ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Second baseman Gleyber Torres returned to the Yankees’ lineup Tuesday night when Aaron Judge started in right field for the first time since last Wednesday when he dove for a ball and banged his right shoulder into the Yankee Stadium turf.
“He was probably good to go on Sunday. He went over [to the Yankees minor league complex] Monday and got a good workout and he should be good to go,’’ Aaron Boone said of Torres, who hadn’t played since last Thursday when he slipped on the outfield grass making a play and did a split, which left him with weakness in the lower legs.
Torres opened Tuesday night’s action with a team-leading 38 homers and his 90 RBIs were second to DJ LeMahieu. Torres’ 38 homers were tied for fifth among AL hitters with the Astros’ George Springer.
He didn’t add to any of those numbers by going 0-for-5 and striking out twice in the Yankees’ 2-1 loss to the Rays that took 12 innings to complete.
As for Judge playing right field he didn’t have to show Boone the shoulder was good enough to make throws.
“I feel like the last couple of days he has been ready to get back out there,’’ Boone said of Judge, who was the DH in the previous games three games and went 5-for-11 with two homers and two RBIs. “I didn’t necessarily have to see anything. I know he has been throwing a little bit the last couple of days. I feel good with him back out there now. I considered him also on Sunday but with the off day [Monday] and using that as a way to get him back out there and a way to get [Giancarlo Stanton] off the turf as he works his way back in the DH spot.’’
Judge went 1-for-5 and whiffed three times.
Cameron Maybin’s home run in the third inning was his 10th and pushed the number of Yankees with double-digit homer totals to 14 which is the most ever by a major league team. The Yankees started the night tied with this year’s Blue Jays at 13.
Whereas CC Sabathia worked one inning of relief after Jordan Montgomery left Tuesday night’s game following a solid two-inning stint, that won’t be the way Boone will use J.A. Happ on Wednesday.
“J.A. [Wednesday], I will probably do it more of an opener style,’’ Boone said. “We will look at [Happ] as our bulk guy and he could go like a starter.’’
In Montgomery’s second start since Tommy John surgery on his left elbow last June he gave up three hits, no runs and struck out three.