There may come a time when the Yankees do not regularly sub Jasson Domínguez out of a game they are leading late for defensive purposes.
And it might have happened Tuesday night, if not for his contacts falling out during his go-ahead three-run double in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Turns out, it may have saved the Yankees in their 4-2 win over the Royals.
Trent Grisham entered the game in center field in the top of the seventh, with Cody Bellinger moving from center to left for Domínguez, and it immediately paid dividends.
With Hunter Renfroe on first, MJ Melendez drilled a fly ball to the warning track in right-center field that Grisham made a strong running catch on — one that Bellinger may not have gotten to — to help keep the two-run lead intact.
“Huge,” said Max Fried, who was still on the mound at that point. “I felt like I kind of lost it there in the seventh. That ball lands, [Renfroe] was pretty aggressive trying to get to second, so the potential of him scoring from first. So for him to be able to catch that limited the damage.”
With Domínguez coming off his best defensive game of the season Monday night, manager Aaron Boone said before Tuesday’s game that he would be comfortable leaving him in for full games.
But Boone also views it as a luxury to have Grisham as a defensive replacement, which was reinforced Tuesday night.
“First play Grish goes out and makes an unbelievable play,” Boone said. “It’s just part of how I want to use the roster here and let JD continue to get more and more comfortable.”
In Domínguez’s first 15 starts this season, he has now been subbed out late seven times (with Tuesday being something of an exception because of his contacts).
Devin Williams recorded his third save of the season Tuesday, but his first clean outing as a member of the Yankees.
He punctuated it with a strikeout of Melendez with his trademark changeup.
“Even in some of the outings where he’s struggled, he’s flashed all of that,” Boone said. “Probably the consistent velo of the fastball was there a little bit more. I thought his stuff was good. The last pitch was really nasty to finish it off. … Overall, I thought he was pretty sharp.”
The Yankees joined all of Major League Baseball Tuesday in honoring Jackie Robinson by wearing his No. 42 jersey, with a handful of players and staffers wearing specially designed cleats or apparel to commemorate his legacy.
Tuesday marked the 78th anniversary of Robinson breaking MLB’s color barrier by debuting with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
“I wouldn’t be standing here today without all the sacrifices Jackie made and a lot of people before me,” Aaron Judge said. “So it’s just a humble reminder, looking back on his story and what he went through just to play this game. I go out here and have some fun, but he had a lot of hate and intimidation against him and he still went out there and had an incredible career. It just speaks volumes to the type of hero he was. Any chance you get a chance to wear 42 and represent him and what his legacy stood for, it’s something I definitely don’t take for granted.”
Boone called Robinson “one of the most important figures in American history,” not only for integrating baseball “but [being] part of further integrating America and other sports.”
Giancarlo Stanton (tennis elbows) will travel with the Yankees to Tampa this weekend to continue his buildup, which is expected to advance to facing live pitching soon.
It would make sense for Stanton to do that at the club’s minor league complex in Tampa, though Boone was unsure if it would happen this weekend.
After Tuesday’s game, the Yankees optioned Allan Winans to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, clearing the way for Clarke Schmidt to be activated off the IL on Wednesday.
