The New York Yankees made a change at catcher on Thursday against the Toronto Blue Jays, sitting Kyle Higashioka for the first time this season. After trading Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for a package of players, the Bombers handed the reins to Higashioka, knowing he would provide stellar defensive play.
However, Higashioka has struggled to start the 2022 regular season after dominating in spring training, recording a .423 average with seven homers and 11 RBIs over just 26 at-bats. The organization was incredibly excited about his potential, but the 31-year-old catcher is hitting a measly .056 over 18 plate appearances to start the new year, including a 22.2% strike-out rate.
Unfortunately, given his inexcusable offensive production, the Yankees gave him a day off and provided newly acquired catcher Jose Trevino with his first start of the campaign.
Last year, Trevino featured with the Texas Rangers, hitting .239 over 89 games. This season, he’s only enjoyed six plate appearances but has recorded a hit in 50% of them, showcasing his solid bat.
In fact, against the Blue Jays on Thursday, Trevino recorded two hits over three at-bats, including two RBIs. Singling to left field in the 3rd inning, Trevino drove in Kiner-Falefa. He then provided another single in the 5th, driving in IKF once again, giving the Yankees a 2–0 lead.
Before the Bombers’ win over Toronto 3–0, the bottom of the order had been performing quite poorly, thanks to IKF and Higashioka. However, management shook up the team a bit, and Trevino pulled through, ultimately providing the cushion they needed to secure victory.
Moving forward, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Trivino get a bit more action, especially after helping Luis Severino finish the game with zero earned runs allowed and just two hits. Severino struck out six batters in his best performance in three years, lowering his ERA to 2.25 after giving up a two-run homer to Alex Verdugo in his first start against the Red Sox last week.
I am curious to see if Severino prefers Trevino behind the plate over Higashioka moving forward.