MLB

After Yankees washed out, Romine hopes for more time to prove worth

SMILES TO GO: Yankees catcher Austin Romine celebrates after making an acrobatic catch in foul ground for the final out of Friday’s 5-0 win over the Blue Jays at the Stadium. Yesterday’s game was postponed by rain, giving the fill-in Romine one last chance to show what he can do. (
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Francisco Cervelli was at the Stadium yesterday and hopes to be back with the Yankees when he’s eligible to come off the 60-day disabled list in late June, recovered from a fractured right hand.

Chris Stewart is a day closer to returning after missing the previous two games with a groin injury.

So Austin Romine knows the clock is ticking on his chance to prove that he’s capable of playing catcher at the major league level.

“I hate rainouts, period,” Romine said after yesterday’s matinee against the Blue Jays was washed out. “But it’s especially frustrating when this is the time to show what I can do.”

The 25-year-old was slated to be in the lineup again as Stewart nurses an injured groin. Stewart could return to action tonight in Baltimore, although tomorrow seems more likely.

Either way, Romine is headed back to the bench.

“It’s so much easier to catch every day,” Romine said. “You know what to expect and you can read your pitchers and their hitters. Today, I knew exactly what we wanted to do — even more so than the first time through since I’ve been learning about their swings the whole series.”

Although it has been a brief opportunity, Romine has been glad to have it after getting off to a bumpy start. He went nine days without starting after being behind the plate for Andy Pettitte’s disaster against Houston on April 29, when his cutter deserted him.

“It’s like night and day,” Romine said of how he feels defensively. “I feel like I’m in a groove.”

Joe Girardi agreed.

“I think he’s gotten in a better rhythm with our pitchers,” the manager said. “It’s always tough when you come in the middle of the season as a catcher, especially when you’re a young catcher. … There could be a day when a guy doesn’t have everything and that makes it even harder.”

Mariano Rivera understood why Romine had some difficulty when he first got back to The Bronx.

“It’s never going to be easy,” Rivera said. “It’s not supposed to be easy. But you can already see the improvements he’s made.”

David Robertson recalled Romine’s major league debut against the Angels on Sept. 11, 2011, when he pitched a scoreless inning with the rookie catcher.

“I felt like he was a good receiver even then,” Robertson said. “He’s always had the skills and the ability and now he’s got a chance to actually show it up here.”

Since the 9-1 loss to the Astros on April 29, the Yankees have won all five games Romine has started and pitchers have limited the opposition to three runs or fewer each game.

The results are not surprising to Robertson.

“Every catcher we’ve had has been good defensively,” Robertson said. “That’s why there was no panic coming into this year, even without Russell [Martin]. We trust all those guys.”

Including Romine.

“I know he’s gonna block the two-strike curveball or catch the one that gets away from me and gets in the dirt,” Robertson said. “You need to have that knowledge that whoever is back there is going to make those plays. And I know Romine is like that because I’ve thrown him some very short breaking balls and he’s been right on top of them.”

Romine figures to get at least a little more time to make an impression.

“I know I still have a lot to do,” Romine said. “And I’ll have to find new ways to get in my zone when I’m not in there all the time.”