BALTIMORE (AP) — Slumping New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez has been temporarily benched by manager Aaron Boone, who hopes the rest will help the slugger regain his stroke.
Sanchez is mired in a 3-for-28 funk that's dropped his batting average to .130. He was not in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against Baltimore and might not be back in action for a while.
“I kind of deliberated on it a lot last night and just feel this is the way I need to go right now," Boone said Sunday morning. “Hopefully a day off or two or however I decide to do it here can help get him going."
Boone discussed the move with Sanchez, who would have preferred to work his way out of the slump while on the field.
“Gary wants to play. To his credit, behind the scenes he's working his tail off and wants to be in there," Boone said. “But in the end, I think this is the best thing right now."
Sanchez does not have a multi-hit game this season and has only seven homers and 15 RBIs over 100 at-bats. Last year, he had 34 home runs and 77 RBIs in 106 games.
“There are some subtle adjustments that can be made that can hopefully unlock him, and he’s got to find that inside," Boone said.
The move comes after the fading Yankees dropped two in a row to Baltimore to fall to 21-18 for the season after a 16-6 start.
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