The Yankees coaching staff hasn’t been able to get Aaron Judge going since his call-up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Maybe the minor league staff will have better luck.
Minor league hitting coordinator James Rowson has been with the Yankees this week and has seen Judge struggle before — though probably not to this extent.
“He’s trying to get comfortable here,” Rowson said before Judge batted ninth against the Rays on Thursday night in the midst of a horrific slump.
He entered with three hits in his previous 30 plate appearances with 20 strikeouts over a nine-game stretch. He had fanned multiple times in each game, but maybe Rowson’s presence is starting to pay off as Judge went 1-for-3 and didn’t strike out in the Yankees’ 5-4 win over the Rays.
“Everything is new to him and he’s had his battles before and made the adjustments,” Rowson said. “He’s been through rough times, especially with the punchouts and he’s always come out on the other side. So I feel like he’s going to do that again.”
In June, when Judge was struggling with SWB, Rowson was on hand in hopes of getting him to drive the ball more and cut down on the whiffs.
He succeeded enough that Judge overcame that slump to get to The Bronx after Carlos Beltran was dealt to the Rangers, but if the Yankees are going to remain contenders in the American League, they can hardly afford the black hole that Judge has become.
“He’s just dealing with a new level, which he’s succeeded at doing before,” Rowson said. “This is a tough time for him, no doubt. We’re all ready for it to be over.”
CC Sabathia didn’t make it out of the fifth inning, but the Yankees survived — thanks to the bullpen.
Without reliable arms like Dellin Betances, Adam Warren and Tyler Clippard unavailable, Joe Girardi went to names like Jonathan Holder, Blake Parker and the struggling Kirby Yates.
And it worked, as five relievers combined to allow one run over five innings.
“Those guys have been great,” Brian McCann said. “People thought the bullpen would struggle without [Andrew] Miller and Aroldis [Chapman], but we’re showing how deep we can go.”
Their performance helped make up for Sabathia’s shortest outing of the season, when he gave up three homers for the first time since July 2015.
Sabathia said he left some balls up and Girardi noted his slider and cutter weren’t sharp.
But he tried to look on the bright side.
“Hopefully, the shorter outing will refresh him and we get him going in his next start,” Girardi said.
And they have plenty to play for.
“It’s September,” Sabathia said. “It’s time for us to make a move. Of course, it’s a realistic shot.”
Gary Sanchez went 0-for-4 and had his streak of reaching base in 21 straight games snapped. The August AL Player of the Month is now 6-for-35 with 12 strikeouts, a double and no RBIs in his last nine games.
The Yankees passed on the chance to sign former quarterback Tim Tebow to a minor league deal, but Girardi and Mark Teixeira said they will be keeping an eye on the newest Met.
“This is America, the land of opportunity,” Girardi said when asked his thoughts on the former Heisman Trophy winner and ex-Jet officially becoming a professional baseball player Thursday. “If you’ve proven you deserve an opportunity, let him have the opportunity.”
But Girardi said he knows there will be challenges ahead.
“The difficulty is gonna come [because he] probably hasn’t seen a whole lot of live pitching,’’ the manager said. “He’s seen a lot of linebackers and defensive linemen chasing him. I’d be shocked if he’s not rusty, [but] the Mets thought enough of him to sign him. I’m curious. I’m going to watch and pay attention to see how he does. I think it’s a good story.”
Teixeira said he’s in Tebow’s corner.
“He knows the odds are against him, but why not?” Teixeira said. “I’m rooting for him. It’ll be fun to watch.”