Juan Soto hit a three-run home run in the right field to finish a big seventh inning for the New York Yankees, leading them to a 5-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night.
Soto hit a 409-foot home run off Chris Devenski, giving the Yankees a 5-1 lead. Soto has a .347 batting average with five home runs and 20 RBIs since joining the Yankees this season.
Soto also caught a leaping catch at the right field wall to prevent a possible homer for Richie Palacios in the third inning.
Issac Paredes hit a two-run single in the eighth inning against Ian Hamilton, and Clay Holmes saved the game in the ninth, securing his eighth save in nine chances.
Ben Rortvedt and Yandy Díaz got singles, and Randy Arrozarena hit a shallow center pop fly that eluded Aaron Judge, resulting in a forceout at third base while the teams questioned whether an infield fly had been called (it was not).
Palacios then hit a line drive to shortstop Anthony Volpe, who threw to Gleyber Torres to get Jose Siri out, ending the game with a double play.
Dennis Santana (1-0) pitched 1 2/3 innings to earn his first win with the Yankees, despite being outhit 14-5.
Palacios, who grew up as a Yankees fan and attended Berkeley Carroll School in Brooklyn, hit a homer off Clarke Schmidt, giving the Rays a 1-0 lead in the second inning.
In the seventh inning, Alex Verdugo hit a grounder that went under second baseman Curtis Mead’s glove. Jose Trevino walked, and Oswaldo Cabrera's grounder skipped over Díaz’s glove at first, allowing the tying run to score. Volpe singled for a 2-1 lead.
Tampa Bay starter Tyler Alexander pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing only two hits. Schmidt gave up seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.
LEMAHIEU AILING
The Yankees postponed DJ LeMahieu’s minor league injury rehabilitation assignment after an MRI revealed that the fracture in his right foot has not fully healed.
The 35-year-old, a two-time batting champion, has been out of play since injuring his foot during a spring training game on March 16. His rehabilitation assignment, scheduled to start on Friday, was delayed, and he remained in New York. The earliest he can join a minor league team is Tuesday.
“He’s doing really well and I know he feels ready to go, but the foot specialist has weighed in,” manager Aaron Boone said before the Yankees’ series opener against Tampa Bay. “We want to make sure this thing’s 100%. He’s close to that now. We’re just being conservative with this thing.
LeMahieu continued to practice fielding ground balls and batting.
“I feel ready to go,” LeMahieu said. “I’m ready to get out there and get in some games. It shouldn’t be too much longer.”
LeMahieu had a career-low .243 batting average last year, with 15 home runs and 44 RBIs in 136 games. He batted .220 in the first half of the year, but improved to .273 in the second half.
In 2022, he missed the postseason due to a broken sesamoid bone in his right big toe that led to ligament damage in his second toe.
Also on Friday, the Yankees put reliever Nick Burdi on the 15-day injured list due to right hip inflammation, retroactive to Wednesday. He experienced pain after his outing on Tuesday in Toronto.
Burdi has won one out of seven games without allowing any runs this season.
Cleveland traded right-hander Cody Morris to the Yankees in exchange for outfielder Estevan Florial. Morris, who had a 1.93 ERA in four games for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre, had a 6.75 ERA in six relief appearances for Cleveland last year.
Taylor Trammell joined the active roster after being claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers.
STRIDER BACKS BRAVES
Atlanta Braves pitcher Spencer Strider noticed discomfort in his right elbow during spring training and later discovered that he needed season-ending surgery.
Following Tommy John surgery in 2019, Strider developed a bone fragment that made his ulnar collateral ligament unstable. Instead of needing a second Tommy John surgery for a tear, Strider underwent an internal brace procedure, potentially improving his chances of recovering for the 2025 season.
Strider first mentioned the issue after pitching four innings in Atlanta's 6-5 victory over Arizona on April 5.
“You’re not going to feel good when you’re playing baseball every day,” Strider said Friday during his first news conference after the surgery. “So I’m not searching for that. You know, like I said, I’m going to pitch through anything if I feel like I can help the team and I felt like I couldn’t do that anymore, so I thought it’s time to say something.”
An MRI the next day revealed damage to his UCL. Texas Rangers physician Dr. Keith Meister performed the procedure on April 13.
“They’re theorizing that I tore some connective tissue … and that’s what destabilized the ligament,” Strider said. “And maybe I blew through the last of that on that game and things deteriorated pretty quickly throughout the outing.”
Strider led the major leagues in wins and strikeouts last year, going 20-5 with 281 strikeouts, making him Atlanta's top starting pitcher.
Strider, with his right arm immobilized in a sling, expressed his intention to support his teammates during his recovery.
“These guys don’t need me to win a World Series,” he said. “So you know they’re going to pursue that journey. I’ll be here to cheer them on.”
