Juan Soto is not a fan of what Aaron Boone is now calling “The Aaron Judge Treatment.”
After Judge intentionally walked three times in Sunday’s 4-3, 10-inning win over Toronto, Soto said he wasn’t happy with the strategy.
“It hurts because you want him at the plate,” Soto said. “I did my best to (catch) him and to see him pass him really pissed me off. I’m not happy. I want him to challenge him and see what he can do.
Soto admits the strategy is “part of the game. He’s also trying to win, so you respect that.”
Soto also homered and walked twice – and gave the Yankees a double scare in the eighth, when he slid to second and grabbed his right hand, which was bruised.
Soto remained down and was seen by the training staff, but remained in the game.
“I’m still grinding my hands,” Soto said. “Of course it still hurts to be touched. I slid hard and hit the base. It hurts for a few seconds and goes away.
Despite the effects of the injury, Soto remained productive.
“You forget,” Soto said of his mindset. “Come out and swing the bat. Worry about the pain afterwards. That’s what I do.”
There is still no timetable for Jose Trevino’s return from the left quad strain that prevented him from starting on July 12.
Since then, not only has Austin Wells seen playing time, he’s played almost every game behind the plate – something Boone has watched.
“That’s something I have to remember, the long game, the way we were riding,” Boone said before Sunday’s game. “His performance has been good. … He’s taken (the opportunity) and run with it.
Even with the Yankees going with a righty-heavy lineup Sunday against Toronto right-hander Yasiel Rodriguez, who is more effective against lefties, Boone has Wells in the cleanup spot.
Still, without Trevino’s veteran presence, the Yankees will have to be wary of running Wells into the ground.
Rookie Carlos Narvaez was called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on July 13, but has made just two starts in that stretch.
“I considered sitting him (Saturday), but he really hung in there,” Boone said of Wells.
Ben Rice, filling in for the injured Anthony Rizzo at first base against most right-handers, is still doing occasional pregame work behind the plate, but the Yankees seem ready to go with Wells down the stretch — healthy Trevino or not.
Anthony Volpe has gotten better since hitting the lineup from the main spot. Boone said he would prefer not to move Volpe up again, which is why Volpe was seventh in the lineup against the Blue Jays.
But he added, “I’m not going to rule anything out.”
But for now, Volpe remains in the bottom half of the order, with Gleyber Torres returning to the leadoff Sunday after being benched for lack of hustle.
After putting up just a .650 OPS during a 76-game stretch at the top of the lineup, the shortstop has an .810 OPS in the 24 games since then.
Boone and James Rowson were ejected by home plate umpire Tripp Gibson in the bottom of the seventh after a questionable strikeout, first to Wells to end the at-bat and then to Giancarlo Stanton.
Boone was angry when Toronto lefty Genesis Cabrera fired the ball in the direction, but the manager and referee agreed it was not intentional.
Alex Verdugo was out of the lineup with Boone saying the left fielder was “lost.”
Asked to pinpoint what was wrong with Verdugo, Boone said it was “not good.”
