If a successful rehab assignment is any indication, Oswald Peraza could be back in The Bronx soon.
Peraza, who hit the 10-day injured list with a right ankle sprain backdated to May 3 when the Yankees activated Aaron Judge, went 1-for-4 in a rehab game Sunday with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday, hitting a home run and playing six innings at shortstop before being lifted.
“The good thing right now in the short term is the last couple days have gone really well with the work he’s been able to do and how he’s moving,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before his team lost to the Rays, 8-7, on Sunday. “So, wanted to get him in a game and get that going. Good that he’s gonna go play today and get at-bats and start playing.”
The Yankees are facing a series of roster decisions once they get healthy, though that is still some time off with Josh Donaldson (right hamstring) and Giancarlo Stanton (left hamstring) not imminently expected back.
Even so, the eventual roster machinations could see Peraza in Triple-A, or affect Aaron Hicks, who had dealt with a hip issue over the past few days.
Currently, though, Boone sounded open to bringing Peraza back to The Bronx as soon as the infielder is eligible, saying he needed to look into the situation.
Luis Severino (lat strain) could return on Sunday in Cincinnati if a scheduled rehab start on Tuesday goes according to plan.
“I think it’s in play,” Boone said. “And I think all those things could be considered. How he’s doing, what it looks like, how he’s feeling and then we’ll make that call.”
Carlos Rodon (back tightness) started throwing on Saturday from 60-75 feet, Boone said, after getting a cortisone shot Tuesday.
Hicks (hip) is healthy enough to be in the lineup, Boone said, though the outfielder sat on Sunday. Jake Bauers led off against the Rays with Gleyber Torres on the bench, though Torres eventually got in the game as a pinch hitter for Bauers.
Pitching coach Matt Blake was thrown out of Sunday’s game in the fifth inning after objecting on a 3-2 ball to Josh Lowe.
“I think there were just a couple of calls that had gotten the blood boiling a little bit,” Boone said. “And I think the Lowe — the backdoor breaking ball to Lowe — kinda got everyone going. That was it.”
Clarke Schmidt brought up the same call during his session with reporters postgame, saying, “I thought, obviously, they missed a pitch right there. But it can go either way.”
