Yankees' Gary Sanchez appears close to regaining role of starting catcher

MINNEAPOLIS — Don’t look now, but it appears Gary Sanchez is on the verge of re-assuming his role as the unquestioned starting catcher of the Yankees.

If he hasn’t already.

While Kyle Higashioka was back in the lineup Wednesday night serving as Gerrit Cole’s personal catcher, it has been Sanchez getting the majority of time behind the plate of late.

And every indication is that will continue for the foreseeable future as Sanchez’s bat, at long last, seems to be heating up.

And just in time for a Yankees offense trying desperately to emerge from the lineup-wide slump plaguing them most of this season.

"I’ve been running him out there more of late and he’ll continue to earn that," Aaron Boone said.

The manager caught himself regarding Higashioka.

"But it doesn’t take away the confidence I have in Higgy when he’s back there and what he can provide, too, so they’ll both continue to play."

He pivoted again, acknowledging the obvious difference between Higashioka and Sanchez as threats on offense.

"Obviously, we know when Gary is going, what a difference maker he can be," Boone said. "And that, coupled with I think he’s doing a really nice job behind the plate."

Sanchez came into Wednesday night hitting .353 with two homers and a 1.054 OPS in his last 11 games. It raised his overall batting average to an unimpressive .217 and his OPS to a not good/not great .739, but a far cry from the .174 average and .642 OPS he had on May 25.

And more than a few opposing team scouts have backed Boone’s comment about Sanchez’s defense, mentioning his overall improvement in blocking balls, pitch-framing and pitch-calling, the latter an element of the catcher’s game praised by pitchers over the years.

Higashioka, after a hot start at the plate, came into Wednesday hitting .184 with five homers and a .713 OPS. Since going 2-for-4 with a homer and a double in a 6-3 victory at Cleveland April 22, the 31-year-old hit .136 with two homers and a .487 OPS over the next 20 games.

"There are so many things you think about when you’re struggling and things are not working out," Sanchez said through his interpreter Tuesday night after going 2-for-5 with a homer in an 8-4 victory over the Twins. "But at the same time, you understand that the only way out is to continue to work and never give up. That’s what I focused on, and I’m glad things have been working out."

Boone said even in his struggles — which date to 2020 when he hit .147 with a .618 OPS and even the second half of 2019 — Sanchez "never wavered with his confidence."

"His work has been excellent on both sides of the ball. He’s got a long way to go still, as a lot of us do, to get to . . . where we need to go," Boone said. "But without question, the last few weeks, it’s been more consistency all-around for Gary."

"Though it’s been a while, Sanchez has proved capable of carrying the Yankees’ offense. Longtime Yankee Brett Gardner believes the 28-year-old can do so again.

"I’ve said for the last three years, I think Gary’s one of the most talented right-handed hitters in the game," Gardner said. "I know last year, obviously, didn’t go his way, and the results early on this year may not have been exactly what he’s looking for. But he’s very, very, very talented on both sides of the ball, and he’s a big part of our team.

"He’s a guy that, when he gets going and he’s right at the plate, he can carry your team. We’ve seen it before. I see no reason to believe that he can’t continue to do that moving forward."

By Erik Boland

erik.boland@newsday.comeboland11

Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.