BOSTON — Randal Grichuk acknowledged earlier this week that he needs to see results quickly.
Tuesday, some results arrived.
The Yankees platoon outfielder, who has not statistically hit well in the first weeks of the season and is playing for his roster spot while Anthony Volpe gets closer to a return, came through with a pair of hits, including an RBI double in the eighth, to help himself and his team to a 4-0 series-opening win over the Red Sox at Fenway Park.
Grichuk, who received a start against lefty Connelly Early and entered with a .100 average, doubled the number of hits he had tallied on the season.
“He hasn’t gotten any results, but he’s hit a number of balls on the nose,” manager Aaron Boone said of Grichuk, who was signed to crush lefties and barely played in the first two weeks because the club saw just one southpaw before April 9.
The veteran has gotten more chances recently, and he has struck out too often and found virtually no luck when making solid contact.
That changed in the second inning, when he snuck a single off third baseman Caleb Durbin’s glove and into left field, and again in the eighth, when he smacked a double into the left-center gap to drive in Cody Bellinger.
Only playing occasionally and being expected to keep a swing on time and ready is among the tougher jobs in the sport.
“It’s difficult, it’s tough,” Grichuk allowed. “But it’s the world I’m in and I understand that. I definitely get excited when I see lefties.”
There is just one more lefty — Ranger Suarez on Wednesday — aligned to pitch against the Yankees through this weekend.
Which means that this series might be Grichuk’s final chance to show his team what he can do and that he deserves to remain on the roster whenever Volpe is ready.
Grichuk’s biggest competition is J.C. Escarra, who could be optioned if the club decides Ben Rice can be backup catcher.
Volpe began the second week of his rehab assignment Tuesday, though he may not need much longer than that.
The Yankees shortstop is expected to play in five rehab games this week with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre — after playing in four last week with Double-A Somerset — continuing to build up his workload before a potential return to the big leagues as soon as next week.
Volpe went 2-for-4 with a home run Tuesday for SWB, improving to 6-for-15 with two steals, a walk and four strikeouts through five rehab games.
“He’s responded well to everything,” Boone said. “Hopefully this’ll be a good week to where he’s playing five, six, seven innings and back-to-backs and things like that.”
Volpe played one back-to-back at Double-A on Thursday and Friday, then played seven innings Sunday. Boone indicated he could play as many as three straight days this week, which was more important than playing a full nine-inning game in what is essentially Volpe’s spring training.
“I never even get our players in spring training to nine innings,” Boone said. “I like them to get where they’re routinely doing seven, seven, six, eight, whatever, out there for a couple and a half hours, four at-bats, things like that. Whether that ends up being nine innings or not, it’s more the back-to-back of volume. Obviously he’s getting closer.”
If everything goes well this week, it seems plausible that Volpe could rejoin the Yankees as early as next week’s series against the Rangers in Arlington, Texas, though it’s possible they could wait until they return home to face the Orioles on May 1.
Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón, meanwhile, will be with High-A Hudson Valley this week to make rehab starts Thursday and Friday, respectively.
Thursday will be Cole’s second rehab start, in which he is likely to build up to 50-plus pitches as he continues his comeback from Tommy John surgery.
Friday will be the beginning of Rodón’s rehab assignment after it was delayed by a hamstring issue that led the Yankees to play it safe and have him stick to live batting practice sessions — the most recent one Saturday, when he threw 55-60 pitches.
The left-hander will likely make at least three rehab starts before he could be ready to rejoin the Yankees.
Before the Mets extended their losing streak to 12 games Tuesday, Boone said he had been in touch with their manager and his former bench coach, Carlos Mendoza.
“He’s somebody that I think is really good at what he does and a great person,” Boone said. “Certainly can relate to one another when you go through something like that. It’s obviously tough and challenging, but he’s also cut out for and equipped for it.”
