ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Luis Severino had been scheduled to throw live batting practice Wednesday, but the Yankees said the right-hander woke up with a stiff back, so it was pushed back a day. It would have been Severino’s first live BP in his comeback from last year’s Tommy John surgery.
He may face top prospect Jasson Dominguez when he does throw at the team’s player development complex in Tampa. The 18-year-old Dominguez, in extended spring training after the organization opted not to place him with a team to start the minor league season, worked in center field Wednesday and had a single, double and stolen base.
Dominguez is expected to play in actual games at some point this summer, perhaps first in the Gulf Coast League, which starts June 28, before moving to Low-A Tampa, which began its season a week ago.
“[Dominguez’s] at-bats are very mature and physically he’s very mature,’’ said Mario Garza, the Yankees’ coordinator of baseball development, who is serving as the first base coach while Reggie Willits stays away from the team with COVID-19. “His offensive capability [stands out], and his [batter’s] box presence. … He appears to recognize pitches early. There’s no panic in the box. I think the sky’s the limit for him offensively.’’
Garza was on his way to the minor league complex Tuesday when he got word he might be needed on the major league staff.
“It’s been a very busy last couple days,’’ Garza said. “Very surprising. It’s tough circumstances, but we’re trying to make the best of it.”
He could stay with the Yankees on the next leg of the road trip, which begins Friday in Baltimore.
Garza is in his 11th season with the Yankees, and Tuesday was his first game in the majors.
With Gleyber Torres already out of the lineup while awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test, the Yankees also lost Clint Frazier to an ejection during their 1-0 win over the Rays.
After Giancarlo Stanton disagreed with a low third strike call by home plate umpire Bill Miller in the fourth inning, Frazier was tossed as he argued a borderline third strike in the fifth. It was the first ejection of Frazier’s career. He was replaced by Brett Gardner.
“We were playing a man short, [so] it’s not ideal,’’ manager Aaron Boone said of Frazier’s ejection.
Aaron Hicks was back in the lineup and in center field after missing Tuesday’s game with a bruised shin he suffered when he fouled a ball off it in Sunday’s game.
Hicks’ sacrifice fly produced the only run in Wednesday’s win and he acknowledged he was still dealing with the injury.
“I felt it a little bit running. I wasn’t able to fire off that right foot while running,” said Hicks, who added it improved the more he ran on it.
After saying he wanted to play all three games of the series despite the hard turf at Tropicana Field, Aaron Judge was back in right field. He had three singles and also made a nice running catch on Randy Arozarena’s fly ball to shallow right in the ninth.
Luke Voit started for a second straight game at first base and went 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout. He made his season debut Tuesday after missing the first 34 games following surgery to repair a partially torn meniscus in his left knee. He got hit with a pitch in his second at-bat Tuesday, but remained in the game until being removed for defense in the seventh.
Thursday’s starter, Jameson Taillon, said he wanted to make his in-game adjustments faster than he did in his previous outing, when he pitched a season-high 6 ¹/₃ innings against the Nationals.