PHOENIX — In case the Yankees weren’t dealing with enough injury headaches for a 6-foot-7 slugger, Spencer Jones was out of the lineup Saturday with a sore left foot/heel.
The rookie outfielder claimed it was “no big deal” and chalked it up to the wear and tear of playing on Chase Field’s turf Friday night after jamming his heel in Minnesota earlier this week.
But after the Yankees just lost Aaron Judge to the injured list again with a right calf strain, the last thing they needed was Jones nursing an injury of his own.
“Just a little banged up,” Jones said before Saturday’s game against the Diamondbacks. “Playing on turf is different, hard on the feet.”
Aaron Boone also downplayed it, adding that he still almost kept Jones in the lineup before sitting him in favor of José Caballero, who started in center field for the second time this season.
“Just felt like especially being on the turf here, he kind of jammed that heel in Minnesota and being on the turf [Friday], so I think it’s just a day-to-day kind of thing,” Boone said. “I even view him as available tonight.”
Boone said he preferred to keep Cody Bellinger in left field instead of shifting him to center.
“I considered moving him to center, but Belli’s grinding too and the turf here kind of beats you up,” he said. “There’s some scenarios where I would move him to center. Tonight, just being on the turf and as much as he’s been through this year, I didn’t want to move him.”
When the Yankees officially placed Judge on the 10-day injured list Saturday, they opted for defensive versatility over offensive upside in his replacement.
That meant calling up Max Schuemann instead of Jasson Domínguez, giving the former another shot in the big leagues for at least a few days beginning this weekend against the Diamondbacks.
“Adding his versatility to our bench makes some sense,” Boone said. “And then obviously some different roster complications moving forward with the playoffs around the corner.”
Schuemann’s stay may be brief, with Jazz Chisholm Jr. potentially returning from the IL as soon as the upcoming series against the Rays at Yankee Stadium that begins Tuesday.
If Schuemann goes back to Triple-A to make room, he would not be available to be recalled for 10 days (unless he was replacing an injured player again), essentially ruling him out as an option for the AL wild-card series.
That may have played a part in Domínguez not getting the call this time, in case the Yankees wanted to use him as a pinch-running threat on their playoff roster.
The 23-year-old also offers value as a switch-hitter, but he has proven to be a defensive liability in the outfield.
The Yankees’ trip to Chase Field gave them a chance to reunite with former teammate Jonathan Loáisiga, who has finally stayed healthy for a full season in the Diamondbacks bullpen.
The right-hander often flashed his talent during his eight-year tenure with the Yankees, but injuries too often got in the way.
This season, though, after signing a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks, Loáisiga has avoided the IL and pitched in a career-high 64 games with a 2.32 ERA entering Saturday.
“Been through a lot of battles over the years with Jonny,” Boone said. “It’ll be great to see him. Hopefully we can ding him a little bit here. I know he’s had a really strong year, which I’m excited about for him. He’s such a talented guy that for him, it’s always been about just being healthy. So the fact that he’s gone out there and had a largely healthy season, I’m not surprised at the success he’s had.”
The Diamondbacks held a 25th-anniversary celebration Saturday of their 2001 World Series team that beat the Yankees in seven games.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
