Cairo, Bruney out; Joba, Giambi in

Lisa Kennelly of The Star-Ledger has the definitive word on the Yankees’ roster moves.

Brian Bruney, who has struggled greatly with his control, will be optioned to Scranton to make room for Joba Chamberlain. And thankfully, Miguel Cairo has been designated for assignment to make room for Jason Giambi. That move gets rid of the worst offensive player on the Yankee and clears up a spot on the 40-man for Chamberlain.

The Bruney move is questionable but not surprising. While his 3.40 ERA is low this year, that number doesn’t tell the whole story. On the season, Bruney’s been very inconsistent. He’s pitching to a K/BB ratio of nearly 1. His strike outs are way down this season to 10.89 per 9 IP last year to 6.80 per 9 IP this year. His walks are up, and Torre has given him numerous opportunities to pitch. The Yankee skipper has, in other words, few reasons to feel confident in Bruney right now.

Relatedely, last week, Mariano Rivera called out Scott Proctor, Kyle Farnsworth and Brian Bruney. He noted that the three of them could throw hard but couldn’t pitch. With Proctor and Bruney gone, Kyle Farnsworth must be looking over his proverbial shoulder now too.

Meanwhile, the Yankees’ bench just became a source of strength for this team. Some Yankee fans have always liked Miguel Cairo. But no one will miss his .252/.308/.318. With Melky Cabrera firmly entrenched as the team’s starting centerfielder, the Yankee bench now features some combination of Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon, Andy Phillips, Wilson Betemit, Jose Molina and Shelley Duncan. That’s a far cry from Josh Phelps, Wil Nieves and Miguel Cairo.