Josh Donaldson lands on 10-day IL with right calf strain, Oswald Peraza recalled – The Denver Post

DENVER — Aaron Boone didn’t sound optimistic after Josh Donaldson hobbled down the first base line in the seventh inning of the Yankees’ Saturday win over the Rockies.

On Sunday morning, the team placed Donaldson on the 10-day injured list with a right calf strain. Prospect Oswald Peraza was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to replace Donaldson.

The Yankees didn’t have Donaldson’s MRI results when Boone spoke to reporters on Sunday morning, but the manager said “I would think” the third baseman will need more than 10 days on the IL.

“We’ll see at what level and then go from there,” Boone said, “but I know it wasn’t great.”

Donaldson, who was “a little beat up” prior to the All-Star break and designated hitting for the second consecutive day on Saturday, moved slowly out of the box after hitting a weak groundball to shortstop on Saturday. As Donaldson approached first base, he began to hop on his left leg before jogging gingerly to the Yankees’ dugout.

Asked Saturday if it was Donaldson’s calf that had been bothering him before the break, Boone said, “It’s a different spot. It’s been kind of off and on all year.”

Boone clarified Sunday that Donaldson has been dealing with the issue “more over the last couple weeks.”

This marks Donaldson’s second injured list stint this season — he hurt his hamstring in April — and it creates an opportunity for Peraza.

A shortstop by trade, Peraza has also spent time at second and third this season in the minors and majors. He’s hit fairly well at Triple-A, slashing .262/.355/.497 with 12 home runs and 28 RBI. He’s also stolen 11 bases.

Boone said that he’ll use Peraza like Donaldson and that “there should be plenty of playing time for him.” The skipper noted that the prospect can also move around the infield and spell some of the Yankees’ starters.

“He hasn’t played a ton of third base,” Boone said. “But I’ve been pleased with it. He’s pretty gifted in the infield.

“I don’t really have many concerns about it.”

With Peraza producing for the RailRiders, a large number of Yankees fans were already clamoring for him to take playing time from Donaldson, who is hitting .142 with a .659 OPS after going 0-for-4 on Saturday. Donaldson, 37, does have 10 home runs in 33 games this season, but he’s only totaled 15 hits and just as many RBI.

Peraza competed for the Yankees’ starting shortstop job in the spring but lost it to Anthony Volpe after enjoying a cup of coffee in the majors last season. Boone has repeatedly talked about how the 23-year-old responded positively to that decision, and did so again on Sunday.

“I can relate to kind of getting to the big leagues and having a little bit of success and then having to go back,” Boone said. “Like it’s not an easy thing. The biggest thing I’ve been pleased with Oswald is how he’s dealt with, obviously, us going with Anthony to start the season. It hasn’t changed anything about how he’s gone about his work and his focus and his preparation. He’s gone down there and performed, and that’s a lot easier said than done, and I’ve been there. So excited to get him up here. We know he’s a really good player and he’s done a good job of continuing to work on getting better and better.”

ALTITUDE ALTERATIONS

Clarke Schmidt, the Yankees’ Saturday starter, made some interesting comments regarding the high altitude that pitchers have to deal with at Coors Field. He said that the Yankees noticed that Carlos Rodon and some relievers’ pitch shapes didn’t look right on Friday, so Schmidt made it a point to test his stuff out in the bullpen on Friday and before Saturday’s start. His curve looked so off that he initially planned on ditching it, but Schmidt decided to aim for the dirt during his start, and that placed the pitch in the bottom half of the zone.

On Sunday, pitching coach Matt Blake, coaching in Denver for the first time this series, said he was “generally aware” of the conditions and that the Yankees had prepped accordingly.

“As a group, we knew that there was going to be some level of change, just because of the altitude and the way the ball works through the air here,” Blake told the Daily News. “A lot of times the vertical ride is different or the ability to spin the ball’s a little bit different, so we just knew that the shapes were going to be a little different from where we normally are at altitude or sea level. So that was one thing we just wanted to get our bearings on as far as what the ball was going to do.”

Blake also said that because Yankees pitchers made tweaks for pitching at Coors — like Schmidt aiming his curve in the dirt — they will have to readjust in their next outings.

“That’s just one of the things that you’ve got to recalibrate in each environment you’re in,” Blake said. “Obviously, this is an extreme one compared to being in New York or being in Tampa or something like that.”

In addition, Blake said there was a conditioning element to pitching at Coors, and that the Yankees had oxygen available in the dugout. He said pitchers haven’t had to use the oxygen, but catchers have “a little bit.”

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