Yankees' Harrison Bader comes through his first rehab game with no issues

Harrison Bader started a rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset  on Friday night, then was in the Yankees' clubhouse on Saturday morning.

The centerfielder, who started the season on the injured list with a left oblique strain, went 1-for-3, played five innings and came through his first outing just fine.  “All good,” Bader said.

Speaking before the Yankees'  3-2 victory over the Blue Jays on Saturday afternoon, Aaron Boone said the Yankees aren’t ready to have Bader play in back-to-back games because his rehab assignment just started. That's the reason he was with the big-league club Saturday.

“Seeing Harrison this morning, he was like, ‘I could play today,’ ” Boone said. “So I think it went well last night. Had a good amount of action in the outfield. Said he felt really good, so a good first day for him.”

Earlier in the week, Boone said Bader likely will need “a couple of weeks” of rehab games before being deemed ready to return.

In Bader’s absence, Aaron Judge has gotten the majority of reps in centerfield and will continue to do so, with Isiah Kiner-Falefa the primary backup at the position.

DJ still the one  

Natural shortstop Oswald Peraza started at third base for the second straight day on Saturday, but Boone said DJ LeMahieu will get most of the time there until Josh Donaldson returns from his hamstring injury.

“I’ll give [Anthony] Rizzo a DH day, though, so that [would] bump DJ over to first,” Boone said. “I’ve got Oswaldo [Cabrera] I could play at third also. Just depending on the week and [who] might be off on a given day, but I would think DJ will be there most of the time.”  

Donaldson, who was diagnosed with a Grade 1 right hamstring strain after aggravating the original hamstring injury in a rehab game Tuesday night with Somerset, will be out at least two more weeks and likely longer.

Peraza went 1-for-2 with a walk Saturday, with his two-out single in the eighth preceding a two-run homer by Anthony Volpe that gave the Yankees a 2-0 lead. LeMahieu had the day off but pinch hit in the ninth and delivered the game-winning hit.

“Turned into a really good off day for him,” Boone said with a smile.

Sevy latest

Luis Severino (right lat strain) is slated to throw a live batting-practice session Sunday in Tampa. If he comes through that OK, he will throw another BP session a few days later. At that point, the Yankees could decide to send him out on a rehab assignment.

Extra bases

According to Elias, Gerrit Cole’s 0.79 ERA is the third-lowest ERA  by a Yankees starter through his first five games of a season (since ERA became an official stat in 1913), trailing Ed Lopat’s 0.60 in 1951 and Spud Chandler’s 0.60 ERA in 1946 . . . Ron Marinaccio, who threw a scoreless inning, has held opponents to a .067 batting average (2-for-30) this season.