NEW YORK – The Yankees have shuffled their rotation, recalling right-hander Elmer Rodríguez from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to start Sunday in place of right-hander Gerrit Cole, who is now scheduled to pitch Monday at Detroit.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced the changes after Saturday’s 10-2 loss to the Reds, coming as the club navigates a schedule of 16 consecutive games.
“It’s nothing other than this long stretch, just giving all our starters an extra day,” Boone said. “Everyone else will bounce back a day. It’s something we’ve been kicking around the last few days.”
The Yankees’ next scheduled off-day is July 2. After that, they’ll play another 10 straight leading into the All-Star break.
Right-handed reliever Jake Bird was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in a corresponding move to accommodate Rodríguez.
Catcher J.C. Escarra was also optioned to Triple-A after Saturday’s game, with catcher Austin Wells set to be activated from his Minor League rehab assignment on Sunday.
The Yankees’ No. 2 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, Rodríguez will be making his fourth Major League start, having gone 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA in his first tastes of big league action this season.
He had been scheduled to start Saturday for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre; his most recent big league start was May 17 against the Mets, after which he was optioned to the Minors as the Yankees cleared a spot for Cole’s return.
“He’s had some bumps, but I feel like he’s managed it well,” Boone said. “He’s shown some poise out there in some moments where it had chances to get away.”
Cole has posted a 2-1 record and 2.57 ERA in five starts since returning from Tommy John surgery. His most recent outing was on Tuesday against the White Sox, when he picked up a victory by permitting two runs over six innings.
“I think he’s recovered well,” Boone said. “We also want to play the long game with all these guys. Obviously Carlos [Rodón] coming back, younger guys in the rotation that have logged a lot of innings. We feel like they’re all in a good spot, but we want to be mindful of this as we go through the summer with a long stretch here.”