Back soreness keeps Yankees' Gary Sanchez from taking batting practice

BRADENTON, Fla. —  Another day . . . all together now . . . another injury for the Yankees.

Catcher Gary Sanchez was scratched from taking batting practice in Tampa on Saturday morning.

“His back was a little sore this morning, so we’ll just back off of him today,” Boone said before the Yankees' 7-4 victory over the Pirates at LECOM Park. “Nothing I’m too concerned about.”  

But in the often-uttered words of Boone’s predecessor, Joe Girardi: “Backs are tricky.”  Additionally, the Yankees' track record in the last year-plus in initially evaluating injuries – more often than not expressing a lack of concern – has been spotty at best, which has made fans assume the worst when an injury is announced.  

Sanchez played in his first back-to-back games of spring training Thursday and Friday and struggled behind the plate Friday night. He was charged with a passed ball and allowed three other balls to get by him that were scored as wild pitches.

Boone said he expects Sanchez, limited to 106 games last season and 89 games in 2018 because of an assortment of injuries, to be off Sunday but available for Monday’s game in Clearwater against the Phillies.

“I’m not that concerned about it,” Boone reiterated. “I think that’s kind of normal wear and tear [after] first back-to-back [games of spring training]. I don’t think it will be much of an issue.”

Loaisiga on solid ground

Jonathan Loaisiga had been electric in his first three outings – nine strikeouts in five scoreless innings — but was not quite as sharp in Saturday's start, allowing two runs and two hits, including a homer, in two innings. Still, the hard-throwing righthander seems all but assured of breaking camp with the Yankees; it’s just a matter of the role he's assigned.

“I have some pretty strong thoughts right now, but we’re still a few weeks away from things unfolding, so we’ll continue to build him up,” Boone said. “Trying to get him in a really good place because I am really confident that he’s going to have a big impact on our club.” 

Severino speaks

Luis Severino spoke for the first time since being sent back to New York early in spring training for additional testing on his right forearm that showed a UCL tear that required season-ending Tommy John surgery.

“Actually, I'm pretty good,” Severino told reporters in Tampa. “Frustrated about two years in a row getting hurt, not being able to help my team."

Severino, who was injured in spring training last year shortly after agreeing to a four-year, $40 million extension and returned in mid-September, said he went to Google to look up other pitchers who have had Tommy John surgery and experienced success afterward.

"I think [Jacob] deGrom, [Stephen] Strasburg, a lot of good pitchers came back from that,” Severino said. “So I think that gives me more confidence. These guys did it, I can do it, too."

First time long time

The departure of Nets coach Kenny Atkinson on Saturday left Boone, hired in December 2017, as the longest-tenured coach of the major professional sports teams in the tri-state area.

“Well, hopefully that continues,” Boone said with a smile. “You’re hired to be fired, right?”

Stanton activity

Giancarlo Stanton, who suffered a Grade 1 right calf strain Feb. 25, played catch Saturday morning and began tee-and-toss work as well. General manager Brian Cashman last week estimated that Stanton will be out four to six weeks.  

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.