tolle, Ranger Suarez and Jake Bennett, and high-leverage relievers Aroldis Chapman and Erik Miller. Garrett Crochet could also return from injury and pitch out of the bullpen.
That will be a true test for Jones’ prowess against lefties.
Volpe’s newest position and sudden power
Jasson Domínguez arrived in San Diego Saturday morning, and he was asked about Anthony Volpe’s recent success in Triple A.
“He became Barry Bonds all of a sudden,” Domínguez said of Volpe. “He’s working his ass off to get better, and you can see it every day. I’m telling you.”
Volpe has 11 home runs for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and has started to increase his positional versatility by playing third base. Since getting optioned to Triple A, Volpe has started three games at third base. The timing is interesting.
If Volpe can show that his surge of power is real while being able to handle three positions (shortstop, second base and third base), he suddenly becomes an intriguing option for the Yankees to consider for their postseason roster.
José Caballero plays all three positions, but his offense has been abysmal since the All-Star break; the utilityman has posted a 61 wRC+ in that span. He’s also struggled against lefty pitching this season, posting a 78 wRC+.
Many fans would likely groan about Volpe returning to the big leagues at any point this year, but the Yankees haven’t ruled it out. If Caballero continues struggling, the Yankees have to at least consider whether Volpe can fill a utility role.