NEW YORK — Andrew Benintendi wouldn’t say whether he will get vaccinated for COVID-19 now that he’s with the first-place New York Yankees rather than the last-place Kansas City Royals.
A day after New York acquired the 28-year-old All-Star from the Royals for three minor league pitchers, Benintendi was hitting leadoff and playing left field against his former team on Thursday night.
He was among 10 Royals who missed a four-game series at Toronto from July 14-17 because he was not vaccinated and could not enter Canada. He lost $186,813 of the $8.5 million salary.
The Yankees have a three-game series at Toronto from Sept. 26-28.
“Right now, you know, I’m still positioned in the same spot. I’m open-minded about it,” Benintendi said. “I’m not against it, but time will tell as we get closer, but for now I’m just focused on getting here, getting comfortable, getting to know the guys and winning baseball games.”
Benintendi, who took a called third strike from Brady Singer in his first Yankees at-bat, had not yet discussed the issue with his new team.
“We’ll cross that bridge if and when we have to but I have not had that conversation,” Yankees Manager Aaron Boone said.
Benintendi had arrived with the Royals in New York and was in his hotel room when Royals Manager Mike Matheny told him of the trade at about 11 p.m. Wednesday night.
“It’s a weird situation,” Benintendi said. “Obviously lacing it up with them yesterday and now I’m going against them today.”
Matheny was aware the trade was possible before the flight but kept the possibility to himself.
“We couldn’t do anything and tried to honor the rules that the league puts in place and letting the medicals go through,” Matheny said. “We landed and still couldn’t say anything, so I kind of hunkered down outside his door and kind of made sure he didn’t escape.”
Matheny got General Manager J. J. Picollo and team president Dayton Moore on speakerphone when he told Benintendi.
“Fortunate and grateful to the Yankees for holding that down as long as they could so we could have that conversation in person,” Matheny said. “He deserved to have that conversation in person.”
As word spread amongst the Royals, many who found out from Twitter and other social media, several players gathered in Benintendi’s room to wish him well.
Some even stuck around to play cards with their old mate. One well-wisher was Bobby Witt Jr., whose locker was positioned directly next to Benintendi’s at Kauffman Stadium.
“I got to talk to him a lot about baseball,” Witt said of their time as teammates. “He’s a great person both on and off the field so just really anxious to see him continue his success.”
Benintendi had to switch from No. 16 to No. 18 with the Yankees – 16 is retired for Whitey Ford.
Hititng .320 with three homers, 39 RBI and a .788 OPS this season, Benintendi should fit in nicely with an offense that has scored the most runs in the majors.
“Been a guy that’s got a championship, battle-tested. Obviously played a key part in the Red Sox run in ‘18, was a key figure for them,” Boone said. “He’s had an All-Star caliber season, a guy that gets on base, great bat-to-ball skills, good defender in left field. I’m real excited to have him.”
Tim Locastro was optioned to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to open a roster spot.
Boone plans to slot his new addition in left field for the most part, a position where he won a Gold Glove last year. Aaron Judge could see more time in right field rather than center, and Aaron Hicks could see time in center rather than left.
“I think he makes us more versatile, gives us some more balance,” Boone said of Benintendi.
For now, Benintendi was remaining in the Royals hotel.
“I don’t know what’s going to go on there,” he said. “Still getting a lot of information right now so just trying to process everything.”
The Yankees sent right-handers Chandler Champlain and Beck Way to the Royals along with left-hander T.J. Sikkema.
MARLINS: Right-hander Max Meyer will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery, the club announced.
Los Angeles Dr. Neal ElAttrache is scheduled to perform the arthroscopic procedure sometime in the near future. Meyer could miss most or all of the 2023 season.
The 23-year-old Meyer, one of Miami’s top prospects and the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 First-Year Player Draft, left his second major league start on Friday in Pittsburgh after throwing 10 pitches. He missed a month earlier this season with right ulnar nerve irritation.
Meyer (0-1) was a combined 9-8 with a 2.77 earned-run average in 35 minor league starts before being called up by the Marlins.
METS: Reliever Drew Smith was put on the 15-day injured list because of a strained lat muscle in his right side.
BLUE JAYS: The Blue Jays announced plans for a $230 million renovation of Rogers Centre, their downtown home since 1989 but said the change will not involve replacing the artificial turf surface with grass.
The renovation, to be undertaken in stages over the next two or three winters, will begin with the team adding raised bullpens in left and right field, adjusting the dimensions and heights of the current outfield wall and adapting outfield seating areas to add bars and patios, as well as a section of bleachers.
TIGERS: Unvaccinated left-hander Andrew Chafin was put on the restricted list by the Tigers before the opener of a four-game series in Toronto.
THURSDAY’S GAMES
YANKEES 1, ROYALS 0: Aaron Judge hit his third walk-off homer this year, his major league-leading 39th home run of the season, to lift the Yankees over visiting Kansas City.
New York was held to one hit before Judge drove a first-pitch fastball from Scott Barlow (4-3) into the Kansas City bullpen with one out in the ninth, a 431-foot drive that gave the Yankees their 12th walk-off win this season. Judge sent the crowd of 43,836 into a frenzy, joining Mickey Mantle as the only Yankees with three walk-off home runs in one season.
BLUE JAYS 5, TIGERS 3: Matt Chapman hit two home runs, Yusei Kikuchi came off the injured list to pitch five solid innings and Toronto beat visiting Detroit for its 10th victory in 12 games.
Chapman hit a two-run homer off left-hander Tyler Alexander in the fourth and a solo shot off Angel De Jesus in the sixth, the ninth multi-homer game of his career and first this season. The home runs were his 17th and 18th of the year.
ORIOLES 3, RAYS 0: Trey Mancini hit an inside-the-park home run in what may have been his final plate appearance at Camden Yards as a member of the Orioles, and Baltimore blanked Tampa Bay.
Jordan Lyles pitched impressively into the sixth inning for the Orioles, who took 3 of 4 from Tampa Bay and went 4-3 on a big homestand against the Yankees and Rays. They have put together a winning record in consecutive months for the first time since 2016 and trail Tampa Bay by three games for the final wild card in the American League – a much better position than expected as the trade deadline approaches.
Some fans stood and cheered Mancini when he came up with one on and two outs in the eighth and the Orioles up 1-0. He lifted a routine flyball to right, but Josh Lowe appeared to have trouble with the sun and missed the ball. It hit the left side of his face and bounced away, and Mancini circled the bases.
MARLINS 7, REDS 6: Daniel Castano was hit on the forehead by a 104 mph line drive off the bat of Donovan Solano in the first inning of Miami’s win at Cincinnati.
The 27-year-old left-hander fell to the field on his knees and held a hand to his head as catcher Jacob Stallings, Manager Don Mattingly and athletic trainers went to the mound to check on him. Castano did not appear to lose consciousness, and the door on the outfield fence opened as a cart prepared to enter the field.
Castano rose to his feet about 90 seconds later and left the field under his own power, a towel draped over his neck, after Solano walked over, put a hand on his shoulder and spoke with the pitcher. The Marlins said Castano showed mild concussion symptoms and was bruised.
The ball was hit so hard it caromed to third baseman Joey Wendle, who caught it for the out.
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