Aaron Boone pairs Jose Trevino with Gerrit Cole again

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Might Gerrit Cole have a new personal catcher?

Jose Trevino caught the Yankees’ ace for a second straight start in the Yankees’ 3-0 win over the Royals on Saturday night, but Aaron Boone, who has never warmed publicly to the concept of a personal catcher, said there’s nothing to read into it.

“I’m completely comfortable with however it falls,” Boone said before the game.

With Trevino catching him, Cole (2-0) has allowed no runs and struck out 15 in 12 2⁄3 innings in his last two starts, including a 10-2 victory over the Guardians.

“He’s just good,’’ Cole said of Trevino after Saturday night’s game. “I think we were reading the situations pretty good tonight and we were on the same page a lot. Him and Kyle [Higashioka] work together, talk all game, so it’s seamless.”

During his first two seasons in pinstripes, Cole essentially made it clear that he preferred throwing to Higashioka rather than Gary Sanchez, who was traded to the Twins in spring training.

Higashioka caught Cole’s first three starts this season — Opening Day against the Red Sox on April 7, when the righthander allowed three runs and four hits in four innings; April 13 against the Blue Jays, when he allowed three runs and four hits in 5 2⁄3 innings, and April 19 in Detroit, when he allowed two runs, one hit and five walks — which matched a career high — in 1 2⁄3 innings.

With Trevino — who like Higashioka is considered an elite defender who specializes in pitch framing — behind the plate last Sunday against the Guardians, Cole struck out nine and allowed four hits in 6 2⁄3 scoreless innings.

“Just that it was seamless when he [Trevino] went in there,” Boone said of what clicked with the battery against Cleveland. “As I’ve talked about a lot, I have a ton of confidence in both of our catchers. I feel like our staff as a whole has a ton of confidence in both those guys, and I feel like the synchronization between our pitchers and our catchers right now is something that’s been a real strength for us. With Jose and with Kyle, it’s just two guys that I feel like we’re in good hands with back there night in and night out.”

And so, Boone said, expect Higashioka and Trevino to catch Cole in somewhat equal parts the rest of the way. “I’m not lining it up any particular way,” he said.

Higashioka had a three-run double in the eighth inning on Friday night but has gotten off to a rough start at the plate. Higashioka, whose glove has never been questioned but whose bat has always been looked at as suspect by rival scouts, is hitting .143 with a .403 OPS in 15 games. He hit .423 with seven homers and a 1.695 OPS in spring training.

Don’t drop it

A scoring change from Friday’s game took an error away from Gleyber Torres, who whiffed on a wind-blown pop-up in the third inning of the 12-2 victory. That made it 13 straight games without an error, tied for the second-longest such streak in franchise history (18 games from May 14-June 1, 2009, and 13 straight from July 24-Aug. 7, 2012).

The streak ended at 13 Saturday night when shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa made an error.

The Yankees have not been considered a strong defensive team for a number of years, but their defense has been improved this season. Kiner-Falefa’s error was the team’s fifth in 21 games.

“I’m really excited about the way DJ has looked, especially going back over to third base as much as he’s been able to do,” Boone said, highlighting DJ LeMahieu, who has split time between first, second and third. “I feel like he’s been moving and throwing better than he was at any time last year.”

Boone also credited the streak to Kiner-Falefa who, as the Yankees hoped when they traded for him, has proved to be a significant upgrade at the position over Torres, as well as regular first baseman Anthony Rizzo, long known as a standout defender.

“We’ve worked hard on our defense,” Boone said. “They’ve worked hard. It’s a priority. So far it’s been good, but it’s April.”