BOSTON — In his 38th career plate appearance as a pinch hitter, Cody Bellinger tripled his RBI total.
After starting Thursday’s game on the bench, Bellinger entered in the seventh-inning with the bases loaded and the Yankees trailing by a run and came through with a two-run single that sent them to a 4-2 win over the Red Sox, completing a sweep at Fenway Park.
Bellinger only had one career pinch-hit RBI before Thursday, but picked a clutch spot for his next two, coming against righty reliever Greg Weissert to help get Cam Schlittler the win in his first hometown start.
“It’s a hard thing to do,” Bellinger said. “But we got a bunch of guys in here, a lot of success this year [pinch hitting] and I just want to continue doing that. You really just prepare as much as you can and when your name’s called, I stick within myself and my plan and take my swing.”
Aaron Boone, who said he told Bellinger, “Nice off-day,” said he was not surprised to see him deliver.
“I mean, that’s Cody. He’s getting paid handsomely because he’s good at that,” Boone said of the outfielder who re-signed on a five-year, $162.5 million contract in January. “Just a really good at-bat, smoking the ball the other way and putting us in a great spot. He’s a great player, simple as that.”
Gerrit Cole made his second rehab start Thursday with High-A Hudson Valley, building up to 52 pitches across 4 ¹/₃ innings in which he gave up two runs and five hits while striking out four.
The ace is expected to use most, if not all, of his 30-day rehab clock as he finishes off his comeback from Tommy John surgery.
“[My arm] is feeling good,” Cole said, according to video provided by the Hudson Valley Renegades. “It’s responding good to all the new stimulus, so we’ll keep plugging away.”
Carlos Rodón will make his first rehab start Friday with Hudson Valley, and Boone reiterated that the left-hander is “closer” to a return than Cole. Rodón is expected to make at least three rehab starts.
Anthony Volpe had Thursday off from his rehab assignment at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but he is expected to play nine innings at shortstop Friday and Saturday and then DH on Sunday, at which point the Yankees will reevaluate whether he is ready to return to the big leagues.
Boone declined to say whether Volpe could be in play for the Yankees series against the Rangers that begins Monday in Arlington, Texas, though it would not be surprising if they waited to activate him until they return home next Friday for a series against the Orioles.
“He’s getting close,” Boone said. “As this weekend unfolds, we’ll get a better idea.”
Ben Rice, Schlittler, Will Warren and Boone went to Boston Children’s Hospital this week to visit patients including Walker, a 7-year-old Westchester native who is awaiting a heart transplant.
He made a sign that read “Play like a [heart] warrior today” that the Yankees hung up in their clubhouse at Fenway Park on Thursday.
“It was awesome,” Boone said. “Grateful I got to go do that, to meet him and a few of the other kids over there. Walker’s family was awesome. He’s got a lot of personality and super upbeat. Just fun hanging with him. I know he’ll be yelling, ‘Let’s go Yankees’ around six o’clock over there. Hoping we hear it from the hospital.”
The league told Boone that Ryan Yarbrough’s balk against the Angels last Thursday — which ultimately led to the manager getting ejected for arguing the call — was not actually a balk.
The Savannah Bananas game scheduled for Saturday at Yankee Stadium has been moved to Friday at 7:30 p.m. because of the threat of inclement weather.
