The Yankees have remained steadfast in their support of Gary Sánchez throughout a trying offensive season, with general manager Brian Cashman stating recently that the slumping catcher remains "by far our best option, on both sides of the ball."

Yet when Sánchez struck out in each of his four plate appearances during Saturday's 6-1 loss to the Orioles, extending a string of seven straight whiffs and a 4-for-41 overall slide, manager Aaron Boone said that he wrestled with the decision not to write Sánchez's name in Sunday's lineup.

"I deliberated on it a lot last night," Boone said. "I just feel like this is the way I need to go right now. Hopefully a day off or two, or however I decide to do it here, can help get him going. It's on all of us to get around him and try to help him get to what we know he can be."

Though Boone said that Sánchez objected to the benching, Erik Kratz received the starting nod behind the plate in place of the 27-year-old Sánchez, who is batting .130 and has struck out in 48 of his 100 at-bats this season. The Yankees are carrying three catchers in Sánchez, Kratz and Kyle Higashioka.

Sánchez came into the season focused on improving his pitch framing, attempting a one-knee-down stance at the instruction of new catching coach Tanner Swanson. Sánchez's bat was not thought to be a concern, coming off a season in which Sánchez posted a .232/.316/.525 slash line with 34 homers and 77 RBIs in 106 games, earning selection as an American League All-Star.

Yet Sánchez has very much been all or nothing this year. He has more home runs (seven) than singles (five), including a pinch-hit grand slam on Aug. 30 against the Mets and a long ball in the first game of Friday's doubleheader at Baltimore.

"I think it's a tough year right now for everybody," said Yankees left-hander Jordan Montgomery. "It's a weird year. He's slumping a little bit and you don't have as much time to get through it as you normally would."

Sanchez recently said that he was focusing on hitting off high-velocity machines, at the direction of hitting coaches Marcus Thames and P.J. Pilittere.

"Gary wants to play, and to his credit, behind the scenes he's working his tail off," Boone said. "He wants to be in there, but in the end, I think this is the best thing right now."

Bombers bits
The Yankees have recalled outfielder Estevan Florial from the alternate training site. The 22-year-old is rated as the club's No. 7 prospect by MLB Pipeline. He made his debut on Aug. 28 against the Mets, notching his first Major League hit.

The Yankees re-signed left-hander Luis Avilán to a Minor League contract Sunday. The 31-year-old pitched to a 4.32 ERA in 10 appearances before landing on the injured list with left shoulder inflammation. Avilán has been assigned to the club's alternate training site.

This date in Yankees history
Sept. 6, 1995: Joe DiMaggio was present at Camden Yards as Cal Ripken Jr. played in his 2,131st consecutive game, breaking Lou Gehrig's record of 2,130.

"Wherever my former teammate Lou Gehrig is today," DiMaggio told Ripken, "I'm sure he's tipping his cap to you."