AL East

Gerrit Cole didn't waste much time setting a record.

He struck out Nick Solak, Nate Lowe and Joey Gallo in the first inning of Monday's game against the Texas Rangers, and Bryan Hoch of MLB.com noted that gave the New York Yankees ace 59 strikeouts since his last walk.

Cole walked Gallo in the third, which brought the run to an end at 61 strikeouts and gave him the longest streak since 1893.

Coby Green of SNY explained Curt Schilling set the record of 56 straight strikeouts between walks in 2002 and that the Milwaukee Brewers' Corbin Burnes set a new mark last week with 58.

Entering play Monday, Cole had a 1.37 ERA, an American League-leading 0.68 WHIP and 78 strikeouts in 52.2 innings.

New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a left quad strain, the team announced Monday.  

The move is retroactive to May 14 after Stanton missed the past few games due to what was referred to as quad tightness.

Injuries are always a concern for Stanton, who has struggled to stay on the field since joining the Yankees.

After playing 158 games in his first season with the team in 2018, the outfielder and designated hitter played just 18 games in 2019 and 23 in during the shortened 2020 season. After staying healthy for the first month of the 2021 campaign, he is now dealing with another issue that will keep him sidelined.

It slows down what has been a strong start to the season, entering the day with a .282 batting average, nine home runs and 24 RBI in 33 games.

Stanton is almost always effective at the plate when healthy, producing an OPS+ of at least 118 in each year of his major league career. He entered the year with four All-Star selections, two Silver Slugger awards and an NL MVP award to go with 312 home runs in 11 seasons.

It means any missed time is a significant setback for the Yankees offense, which has been inconsistent this year.

New York has numerous options to fill the designated hitter role, but Stanton's absence could create more playing time for Brett Gardner and Luke Voit.

The New York Yankees' COVID-19 outbreak is growing. 

Manager Aaron Boone told reporters before Sunday's game against the Baltimore Orioles that a member of the team's support staff tested positive for the coronavirus. There are now nine cases of the virus within the Yankees' travel party, according to ESPN. 

"We're just doing the best we can with it," Boone said.

The team said Thursday that shortstop Gleyber Torres tested positive for the coronavirus even though he is fully vaccinated and had the virus previously. A number of other staff members have tested positive, including pitching coach Matt Blake, first base coach Reggie Willits, third base coach Phil Nevin and five others, per ESPN. 

The latest individual to test positive is quarantining in Baltimore, where a second staff member is sidelined amid contact tracing. The others remain in Tampa, where the team played Tuesday through Thursday before departing for Baltimore.

Another staff member will travel with the team to Texas, where the team begins a four-game series against the Rangers on Monday. 

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks will be placed on the injured list.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters Saturday that a wrist injury will force Hicks to go on the 10-day IL.

Hicks could undergo surgery after being diagnosed with a torn tendon sheath in his left wrist.

Boone told reporters Friday that Hicks will be taking anti-inflammatory medication in an attempt to avoid surgery that would end his season:

"He started some medicine, and we'll see how he responds in the next couple of days. Sometimes that works and kind of declares itself at that point. Surgery could be on the table at some point, as well. But we won't know that for a couple of days."

Hicks last played Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Rays. He went 0-for-2 in the Yankees' 1-0 loss.

This season has been a struggle for Hicks. The 31-year-old is hitting .194/.294/.333 with four homers and 14 RBI in 108 at-bats through 32 games.

Brett Gardner will continue to handle things in center field for the time being. The Yankees also have Tyler Wade on the bench capable of playing the position.

New York Yankees announced star Giancarlo Stanton will miss Friday's game against the Baltimore Orioles with left quad tightness. 

The 2017 National League MVP dealt with a hamstring strain last year and played just 23 games. He finished with four home runs and 11 RBI in 23 appearances.

Back healthy in 2021 prior to this setback, Stanton resumed mashing the ball. Through 33 games, he has nine homers, 24 RBI and a .882 OPS.

The injury bug has bitten Stanton throughout his MLB career. He has eclipsed 140 games in a season just four times through his first 12 years, though he did make 153 combined appearances between MLB and Double-A in 2010.

The Yankees aren't lacking in firepower even when Stanton isn't in the lineup. Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge and DJ LeMahieu have all won Silver Sluggers at their respective positions, while Gio Urshela has unlocked his power potential after joining the Yankees in 2019.

Still, any team would be worse without Stanton.

Seven members of the New York Yankees staff have tested positive for COVID-19.

Manager Aaron Boone told reporters Wednesday that six of the people in question are asymptomatic. He also confirmed Gleyber Torres will be out of the lineup Wednesday night against the Tampa Bay Rays as a precautionary measure.

It appears the Yankees will continue to carry on with business as usual, rolling out their lineup for Wednesday night:

ESPN's Marly Rivera reported Tuesday that at least five Yankees coaches had tested positive. The team went ahead with Tuesday night's game against the Rays, winning 3-1.

In April, the Yankees were one of four teams that had met MLB's threshold of 85 percent full vaccination within their group of Tier 1 individuals, which allows a team to relax some COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

A Yankees spokesperson confirmed third-base coach Phil Nevin and first-base coach Reggie Willits were among the positive cases and that both coaches had received the COVID-19 vaccine.

"We're doing all we can to stay healthy," Boone told reporters Tuesday. "A little bit of a skeleton staff but nothing we can't handle."

Boone went on to say after Tuesday's game the Yankees were receiving guidance on the situation from their own team doctors and personnel from MLB. He remained confident that Wednesday's action would go on as scheduled.

New York Yankees third base coach Phil Nevin tested positive for COVID-19, manager Aaron Boone told reporters Tuesday.

"We have a breakthrough positive involving 3B Coach Phil Nevin, who is fully vaccinated," the Yankees said in a statement. "He is currently under quarantine protocol in Tampa. Under MLB's guidance and advice, and with its assistance, additional testing and contact tracing are ongoing."

Boone also told reporters no other coaches had confirmed positive tests and that he expected the team's game against the Tampa Bay Rays to be played as scheduled Tuesday night. No players were affected, though others were in contact tracing.

Bench coach Carlos Mendoza will take over for Nevin at third, and Mario Garza, who is the team's baseball development coordinator, will coach first. Reggie Willits is the Yankees' usual first base coach in addition to his role as the team's outfield instructor.

Nevin, 50, played 12 years in the major leagues from 1995 to 2006. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1992 draft. The ex-CSU Fullerton star posted an .814 OPS and 208 home runs with seven different teams.

He's been coaching since 2008, including three-year stints managing the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens and Reno Aces. Nevin became the San Francisco Giants' third base coach in 2017 before joining Boone's Yankees staff at the same position for the 2018 season.

As a special assistant to the general manager, Hall of Famer Craig Biggio is supposed to help the Houston Astros find ways to win games. As the father of Toronto Blue Jays star Cavan Biggio, his front-office job got a little bit tougher Saturday. 

With Toronto in town for a three-game set, the younger Biggio uncorked a towering, 390-foot home run to right field—as his father watched from his seats just behind home plate. 

It's Biggio's first home run at Minute Maid Park and left the bat at 104.2 miles per hour, according to Statcast. 

Considering the elder Biggio notched 79 of his 291 career homers at Minute Maid Park, his son may have a chance to surpass that number if he stays healthy—and continues to play in Houston often. 

If the Blue Jays star continues to rake like this against the Astros, his father may have no choice but to try trading for him.

Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier left Saturday's game against the Oakland Athletics with a sprained wrist, the team announced. X-rays were negative. 

Kiermaier was removed from the game as he held his left wrist after he slid into second base on a steal attempt in the top of the second inning at the Oakland Coliseum.

Injuries have been a persistent theme throughout Kiermaier's career. He made 150-plus appearances just once in his first six seasons upon becoming a regular for Tampa Bay, missing an average of almost 49 games per year.

The 31-year-old was absent for 11 of the Rays' 60 games during the shortened 2020 campaign. He largely struggled at the plate, finishing with a .683 OPS. He continued to be an elite fielder, though, even if he wasn't a Gold Glove finalist at his position.

This season has seen Kiermaier continue to struggle at the plate. He was hitting .217/.289/.290 with no homers and five RBI in 22 games entering Saturday. 

With Kiermaier unavailable, Brett Phillips took over in center field and Manuel Margot moved into right field for the Rays.