Nick Burdi, who has not allowed a run in 6 ¹/₃ innings and has struck out eight, hit the 15-day injured list (retroactive to Wednesday) with right hip inflammation.
The righty reliever felt the discomfort on the final pitch of his outing Tuesday, manager Aaron Boone said before the Yankees beat the Rays, 5-3.
Boone termed the inflammation as “fairly minor,” but the Yankees will be careful with Burdi, whose injury history is lengthy: The 31-year-old is one of three known pitchers to make it back to the majors after two Tommy John surgeries and one procedure for thoracic outlet syndrome.
“The biggest thing is [doctors] don’t want him compensating and then it leading into being an arm injury,” said Boone, who anticipated Burdi only resting a few days before beginning to build up again.
Clarke Schmidt allowed one run (on a Richie Palacios home run in the sixth) on seven hits without a walk in 5 ¹/₃ innings.
Perhaps as importantly, Schmidt reached 100 pitches (finishing at 102) in an outing for the first time in 71 career major league games.
“I loved every bit of that,” said Schmidt, who maxed out at 99 pitches last season and who lowered his 2024 ERA to 3.15. “I love it. I want to be out there as long as I possibly can. I know there’s facets of my game that I’m continuing to work on. I think last year was [facing] lefties. This year it’s continuing to go deeper in games.”
Dennis Santana, who pitched 1 ²/₃ strong innings, earned his first win as a Yankee.
With the roster spot vacated by Burdi, the Yankees called up Cody Morris from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
The righty had pitched at least two innings in each minor league appearance and could be used for length out of the bullpen.
The Yankees claimed former top-prospect Taylor Trammell from the Dodgers on Thursday, a 2016 first-round pick with a lifetime .627 OPS in 121 major league games.
It was his ability that attracted the team, Boone said.
“It’s an opportunity to get a talented player,” Boone said of the lefty-hitting outfielder from Georgia. “This is a guy that’s been a big-time prospect in his career. Hasn’t really translated at the big-league level yet.
“But it’s a 26-year-old, talented kid.”
Boone said he could envision Trammell pinch-running and said he could play any outfield position.
“We’ll see” how the team will use Trammell, Boone said.
In adding Trammell, the Yankees designated infielder Kevin Smith for assignment, which left the team thin on the dirt.
Boone said Oswaldo Cabrera — who has become the starting third baseman during DJ LeMahieu’s absence — would be the backup shortstop.
Boone is looking forward to Saturday’s festivities when the Yankees say goodbye to longtime radio voice John Sterling.
“I’m a romantic when it comes to baseball on the radio,” Boone said. “I totally get that John has been the voice of a generation for Yankees fans. And that’s a pretty big audience.”
Boone wants to see one of Sterling’s catchphrases added to the soundtrack of victories in The Bronx.
“I’d love to see that, ‘Thuhhhh, Yankees win!’ at the end of all of our games now here,” Boone said. “That would be kind of cool I think.”