CLEVELAND – Gary Sanchez and Gleyber Torres are getting closer and closer to rejoining the Yankees.
Sanchez (groin) will begin his minor-league rehab stint on Sunday for Triple-A Scranton with the hope he can start the first game of the second half on Friday against the Mets, while Torres (hip) will head to Tampa on Wednesday to start his rehab with the hope that he can return during the Rays series July 23-25.
Sanchez, who has been out since June 24, will catch seven innings for the RailRiders on Sunday. He’ll then head with the team to Toledo where he’ll DH on Monday, have an off-day Tuesday and then catch nine innings on Wednesday before getting back to the Bronx, assuming everything goes well.
“He’s on that trajectory (to start Friday),” Aaron Boone said.
Torres will do baserunning drills with team trainer Stevie Donohue on-hand while he’s in D.C. for his first All-Star game, in which he won’t be participating. He’ll then go down to Tampa and begin rehab games. The 21-year-old Torres, who has been out since July 4, is a little bit behind the 25-year-old Sanchez, but is doing well, according to Boone.
Austin Romine and Kyle Higashioka have handled catching duties with Sanchez out, while Neil Walker and Tyler Wade have seen time at second in place of Torres.
“We’re looking forward to getting Gary and Gleyber back,” Boone said, noting how dynamic they are as players. “That being said we’ve really had guys step up in their absence. I think we’ve more than survived because of the performances from the depth of our roster. Guys have routinely come in and stepped up.”
Sanchez has 14 homers, 41 RBI and a .723 OPS. Torres has 15 homers, 42 RBI and a .905 OPS.
MANNY RUMORS SWIRL
As The News has reported, Brian Cashman isn’t inclined to include his best prospects for Manny Machado. So if a Giancarlo Stanton-type scenario somehow works itself out again, the Yankees would gladly take it.
That being said, the Phillies and Brewers have amped up their pursuit of the Orioles’ star shortstop, per reports. According to Jon Heyman, Philadelphia is thought to be ahead of the Yankees in their pursuit of Machado.
NO MINORS FOR GERMAN
Asked if Domingo German might get a start in the minors over the All-Star break, Boone said the team is still talking through scenarios, but that doesn’t really sound like an option. Boone added that German, who has pitched to a 5.49 ERA, is probably going to start early for the team in the second half of the season. … It’s unlikely Sonny Gray will be available in the bullpen over the weekend, Boone said.
