Yankees Notebook: Darren O’Day goes on the IL with ‘cranky’ shoulder

Darren O’Day was placed on the injured list with a right rotator cuff strain on Saturday. The Yankees’ side-armer has been dealing with a “cranky” shoulder all season. He will be shut down for a few weeks, Aaron Boone said.

“He’s kind of been cranky in the shoulder really all month,” the Yankees manager said before Saturday’s game against the Tigers at Yankee Stadium. “Started out a little bit early, but he was able obviously to pitch through it. Actually, the middle of the month was starting to feel pretty good and was kind of a non-issue and then over the last few days it still was just kind of in there cranky.”

“So decided to get it looked at and found that there was a strain in there,” Boone continued. “So obviously he’s got to be shut down now for a few weeks.”

The Yankees brought back Michael King to take O’Day’s spot in the bullpen. In three appearances this season, King has given the Yankees 11 scoreless innings.

O’Day last pitched Thursday, allowing a run in an inning’s work. In nine innings, over 10 appearances, O’Day has pitched to a 3.00 ERA.

This veteran reliever has dealt with this before.

“He’s dealt with this I think the last several years,” Boone said. “I think talk to any pitcher, any relief pitcher, any veteran relief pitcher, I mean, you’re going to deal with things throughout the year even when you don’t go down or whatever. This is enough to where it does require a few weeks shut down and hopefully with that he can get this thing right and and still be an important part of our bullpen moving forward.”

POWER OUTAGE NO ISSUE

No homers? No problem. The Yankees offense is built to win on power; they are supposed to bang home runs. Saturday, however, they played station-to-station baseball and still managed to beat the struggling Tigers 6-4 at Yankee Stadium.

Saturday was the first time this season they won a game in which they did not hit a home run. It was the first time since Sept. 22, 2020.

Instead, they got three big hits and three RBI from Aaron Judge and three RBI and two hits from Gleyber Torres. Judge tied his season high in hits and has driven in eight runs over the first two games of this series.

“This team, through the ups and downs, we continue to work and continue to try to improve,” Judge said of the Bombers shaking off a slow start to the season. “I’ve always said hitting is contagious. So a couple guys get on base, it kind of gives the team confidence to go out there and do their job.”

DOTS ALL FOLKS

Aroldis Chapman struck out two for his fifth save of the season. He has not allowed a run in nine appearances this season and has struck out 22 of the 35 batters he has faced this year. … Mike Ford left the game late Saturday, but it was just to tighten up the defense, Boone said.

BRITTON ON THE BUMP

Zack Britton, who had bone chips removed from his left elbow, got back on the mound for the first time since surgery on Friday.

“He threw 15 pitches yesterday and everything went well,” Boone said. “Britt’s doing really well … Zack’s well on his way..”

The left-handed set-up man is on the Yankees’ 60-day injured list, meaning he will not be able to come off the IL until the end of this month.

SEVERINO SEEING HITTERS

Luis Severino, who is rehabbing his way back from 2020 Tommy John surgery, threw off a mound with a hitter standing in the box this week. That is another step in his progression back from the surgery.

“He threw live on the field with hitters in the box where he went 20 pitches and sat down then did 15 more pitches. Threw all of his pitches,” Boone said. “I think he’s scheduled to face live hitters for the first time. I believe it’s May 10 or 11th. So he’ll have a couple of more bullpen sessions like the one the other day and then I believe live live hitters.”