Apart from one magical frame Friday, the Yankees offense has grown quiet.
In Friday’s seventh inning, Aaron Boone’s group scored five runs.
In the other 26 innings in which they have come to bat in the series against Boston, the Yankees have scored three runs, one of those involving a ghost-runner.
Juan Soto, who was 0-for-4, flips his bat after striking out in the seventh inning of the Yankees’ 7-1 loss to the Red Sox on Sept. 14, 2024.
The Yankees offense managed just five hits — only one (out of eight tries) with runners in scoring position — in a 7-1 loss to the Red Sox in The Bronx on Saturday.
“I thought [Brayan] Bello had a presence on both sides of the plate with his secondary and his sinker,” Boone said of a Red Sox righty who limited the Yankees to one run on four hits in 5 ¹/₃ innings.
In their past nine games, the Yankees have averaged just 3.3 runs per game, which was inflated by Monday’s 10-run outburst.
Aaron Judge crushed a grand slam Friday that nosed the Yankees in front, but Judge had been quiet previously and much of the rest of the lineup has been in a funk.
Juan Soto, who went 0-for-4 Saturday, is in a 2-for-20 skid.
After an 0-for-4 afternoon, Anthony Rizzo is 8-for-42 (.190) without a home run since returning.
Anthony Volpe (1-for-4) is in a 4-for-33 rut.
Anthony Volpe, who is in a 4-for-33 rut, singles in the third inning during the Yankees’ loss.
In the tiny sample size of four games, Jasson Dominguez has gone 2-for-13 with two walks since being called up.
Alex Verdugo played left field and Dominguez shifted to center on an afternoon Judge served as DH and Giancarlo Stanton did not play.
Since Dominguez’s summons on Monday, both he and Verdugo have started four games in what is shaping up to be a battle for playoff playing time.
Boone said he wanted lefties in the lineup against Bello, who is much tougher on righties.
Verdugo went 1-for-3 with a walk, and he was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double.
Cody Poteet is “really close” to becoming an option after five rehab starts with Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Boone said, though he likely will be optioned when his rehab assignment is finished.
The righty, who has been out since mid-June with a right triceps strain, has pitched to a 2.25 ERA in the span and most recently tossed four innings in which he allowed one run on four hits Wednesday.
There is not a clear avenue toward Poteet joining a major league group with six capable starters and a strong bullpen, which also is keeping Lou Trivino in the minors.
“Right now there aren’t spots for those guys at this moment,” Boone said.
Unlike Poteet, Trivino is out of minor league options. He and the Yankees, though, agreed to a 10-day extension of his rehab assignment Friday.
Trivino, a 32-year-old who has been making his way back from 2022 Tommy John surgery, has pitched in 11 minor league games since mid-August.
His results have improved recently, throwing 3 ²/₃ scoreless innings with three hits, three walks and three strikeouts in his past three outings.
“I feel like [Trivino] has been building a lot of good momentum here over the last month,” Boone said.
