The last time the Yankees activated Harrison Bader, the center fielder provided an immediate jolt.
The team had been in the midst of a scuffling stretch that ended with four consecutive losses from April 28 through May 1. The lineup — also without Aaron Judge due to a hip strain — scored a total of six runs in those games.
But the Yankees won Bader’s first two contests back from an oblique injury suffered in spring training, and he hit his first home run of the season on May 5. In addition to stabilizing the middle of the outfield with his elite defense, Bader also slashed .429/.448/.893 with two triples, three homers and 11 RBI over his first eight games of the season, a period that saw the Yankees go 6-2.
Bader hit .290/.315/.565 with five longballs and 17 RBI over his first 20 games, and he ended up with a .267/.295/.511 slash line, six homers, 19 RBI and six stolen bases over 26 games before a hamstring strain forced him back to the injured list on May 29.
The Yankees reactivated Bader prior to Tuesday’s series-opener against the Mariners. Once again, the Bombers are missing Judge and could use an offensive spark.
Bader, however, isn’t looking at himself as the answer.
“As long as everybody just remains confident and focused on what they can do to add to the lineup, we’ll be just fine,” Bader said. “Obviously, we’re missing some pieces, so that doesn’t help. But if you stay within your game and you do what you’re capable of doing, that’s all that really matters.”
Entering Tuesday, the Yankees had failed to score more than three runs in eight of their last 11 games. The club went 3-8 over that stretch while playing sub-.500 White Sox and Mets teams and the last-place Red Sox. The Yankees, on a four-game losing streak, returned to the Bronx on Tuesday after Boston swept them at Fenway Park over the weekend.
Bader, who went 2-for-12 with five strikeouts in three rehab games for Double-A, should immediately help an offense that’s been so bad that hitting coach Dillon Lawson addressed reporters in between parts of a doubleheader on Sunday. At least that’s the Yankees’ hope for Bader, who, when healthy, has exceeded his career league-average bat since debuting for the team last September.
If nothing else, Bader’s defense and speed will assist the Yankees, as their options in center have been limited since he returned to the shelf.
“I’m just gonna go out there, play my game, be a good teammate, command the outfield in center, make sure nothing drops,” he said. “Hitting-wise, we’ll have a plan of attack and we’ll see how it shakes out.”
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