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ARLINGTON, Texas — In a surprising move, the Yankees decided to designate veteran outfielder Randal Grichuk for assignment on Wednesday, just as he was finding his rhythm. After a tough start to the season, going 0-for-15, Grichuk had turned things around, hitting 6-for-16.
Grichuk, a right-handed hitter, was brought into the team on a minor league contract during training camp, with the hope that he could bolster the lineup against left-handed pitchers.
“It was a tough call because Randal has really integrated well with the team,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone remarked before their 3-0 defeat to the Rangers. “Even though his stats show a slow start, he has delivered the kind of at-bats we were looking for against left-handed pitching when given the chance.”
Boone explained the reasoning behind the decision, noting, “With Ben Rice not catching often and Paul Goldschmidt serving as the backup first baseman, we lack positional flexibility. Max Schuemann provides that, making it the right fit for our club at this moment.”
Boone reassured Grichuk of his abilities, saying, “I told him last night that he still has what it takes to play this game at a high level. It was a difficult decision because he meshed well with the team.”
Anthony Volpe played in a 10th rehab game Wednesday at Double-A Somerset, going 2-for-4 while playing a full nine innings at shortstop for the second straight day.
The Yankees have said they will reevaluate Volpe on Thursday, which is Day 17 of a maximum 20-day rehab clock, but Boone was cagey on whether the shortstop would be activated Friday.
“We’ll see,” Boone said. “We got this game and he’s playing in Somerset today. We’ll see.”
Gerrit Cole made his third rehab start Wednesday afternoon, building up to 60 pitches (45 strikes) across 5 ²/₃ innings with Double-A Somerset. He gave up three runs on three hits and no walks while striking out three. Cole has only walked one batter across 14 ¹/₃ innings on his rehab assignment so far.
“It was nice to get six ups, so it was a good day,” Cole told reporters in Somerset. “Lot of strikes, that’s good. Not a lot of large misses, and consistency out of all the offerings today, which was nice.”
The former AL Cy Young Award winner is expected to need at least a few more rehab starts before potentially being activated in mid-to-late May.
An umpire asked Elmer Rodríguez to change his glove after the second inning Wednesday, which the rookie right-hander did but was unsure why it was necessary. Making his MLB debut, Rodríguez was sporting a blue, red and white glove, as a tribute to his native Puerto Rico, but then used a black glove for the final two innings.
“Thankfully I had one here,” Rodríguez said. “He just told me I could change it for the next inning and that was it.”