Yankees takeaways: Aaron Boone's pinch hit problem, infield hitting woes, more

New York Times

04-05-2025

NEW YORK — The New York Yankees have dropped back-to-back series against American League East opponents. The Tampa Bay Rays came to the Bronx and took two of three from the Yankees, while the struggling Baltimore Orioles also took two of three before that.
The Yankees had their chances late in Sunday's game to win the series, but they could not rally from an early 5-0 deficit and fell 7-5. We'll get into the decision that most fans were left scratching their heads over.
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The biggest at-bat for the Yankees on Sunday came in the bottom of the eighth inning with backup catcher J.C. Escarra in the batter's box. The Yankees trailed 7-3 and had the bases loaded with no outs after Aaron Judge led the inning off with a double, Cody Bellinger walked and Paul Goldschmidt and Jasson Domínguez singled. Rays right-handed reliever Edwin Uceta was on the mound; he is devastating against righties, while lefties have fared better in his career.
Both Austin Wells and Ben Rice were available and on the bench for the Yankees to use in a pinch hitting situation, but manager Aaron Boone chose to have Escarra hit in the biggest moment of the game. He grounded into a 1-2-3 double play, effectively killing a chance for a big inning.
Here is how Boone explained why he chose to have Escarra hit with the bases loaded and no outs:
'We're staying away from (injured) Anthony (Volpe), so I'm choosing between Escarra and (Jorbit) Vivas there. I'm just going to take the guy that's been here and more experienced. I knew I had one shot with Rice there. Then, when the double play happened, I kind of shut that down a little bit, but then he was the tying run again there with (Oswaldo Cabrera). So, no, not that point with no outs. I was going to use him for Vivas.'
OK, so let's break this decision down in full. Boone said Volpe was unavailable after injuring his shoulder in Saturday's game. There's a possibility he could be available for Monday's game against the San Diego Padres. With Volpe out, that means the Yankees were playing a man short.
Boone then said he was choosing between pinch hitting for Escarra or Vivas. He then admitted to planning on pinch hitting Rice for Vivas, who was up next. Essentially, Boone is suggesting that he had scripted the decision before the Escarra at-bat began. But once Escarra hit into a double play, he felt the need to pinch hit for Vivas wasn't necessary. It still doesn't make sense why Boone wouldn't want a better hitter in place of Escarra for the most critical at-bat of the game, so let's look at it even deeper using other scenarios at play.
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The cleanest decision Boone could have made is pinch hitting Wells for Escarra. If that happened, Wells simply catches the following inning (which he did anyways), and Boone still has Rice on the bench if needed as an emergency catcher. Boone initially planned on pinch hitting for Vivas, but he stayed in the game and hit a two-run single for his first career hit. That cut Tampa's lead to 7-5, and once again, it gave Boone a chance to pinch hit. This time, for Cabrera.
With Vivas on first, Rice came up as the tying run. The Rays, smartly, pitched around Rice and unintentionally walked him on four straight pitches out of the strike zone. Oswald Peraza then hit into a force play to end the inning. Pinch hitting Rice in that moment was a waste. Rays manager Kevin Cash knows Peraza is the worse hitter, and he'd rather his reliever face him than the hot-hitting Rice. He chose wisely. Because Cabrera was out of the game, Escarra took over on defense at third base, which he played some in the minors.
It's impossible to know what would have transpired if the Yankees had pinch hit for Escarra, but Boone's decision could have burned their chances for winning Sunday's game.
With Jazz Chisholm Jr. out for several weeks with a strained oblique, the Yankees choosing not to sign a major-league-quality infielder in the offseason is glaring now. They planned on having DJ LeMahieu at third base, which would have put Cabrera in the super utility role instead of him being the daily starter at third. But LeMahieu injured his calf in his first spring training game, putting more strain on the Yankees' depth.
Because of Chisholm's injury, the Yankees must play one of Peraza, Vivas or Pablo Reyes daily. None profiles as a quality MLB hitter. Peraza and Reyes are a combined 11-for-56 (.196) in limited action. Vivas was more of a light-contact hitter in the minor leagues, and he finished in the 16th percentile in average exit velocity in Triple A last season. He did come through in the eighth inning Sunday.
Jorbit's first base-hit in the Big Leagues 👊 pic.twitter.com/6VCPaOuzkK
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 4, 2025
The Yankees had to have known that LeMahieu was near the end of his career. He's trended downward since 2020, and he's sustained several lower-body injuries during the past few seasons. Even without knowing LeMahieu would get hurt in 2025, it was unwise for the club to pencil him in as its starter. LeMahieu is on a rehab assignment and could be back in the big leagues soon, but his return likely won't mean much.
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General manager Brian Cashman told reporters near the end of spring training that he was still looking for a right-handed bat to add to the roster, but that move never materialized. It should have happened earlier in the offseason, and now the Yankees' depth will be tested because of the lack of activity.
The results have not been there for Will Warren. He allowed five runs (three earned) on seven hits and three walks in 4 2/3 innings Sunday. Nothing about that line suggests there's much to be positive about with the inexperienced starter, but he should not be written off.
Warren has four plus pitches with his fastball, sinker, sweeper and curveball. That is quite the foundation for a young pitcher because it says he has the tools to be successful with some tweaking. It's obvious his approach against left-handed batters must improve. It is reminiscent of the early struggles of Clarke Schmidt and Michael King, who also had above-average stuff and figured out how to be successful in the big leagues. Of course, Warren may not ever figure out how to be an adequate big-league pitcher, but it's too early for him to be crossed off and seen as an afterthought. He has the makings to be a good pitcher in this league. It may not happen this year, but he can get there if he reaches his potential.
The same cannot be said about Carlos Carrasco. The 38-year-old has had a long career in the league, but he's nearing the end. The Yankees are skipping Carrasco's start Tuesday by pitching Schmidt in his place. Schmidt was supposed to start Saturday's game, but they pushed him back after he experienced soreness on his left side. Conveniently, they'll have him take over for the struggling veteran.
Carrasco pitched three innings in relief Sunday, but Boone said there's nothing to read into that decision. Because his start would have been skipped, he'd have to pitch at some point. It's probable that he'll slot back into the rotation next weekend.
(Photo of Trent Grisham: Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)