How Sonny Gray factored in Yankees’ decision to call up Domingo Acevedo

Right-handed starter Domingo Acevedo was called up from Double-A Trenton by the Yankees on Saturday.

NEW YORK — If the Yankees trusted Sonny Gray to get through five innings in his Subway Series start Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium, then Tommy Kahnle perhaps would have been the organization’s first choice to come up from Triple-A to be short-term roster replacement for Domingo German until a fifth starter is needed again next week.

Kahnle, after all, is pitching well in Triple-A and he was a very valuable bullpen piece for the Yankees’ last season.

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But there is no trust in Gray, of course – nor should there be- and so the Yankees instead played it safe by double-jumping Double-A Trenton starter Domingo Acevedo in to be a long-relief option in case Gray has a short outing against the Mets.

“Acevedo is stretched out as a starter, he’s built up to 100 pitches and he’s on his fifth day, so he gives us that protection if we got into a situation where we needed a lot of length,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Saturday. “He’s the best option for us right now.”

Gray will take a 6-7 record and 5.46 ERA into his first start since the All-Star break, and he’s frequently not given the Yankees’ length, as he didn’t make it through five inning seven times in his first 18 starts.

This first big-league shot for Acevedo likely won’t last long. If the 6-foot-8, 250-pound Dominican pitches on Saturday, he’ll probably be optioned right back to Trenton after the game and replaced by another long-relief option or standard reliever. Whether the extra reliever remains Acevedo or someone else, he’ll probably be gone by Wednesday when Luis Cessa is called up from Triple-A to take German’s No. 5 starter spot.

German was optioned to Triple-A late Friday night after he allowed four runs over 3 2/3 innings as the Yankees’ starter in a 7-5 loss to the Mets. The rookie right-hander is 2-6 with a 5.68 ERA in 19 outings, including 13 starts, as the first replacement for injured No. 5 starter Jordan Montgomery, who had Tommy John surgery in May.

Acevedo, 24, is a very hard thrower whose fastball has been clocked at 103 mph, but his velocity was way down in spring training and early into the regular season, which for him included time on the disabled list from April 13 to May 28 due to a blister and concussion.

Acevedo was 2-2 with a 2.84 ERA with 40 strikeouts and 18 walks in 50 2/3 innings for Trenton in 11 starts, eight as a starter. He’s fared very well of late, pitching to a 2.33 ERA in his last five outings.

“Early in spring his velocity was down,” Boone said. “He’s kind of worked his way back and I think started to gain some momentum and traction. The velocity’s been back in the mid-90s. He’s got a really good changeup and a slider. He’s been throwing the ball pretty well.”

Randy Miller may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @RandyJMiller. Find NJ.com on Facebook.