BOSTON – When Clay Holmes blew an extended save opportunity on Friday night, it became hard to imagine the Yankees leaving Fenway Park with a series win this past weekend.
After all, the team had been stuck in a rut that dated back more than a month and compared to some of the worst teams in baseball. Only the White Sox had been worse than the Yankees since June 7.
But the Red Sox offered a chance at revenge after they took 2-of-3 from the Yankees in Boston last month. The Yankees returned the favor, winning a teeter-totter game in 10 innings on Saturday before romping the Red Sox in Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s debut on Sunday.
“It’s a gritty, gritty series win,” Aaron Boone said. “We’re not all the way where we want to be right now, of course, but there’s a lot of fight in there.”
Chisholm’s arrival and the Yankees’ remaining trade deadline needs dominated the conversation over the weekend, but a few incumbent Bombers stood out in Boston.
With that in mind, here are a few takeaways from the series.
Austin Wells Coming of Age
Did you know that Austin Wells’ 174 wRC+ since June 6 leads all catchers with at least 100 plate appearances? Well, you do now.
Wells has been nothing short of excellent over his last 34 games, also leading his position in OBP (.411), slugging (.567), wOBA (.414), BB% (15%) and fWAR (1.9) as of Monday morning. He added seven home runs and 20 RBI over that stretch, which saw him become the Yankees’ everyday catcher with Jose Trevino on the injured list.
“It’s fun to watch him kind of come of age offensively and really start to benefit from his experience,” Boone said after Wells went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI on Sunday.
Verdugo Figuring Things Out
Prior to his latest return to Boston, Alex Verdugo had been so bad (.574 OPS since May 8) that left field emerged as a need for the Yankees.
That may still be the case, but Verdugo’s weekend offered encouraging signs. The lefty-swinger went 7-for-15 (.467) with three doubles and an RBI while leading off in all three games.
“I feel much better,” Verdugo said. “Staying within myself, kind of backing up the ball again, going left-center. That’s kind of like my bread and butter. When I’m letting the ball get deep, staying inside of it, and working through it, I’m able to be on the heater the other away and kind of pull the off-speed pitches to right field. So we’re in a much better spot at the plate.”
Exiled by the Red Sox via trade over the offseason, Verdugo is 11-for-29 (.379) with four doubles, one homer and five ribbies in six games at Fenway Park this season. He’s 13-for-42 (.310) with two dingers and seven RBI in nine total games against Boston.
“I love this ballpark. I love playing here. The atmosphere – with the rivalry too,” Verdugo said. “There’s a lot of emotions, a lot of adrenaline and energy. These are what we kind of live for as baseball players.”
Odd Men Out
With Oswaldo Cabrera playing third for the fourth game in a row, DJ LeMahieu found himself out of the lineup for the third straight game on Sunday. While the veteran eventually got in the game and plated a run with a sac fly, it seems like his role won’t exceed that of a late-inning defensive replacement moving forward.
“We’ll see,” Boone said. “Baseball constantly is changing and throwing you curves and you think this one day. The bottom line is DJ’s been a great player and still very much in the mix at all the infield spots. We’ll see how it shakes out.”
The Yankees wanted the 36-year-old LeMahieu to be their everyday third baseman this season — he can also play first and second — but the two-time batting champ has hit just .176/.269/.221 with four extra-base hits since a broken foot delayed the start of his season.
The team still owes him $30 million over two seasons after 2024.
Boosted by regular playing time, Cabrera has performed well of late, going 13-for-37 (.351) over his last 15 games. He had a double, a homer and three RBI in Boston.
However, with the Yankees planning to use Chisholm at third base, Cabrera could return to a sporadic utility role. There’s also a chance the team demotes him to Triple-A with Giancarlo Stanton expected back on Monday. Cutting Jahmai Jones or LeMahieu – which requires eating a lump sum of money – are alternative options for corresponding moves.
“He’s just such a good utility [man] that you can put anywhere,” Boone said of Cabrera. “Especially from the left side. Have certainly liked his at-bats lately.
“He an important part of things.”
