DotF: Bird plays first rehab game in Extended Spring Training

RHP Nick Green and his 66.2% ground ball rate got a Helium Watch mention in this week’s Prospect Hot Sheet. “He accomplishes this with a three-pitch mix that includes a low-90s fastball that, in the words of one evaluator, ‘moves like a low-90s slider.’ He couples it with a curveball that spins at more than 3,000 revolutions per minute and a changeup that is his third pitch at this point,” says the write-up. The Yankees drafted Green with their 35th round pick in 2013, couldn’t convince him to sign, then got him in the Carlos Beltran trade three years later.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (8-3 win over Syracuse)

• SS Tyler Wade: 2-5, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 K — the bat is starting to come around, though he hasn’t been walking much, which is atypical
• LF Clint Frazier: 2-5, 1 R, 2 K — 8-for-27 (.296) with Scranton, but also 12 strikeouts
• 1B Adam Lind: 1-5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 3 K
• C Kyle Higashioka: 1-4, 2 RBI, 1 K
• 2B Thairo Estrada: 1-4, 1 R, 1 K
• LHP Daniel Camarena: 5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, 5/3 GB/FB — 40 of 75 pitches were strikes (53%)
• RHP Brady Lail: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 2/1 GB/FB — 19 of 35 pitches were strikes (54%) … 18/13 K/BB in 17.1 innings in his first season as a full-time reliever

Double-A Trenton Thunder (4-3 win over Reading)

• CF Rashad Crawford: 0-4, 1 K
• SS Abi Avelino: 1-2, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 CS — 8-for-21 (.381) with four walks and four strikeouts in six games since being sent down
• 3B Brandon Drury: 1-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K — during a radio interview earlier today, Brian Cashman said Drury will be activated sooner rather than later, so take that for what you will
• RF Trey Amburgey: 1-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K
• RHP Brian Keller: 5.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 6/5 GB/FB — 66 of 101 pitches were strikes … starting to come around after a slow start to the season

High-A Tampa Tarpons (4-1 loss to Daytona)

• 2B Hoy Jun Park: 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K
• CF Estevan Florial: 1-4, 2 K
• LF Isiah Gilliam & 1B Brandon Wagner: both 0-4 — Wagner struck out twice
• RF Alex Palma: 1-4
• SS Diego Castillo: 2-4, 1 R, 1 K — 10-for-32 (.313) in his last nine games
• RHP Trevor Stephan: 5.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, 1 HR, 7/3 GB/FB — 51 of 91 pitches were strikes (56%) … had a 34/5 K/BB in his first five starts and 28.2 inning of the season

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs (3-2 win over Lexington, walk-off style)

• CF Pablo Olivares: 0-4
• SS Wilkerman Garcia: 1-3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 BB — 14-for-48 (.292) with seven walks and nine strikeouts in his last dozen games, so he’s on a nice little run right now
• 3B Oswaldo Cabrera: 1-4, 1 2B
• RF Steven Sensley: 0-1, 1 K — left the game in the third inning for an unknown reason
• LF Leonardo Molina: 1-4, 1 RBI — walk-off single
• RHP Rony Garcia: 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 1 Balk, 5/6 GB/FB — 63 of 90 pitches were strikes (70%) … 23/4 K/BB in 29 innings for the 20-year-old cutter specialist

Extended Spring Training

• DH Greg Bird: 1-3, 2 BB — this update comes via Mike Mazzeo … this is Bird’s first game action since ankle surgery, but because he’s in ExST, it does not count as an official rehab assignment … I imagine he’ll spend a few days here to get up to speed before joining an affiliate to begin a 20-day rehab stint … Tampa to Scranton is the usual route