The Yankees were off on Monday and it was a full day off with no workouts scheduled at big league camp. It has been raining in Tampa for a good part of the day anyway, so even if they were scheduled to play, they likely would have been rained out. Here’s a recap of what did happen in camp today.
- Ivan Nova went eight scoreless innings in an intrasquad minor league game before the rain, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out ten. He threw 91 pitches. Frankie Cervelli caught Nova and homered. [Chad Jennings]
- The upcoming rotation: TBA (Tuesday), Chris Leroux (Wednesday), CC Sabathia (Thursday), Hiroki Kuroda (Friday), and either Nova or Masahiro Tanaka (Saturday, final spring game). David Phelps is lined up for tomorrow, for what it’s worth. Whoever doesn’t start Saturday’s game will likely pitch in a minor league game. Sabathia, Kuroda, and Nova will start the first three games of the regular season based on how they line up. [Jennings]
- More from Jennings: The fifth starter decision has been made and will likely be announced tomorrow, after Girardi talks to the players. I’m pretty sure Phelps is not listed as tomorrow’s starter because he’s about to be moved into the bullpen, but we’ll see. The bullpen and bench decisions have not been made and those situations may not be resolved until the very end of camp.
- Jacoby Ellsbury (calf) will DH in a minor league game tomorrow and get six or seven at-bats. If that goes well, he could return to regular Grapefruit League play on Wednesday. [Wally Matthews]
- Tyler Austin (wrist) hit in a simulated game and could play in a minor league game tomorrow. He’s been working out at third and right field. Greg Bird (back) and Ty Hensley (hernia) will not start the season on time. Hensley is 3-4 weeks from throwing, so he might be out until midseason. It begins. Ronnie Mustelier has a hamstring injury and has not played at all this spring. [Jennings]
- Donnie Collins has some more notes from minor league camp. Looks like Bruce Billings will get the ball on Opening Day for Triple-A Scranton, if you care about such things.
This is your open thread for the night. MLB Network will re-air two games tonight plus both the Nets and (hockey) Rangers are playing. Talk about whatever you like here.