BALTIMORE — Before both teams lost their cool Friday night at Camden Yards, the Yankees may have lost one of their catchers.
Jose Trevino left the Yankees’ 4-1 win over the Orioles in the ninth inning after injuring his quad sliding into home plate to score an insurance run in the top of the ninth.
“We’ll reevaluate and see where we’re at [Saturday],” manager Aaron Boone said after a game that included the benches clearing in the bottom of the ninth.
Trevino hit two doubles on the night, the first one giving the Yankees a 1-0 lead before he came around to score in the second inning.
In the ninth, he led off with a double and came home to score on Juan Soto’s single just after the skies had opened up.
The Yankees have started to use Austin Wells more regularly behind the plate in their timeshare, but if Trevino is forced to miss time, the Yankees could fill his spot with Carlos Narvaez or Agustin Ramirez, both of whom are at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and on the 40-man roster.
Ben Rice is also a natural catcher, but he has been manning first base since making his big-league debut last month as Anthony Rizzo’s injury replacement.
Between minimal results and minimal playing time, J.D. Davis’ Yankees tenure was already off to a rough start.
Now he won’t have a chance at either for the next week.
The Yankees placed Davis on the 10-day injured list Friday with a stomach flu that he has been dealing with for the last few days, according to Boone.
“He’s just been pretty sick the last couple days,” Boone said Friday. “Wasn’t even around us and stayed back in Tampa. Just a bad stomach virus. So it was probably going to be at least a couple more days and then going into the All-Star break[on Monday].”
The Yankees, who called up Jorbit Vivas to take the open roster spot, backdated Davis’ IL stint to Tuesday, making him eligible to be activated next Friday when the second half begins.
“Talking to him this morning, he was still not in a great spot but feeling better and hopefully getting the right medicine in him to hopefully start to turn the corner here in the next couple days,” Boone said.
The right-handed hitting Davis, acquired from the A’s late last month, has not played since July 4 when he was used as a pinch-hitter, and has not started a game since July 3 — the last time the Yankees faced a left-handed starter before Friday.
In five games overall, he was batting 1-for-13 with two walks, starting three games at first base and one at DH.
When he came over to the Yankees, Davis said Boone had told him he could earn more playing time with his performance.
But instead, Rice has been the first baseman earning more playing time, now moving into the cleanup spot.
Nearly four weeks removed from suffering a fracture in his right arm, Rizzo has been able to do some activity in the weight room but is still limited in what he can do.
“I’m feeling good, the bone’s healing,” Rizzo said Friday on the YES Network while promoting his foundation’s annual Swing For the Fences auction that raises money for pediatric cancer patients and their families. “It’s definitely progressed a lot. Still some pain, but that comes with a broken bone. Definitely on the way to recovery and really excited to get back on the field and enjoy the game.”
Of course, with Rice making an immediate impact at first base as the veteran’s injury replacement, it remains to be seen how the Yankees handle the situation if and when Rizzo returns in August.
Rizzo holds an important voice within the clubhouse but had been mostly struggling at the plate before he got injured.
“He’s been incredible,” Rizzo said of Rice. “The way he’s controlled the strike zone is very [telling]. Any young player that can come up and control the zone the way he has, that’s a recipe for success. He’s hit leadoff, Booney has him hitting fourth now. He’s unfazed by the bright lights and it just goes to a tribute to him and how good of a kid he is and character he has. He fits right in and it’s been exciting seeing him play.”
