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. The club announced the move Sunday morning.
“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.
“I’m good. I was ready to go [Sunday],” Cole said. “Any pitcher, if you’re on a roll, just keep feeding me – you know what I mean? But there are different factors that contribute to when you get to do that. It’s really not that big of a deal.”
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 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.”