Nothing about Sonny Gray’s start to the season has been comforting to the Yankees because his 1-1 record and 8.27 ERA in four outings is awful.
Nevertheless, those looking for the sunshine through the clouds can take solace in that the three players shipped to the Athletics last summer for Gray haven’t posted gaudy numbers the Yankees would have to look at each day.
Shortstop Jorge Mateo and outfielder Dustin Fowler are at Triple-A Nashville and right-hander James Kaprielian is still recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Mateo was hitting .208 (11-for-53) with a .250 on-base percentage in 13 games for Nashville and Fowler was at .281 (16-for-57) in 14 games and had a .316 slugging percentage.
Of course Mateo, Fowler and Kaprielian not playing well or not at all doesn’t help the Yankees. Only Gray can do that and Boone said he is confident the right-hander can bounce back from a miserable beginning.
“I don’t think it’s anything physical. I don’t think it’s anything mechanical . I think he is not getting ahead as he normally would,’’ Boone said of Gray, who was rocked for five runs and five hits in 3 ¹/₃ innings by the Blue Jays on Friday night.
Boone mentioned a drop in velocity for Gray.
“I think the pitches are there. I think the stuff is there,” the manager said before the Yankees’ 9-1 win on Saturday. “We have to get him through this because as I said [Friday] night he is so important to our club. I absolutely believe it is in there. Hopefully we will look back on this as a tough start and maybe he will be better for having gone through it.’’