More On:
new york yankees
Yankees’ setup man passes first rehab assignment test
Three moves Yankees must make to give awful lineup a boost
Offense remains a problem as Yankees’ free fall continues
Ex-Yankee hopes Olympic chance is path back to MLB
DETROIT — Miguel Andujar got the start at first base on Sunday and Mike Ford and DJ LeMahieu will also get time there with Luke Voit on the IL with a strained oblique and expected to miss “at least a few weeks,” according to Aaron Boone.
But Boone acknowledged that Chris Gittens is “very much on our radar” as he continues to slug at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
The 27-year-old Gittens missed time recently after the birth of his child, but he’s back with SWB and has a 1.098 OPS in 14 games this season.
The 12th-round pick from the 2014 draft has hit well throughout his minor league career, although Gittens never played above Double-A prior to this season.
He’s not on the 40-man roster, but the Yankees could put Corey Kluber on the 60-day IL to open a spot, although Boone said there were no plans to do so at this point.
And Boone is paying attention to Gittens, with his team struggling to score runs.
“He’s swinging the bat really well to start the season,’’ Boone said. “It follows up what he’s done the last couple seasons and he had a strong spring training with us.”
The 6-foot-4, 250-pound Gittens has displayed serious power, rivaling Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge when it comes to exit velocity, but he still has just 56 plate appearances above Double-A.
The Yankees, though, have gotten very little production out of first base this season. After trying Jay Bruce to open the season, when Voit was recovering from knee surgery, Ford has also been unproductive and Voit never found his rhythm before going down with the oblique injury.
Share this article:
Source: Read Full Article