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WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Caution, all of the accolades about to be dished out to Yankees bench player Max Schuemann come with a disclaimer that can’t be overlooked:
Limited data to judge.
Regardless, Schuemann definitely has taken advantage of the few opportunities that he’s had since being called up from Triple-A on April 28.
Nothing changed Sunday when Schuemann received a rare start and played a big part of the Yankees’ 13-run third inning with a walk and two-run double.
“I thought his walk was a great at-bat,” manager Aaron Boone said after the Yankees held off the Athletics 13-8. “He was one of the guys that got a two-strike hit, so he provided a good spark.
“I knew he’d give us good at-bats, and he did, so it was good to get him in there and have him play a meaningful role.
In 13 games, five as a starter, Schuemann is hitting .294 with a .500 on-base percentage in 24 plate appearances.
Boone loaded his Sunday lineup with right-handed bats against Athletics starter Jacob Lopez, a lefthander, by starting Schuemann at second base over Jazz Chisholm and Jose Caballero at third over Ryan McMahon.
Schuemann benefitted from Yankees’ extra infielder Amed Rosario being away from the team this week while on paternity leave. The right-hander hitter gets a lot of his starts against left-handed pitching.
“I felt like it was a good day to get Schuemann in there,” Boone said. “In his kind of small sample, I feel like he’s put together some really good at-bats.”
Not much of an offensive player in his first two seasons, Schuemann’s hitting stood out in spring training after he was traded by the Athletics to the Yankees on Feb. 9 for a 20-year-old pitching prospect.
Schuemann was a heavily used super utility player for the Athletics, but his ability to play infield and outfield well stood out most.
He hit just .197 with two homers, 13 RBI and a .295 on-base percentage across 213 plate appearances over 101 games last season. As a rookie, he was a little better batting .220 with seven homers, 34 RBI on a .311 on base in 459 plate appearances over 133 games.
Schuemann, 28, didn’t break with the Yankees, but he’s impressed again since coming up from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
“He’s done a good job,” Boone said. “He really has. His versatility ... it’s been a lot of defensive replacements or pinch-running situations. The at-bats he’s given have been excellent. I think he’s got six walks in 20 plate appearances. That’s something we noticed in spring.
“I feel like he can put together a good at-bat.”
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