HOUSTON — The Yankees’ 8-4 win on Thursday was pushed back by several minutes, as Aaron Boone asked umpires to inspect Taylor Trammell’s bat in the ninth inning following a double from the Astros’ outfielder.

Boone requested that the officials take a look at Trammell’s lumber because he had noticed some “discoloration” near the label earlier in the series and asked MLB about it prior to Thursday’s game. That led to some questions over the bat’s legality, as well as a lengthy delay that resulted in Trammell’s bat being confiscated and handed over to a league authenticator.

“I don’t know if (the discoloration) was natural or if it was … I don’t know, and I don’t want to accuse Taylor,” Boone, cutting himself off, explained after the confusion. “I’m not saying anything untoward or whatever. We noticed it, though, on video while we were here, and we actually mentioned it to the league and they said, ‘No, that looks like an illegal bat.’”

Asked what he thought Trammell may have been trying to do to his bat, Boone replied, “I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t know.”

Per MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart, Trammell denied any wrongdoing, including shaving down his bat. He attributed the discoloration to his bat’s paint job.

“I’ve had that bat since I’ve been here,” said Trammell, who spent most of last season in the Yankees’ organization before being traded to Houston for cash considerations in November. “I’ve had it for a long time. I usually take BP with it. I use it in games, I use it (at Triple-A Sugar Land), use it every time I need. The only thing is I just don’t have a gloss finish on my bat. It’s matte. Paint wears down. That’s what happened.”

On Friday, a league source told the Daily News that Trammell’s bat violated MLB rules due to its coloring. However, the league’s inspection determined that Trammell didn’t gain any sort of advantage from the bat.

Below is the source’s full explanation:

“According to MLB’s Bat Supplier Regulations, ‘A two-color bat must be divided into two sections, each of one solid color. The dividing point between each of the color sections must start 18 inches from the knob end of the bat, or next to the one-inch solid color ring, if applicable.’

“Accordingly, multi-colored bats are only permitted if the color transition occurs at the 18-inch mark from the knob. Therefore, while the removal of the permitted color stain likely does not impact the bat’s performance, the bat does not conform to the Bat Supplier Regulations and should not be allowed.

“Upon inspecting the bat and determining the bat did not give the batter an advantage, the umpires correctly treated the bat last night like an impermissible glove color or design and told the player that he was no longer permitted to use the bat. In an abundance of caution, the crew chose to keep the bat and have it shipped to MLB’s Office.”

On Thursday, Trammell said that he “got word (the Yankees) thought my bat was shaved down too much.” Doing something like that could impact a bat’s performance, but MLB’s examination merely took issue with the coloring of Trammell’s equipment.

“To be honest, I have no idea how you shave down a bat,” Trammell said. “I don’t know what it is. I feel kind of defensive right now, more so a test of my character, of like I’m going to willingly do that. Just kind of lost on that thing, and if anybody knows me, (they) know I’m never going to cheat any turns or anything like that. I have no idea. That’s baffling to me that it was even checked. They didn’t like it. Sorry. I used it the first at-bat and it wasn’t a problem. I struck out and it wasn’t a problem then.”

As Thursday’s delay dragged on over something that amounted to a technicality, David Bednar stayed busy by throwing warm-up pitches. The Yankees closer, who last pitched on Aug. 30, proceeded to allow an RBI single to Yordan Alvarez, but he eventually worked out of trouble, overcame the interruption, and brought an end to a chaotic game and series that featured plenty of involvement from the umpires.

Earlier on Thursday, in the sixth inning, third base umpire Brian Walsh appeared to rule that Ryan McMahon did not catch a soft line drive in the air, even though the Yankees’ third baseman clearly did before bobbling a transfer to his throwing hand.

On Wednesday, multiple Yankees ripped Walsh’s strike zone after they lost to Houston by a run. The dissatisfaction led to ejections for Boone and Devin Williams, and there was also some confusion over Camilo Doval’s Spanish language PitchCom.

“It was definitely eventful,” said Carlos Rodón, who allowed two runs (one earned) over six innings on Thursday. “A lot of stuff going on.”

Added Boone: “This took some months and some years off me for sure.”

_____

©2025 New York Daily News. Visit at nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.