LaMarre signed for Yanks' OF; Gardy in CF

Brett Gardner should see increased playing time in center field in the wake of an injury to Aaron Hicks, who may be facing surgery for a torn tendon sheath in his left wrist, manager Aaron Boone said on Sunday.

“I would look at it as, Gardy is going to be in there a lot,” Boone said.

The Yankees signed outfielder Ryan LaMarre from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to a Major League contract to replace Hicks on the active roster, with LaMarre logging the start in center field on Sunday.

Hicks was placed on the 10-day injured list after Saturday’s game and will return to New York for further evaluation.

LaMarre, 32, is a veteran of five big league seasons with five clubs, last appearing in the Majors with the Twins in 2019. The right-handed hitter owns a career slash line of .236/.286/.338 (70 OPS+) with four homers and 21 RBIs in 119 games.

“He’s a good defensive outfielder that can play all three positions, and that gives us another center fielder along with Gardy on the roster,” Boone said. “You could potentially see kind of a platoon situation, left-right, with those guys in the short term.”

Boone said that outfielder Estevan Florial would have been considered for promotion, but he was not eligible because he has not been with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for at least 72 hours. Florial is the Yankees’ No. 10 prospect according to MLB Pipeline.

“We’ll let Flo play,” Boone said. “We’re watching and paying attention to what he’s doing. It’s important that he plays right now and gets those everyday reps.”

Deep in the heart of Texas
Giancarlo Stanton and Rougned Odor could return to the lineup during the club’s upcoming series against the Rangers, Boone said.

Stanton is continuing to receive treatment for a tight left quadriceps, while Odor had an “encouraging” workout on Saturday as he recovers from a left knee strain sustained on May 4.

Regarding Stanton, Boone said: “I don’t think it’s anything that’s overly significant, but it is something that we are trying to get out in front of.”

COVID-19 update
The Yankees received another positive COVID-19 test for one of their support staff members, bringing the total number of cases in their recent outbreak to nine. Boone said that the individual, who is asymptomatic, will remain quarantined in Baltimore.

Five support staff members have now tested positive, in addition to shortstop Gleyber Torres and coaches Phil Nevin, Reggie Willits and Matt Blake. All of those cases are asymptomatic, but their absences have left the club short-handed behind the scenes; Boone indicated that a flubbed replay challenge in Friday’s game was a result of that.

“We’re just doing the best we can with it,” Boone said. “We’ll just continue to try and be vigilant and handle it as best we can.”

At least one additional support staff member is joining the club in Baltimore and will travel on for the series against the Rangers, Boone said.

“I’m really proud of everyone and how they’ve handled it,” Boone said.

This date in Yankees history
May 16, 2006: The Yankees equal a franchise record by overcoming a nine-run deficit to defeat the Rangers, 14-13, at Yankee Stadium. Jorge Posada hit a two-run homer off Akinori Otsuka to end it.