Aaron Boone believes criticism of Yanks' Josh Donaldson, DJ LeMahieu overblown
Josh Donaldson of the Yankees singles during the fourth inning against the Rangers at Yankee Stadium on Monday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Aaron Boone thinks the talk of two of his veterans not hustling on grounders in Monday’s 1-0 win over the Rangers was “a little bit overblown,” he said Tuesday.
In the sixth inning Monday, Josh Donaldson hit a ball that was bobbled by Marcus Semien, but turned on the gas too late to benefit from the miscue. Then, in the eighth, DJ LeMahieu failed to bust out of the box on a grounder.
“We’ve handled that stuff but no, I definitely think it was a little bit overblown,” Boone said, adding that the players’ veteran status is also a factor. “I think you probably treat everybody a little bit different. You have a certain expectation that you’re not going to compromise, but everyone gets treated a little bit different."
Boone added that he factors in various things when he decides to sit his players down, including the pressures of the game, what he knows about them, and all the eyeballs on them at all times.
The pressure “factors in to different conversations I have with guys at different times of the year,” he said, “and [I'm also] factoring in how I think they respond to that or feel that pressure.”
Gil Thursday
The Yankees will call up Luis Gil to face the White Sox Thursday. The rest of the pitching will go in line, Boone said: Gerrit Cole, Jordan Montgomery and Nestor Cortes. The Yankees are in a stretch where they’re playing 23 games in 22 days, and the doubleheader on Sunday necessitated a sixth starter to get the rotation back in its usual place.
Gil, the Yankees No. 10 prospect, has a 9.53 ERA in five games with Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre, but Boone said the team was bolstered by his last start, where he allowed two earned runs andmthree hits in five innings. He’s pitched in six major-league games, all last year, going 1-1 with a 3.07 ERA.
“The talent is obviously there,” Boone said. “When he came up here last year, he pitched well for us. We saw him pitching some important games for us. He’s gotten off to a little bit of a slow start in Triple-A, but he’s coming off a really strong outing, his best outing. He’s built up with a starter load so, whatever you want, 100 pitches, he could do that…I think he’s dealt with some cold weather things as well…I feel like he’s the guy to go to at this moment.”
Gallo resting
The Yankees sat Joey Gallo Tuesday – a rest day after he dealt with groin issues last week – though Boone said they weren’t concerned about the injury. Aaron Hicks played left for the fifth time this season, while Aaron Judge was in center and Giancarlo Stanton in right. Boone said he’ll likely rest Stanton Wednesday, a day game.
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
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