With Jazz Chisholm Jr. likely out at least a month with a strained oblique, Aaron Boone said Jorbit Vivas would play “a lot.”
The infielder, brought up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Friday, was traded from the Dodgers — alongside underperforming left-handed reliever Victor González — two offseasons ago in a deal for infielder Trey Sweeney.
Vivas then made his MLB debut in Friday’s 3-0 win over Tampa Bay and wasn’t overmatched.
During the game, he fielded a grounder at second base hit by the speedy Chandler Simpson, earned two walks, and scored a run in the fifth inning with the help of Paul Goldschmidt’s home run.
“He had quality at-bats all night,’’ Boone said of the 24-year-old. “He can really play second, and he can swing the bat.”
Vivas acknowledged through an interpreter he was “a little bit [nervous]” for his first game.
With Chisholm out of the lineup and DJ LeMahieu gradually recovering from a calf strain and a recent hip injection, the left-handed hitter Vivas might have an ample opportunity to play for several weeks.
Aaron Judge was named AL Player of the Month on Friday after ending April hitting .427 and with an OPS of 1.282.
“What I’ve been watching is he’s playing a different game than everyone else,” Boone said. “He’s better than everyone else.”
Then Judge went out and hit a double and a triple Friday to extend his hitting streak to 12 games, lifting his average to .430.
He heard chants of “MVP” after making a catch in right field to open the top of the ninth.
Marcus Stroman, on the 15-day injured list with left knee inflammation, threw a bullpen session Friday for the first time since being out.
The right-hander was off to a brutal start after three outings to begin the season, with a 6.60 ERA.
Jasson Domínguez didn’t start against Tampa Bay right-hander Ryan Pepiot with all of the Yankees’ lefty hitters producing at a high rate.
And while Domínguez has put up an OPS of .872 from the left side this year, compared to just .391 from the right side, neither he nor the Yankees are considering pulling the plug on the 22-year-old abandoning switch hitting.
“He’s too young,’’ Boone said. “I still think he’s gonna hit from that side.”
Domínguez had a similar feeling.
“We’ve never talked about it,’’ Domínguez said. “I don’t want to stop doing it and I feel like I’ve made improvements, but there’s more to do.”
His main issue hitting as a right-hander, Domínguez said, is his timing.
And he puts most of that on the fact there aren’t as many left-handed pitchers around for him to get at-bats.
Giancarlo Stanton was officially moved to the 60-day IL on Friday to open a roster spot for Vivas, but the DH is making progress in his recovery from tendinitis in both elbows, Boone said.
Stanton could hit live for the first time next week, with right-hander Jake Cousins expected to face batters in his rehab from a right elbow flexor strain.
Stanton won’t be ready to join the Yankees when he’s eligible to come off the 60-day IL late this month.
Clayton Beeter’s rehab assignment was transferred from Double-A Somerset to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre as the right-hander comes back from right shoulder impingement.
— Additional report by Mark W. Sanchez and Peter Botte
