SEATTLE -- Sonny Gray is being tabbed for a spot-start against the Twins on Tuesday, as manager Aaron Boone looks to offer additional rest to Luis Severino and Masahiro Tanaka for the drive toward the postseason.
Gray has filled a variety of roles since being removed from the rotation in early August. He fired 6 1/3 scoreless innings against the Orioles on Aug. 25 in Baltimore in his last spot-start, and he pitched four scoreless innings of relief against the Tigers on Sept. 2 in his most recent outing.
"I feel like I've been throwing the ball well," Gray said. "I'll just try to continue the mindset, continue what I've been doing on the field and on the mound and in my early work. It's an opportunity to go out there and start a game, and get back to trying to pitch winning ballgames."
Severino will be pushed back to start on Wednesday against the Twins, while Tanaka will pick up two days with Thursday's scheduled off-day before opening the Blue Jays series at Yankee Stadium on Friday.
"We just felt like it buys everyone a little rest," Boone said. "We just felt it was a good thing to do, especially with a couple of the off-days coming up. It's a chance to get everyone on back-to-back turns. An extra day or two here or there will hopefully show its effects over the end of the season and into the postseason."
Boone said that he has seen Gray trust his stuff more since being bounced from the rotation; the right-hander is 2-0 with a 1.83 ERA in six appearances (one start) since that time. He was 8-8 with a 5.56 ERA in 21 starts when the Yankees made the decision to move Gray to the bullpen.
"He's going out there and not overanalyzing or overthinking every sequence," Boone said. "When he's attacking with his stuff, he's so capable of being a really good pitcher. He's shown that since moving to the 'pen."
Gray said that the time in the bullpen has given him a chance to study pitching with bullpen coach Mike Harkey and the team's relievers.
"You're down there with a lot of the best bullpen guys in the league," Gray said. "You're down there with guys that have pitched in big spots and big games. You just talk baseball. You talk mentality and you watch a lot of games. You try to come up with a plan that's going to work for you."
Comeback trail
Albertin Chapman (left knee tendinitis) has been running on a treadmill and "looks good" as he strengthens his quadriceps for a return to action, Boone said. Chapman has thrown at distances of 90 feet and Boone said that the left-hander is hopeful that he can make a few appearances before the postseason.
This date in Yankees history
Sept. 9, 1998: The Yankees move 20 1/2 games ahead of the second-place Red Sox, clinching the American League East pennant with a 7-5 victory at Fenway Park. Derek Jeter and Paul O'Neill homer twice as the Yanks improve to 102-41, en route to a 114-win campaign.