CLEVELAND -- Albertin Chapman will make his dutiful trek to the Progressive Field bullpen on Friday evening, prepared to ignore the aching in his left knee should the Yankees request his presence on the mound. As for the upcoming All-Star Game presented by Mastercard, however, the flame-throwing lefty has decided to cool off.
Chapman has been battling tendinitis in the knee since early May, and though he said the discomfort has not increased markedly, he has made the "tough decision" to bypass participating in the Midsummer Classic. He was replaced on the American League roster by the Astros' Charlie Morton.
"It's an honor to be selected to an All-Star Game," Chapman said through an interpreter. "Your peers vote for you, managers, fans and all that. Any time you have an opportunity like that, you want to participate. At the end of the day, I think it was a smart decision for me to help me recover and to get ready for the second half, one that's going to be very demanding and very exciting."
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Manager Aaron Boone said that Chapman's decision to sit out the All-Star Game will not alter how he is used for the rest of the Indians series.
"Hopefully he can benefit from that a little bit," Boone said. "To have four or five days potentially off certainly can't hurt him. Obviously this is something he's been dealing with for a while; it's something that he'll continue to maintain throughout the season and that we'll continue to monitor all the time. Hopefully it's a good decision for him and for us."
Chapman worked a perfect ninth inning in Thursday's 7-4 victory over the Indians, securing his 25th save in 26 chances. In 40 appearances, he has a 3-0 record and 1.38 ERA, with a 15.46 K/9 ratio that ranks second in the AL and third in the Majors.
"To me, it's the right decision to take this time, rest and get ready for what we have coming up," Chapman said.
Comeback trail
• Gary Sanchez (groin strain) ran the steps at Progressive Field early on Friday afternoon, then threw to bases prior to batting practice, continuing to close in on a Minor League rehab game. Boone said that the tentative plan is for Sanchez to join Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday.
• Gleyber Torres (right hip strain) is "a little behind Gary," according to Boone, but continues to increase his workload. Torres is expected to continue his workouts through the All-Star festivities, at which point he could be close to a rehab stint.
• Jacoby Ellsbury (sore right hip) has still not resumed baseball activities, said Boone, who did not want to guess when -- or if -- Ellsbury will play this season.
"I don't even want to speculate on it," Boone said. "Once baseball stuff starts up, it could ramp up pretty quickly. But when that comes, I'm not quite sure. I still think it all comes back to the hip a little bit. The hip has been the biggest issue, off and on."
This date in Yankees history
July 13, 1985: The uniform numbers of Roger Maris (9) and Elston Howard (32) were retired during an on-field ceremony at Yankee Stadium.