(Elsa/Getty)

The first place New York Yankees just got their 40-homer outfielder back.

As expected, Curtis Granderson was activated off the DL earlier today, adding some thump and much-needed depth to the lineup. As an added bonus, he is shifting to left field as the Yankees look to optimized their defense by keeping Brett Gardner in center. I can’t imagine Granderson is happy about that, especially in his free agent year, but I’m guessing we won’t hear a peep out of him. Dude is a total pro. Here’s the lineup that will face right-hander Felix Hernandez…

1. CF Brett Gardner
2. 2B Robinson Cano
3. DH Vernon Wells
4. LF Curtis Granderson
5. 1B Lyle Overbay
6. SS Jayson Nix
7. RF Ichiro Suzuki
8. 3B Chris Nelson
9. C Austin Romine

And on the mound is left-hander CC Sabathia.

Little chilly, but otherwise the weather in New York is wonderful. Tonight’s game is scheduled to start at 7:05pm ET and can be seen on YES. Enjoy.

Kevin Youkilis Update: Youkilis (back) is still limited to light workouts in Tampa, basically playing catch and fielding grounders hit right at him. Doesn’t sound like he is close to returning at all.

Mark Teixeira Update: Teixeira (wrist) continues to take batting practice in addition to running and fielding drills. He’s been doing that for a few days now, but there is no word on when he will be able to begin playing minor league games.

Alex Rodriguez Update: A-Rod (hip) is hitting in the batting cage and sprinting, but nothing more. He still has a long way to go, obviously.

Pretty sure I will never not use this photo for Yankees-Indians. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

* Obligatory headline is obligatory.

The Yankees are in Cleveland for a quick one-day, two-game visit with the Indians. Today was supposed to be an off-day for the club, but they need to make up those two rained out games from last month. It stinks losing an off-day, but it’s better to get these games out of the way now rather than later in the summer, once it heats up and giving guys rest is a little more important. Here’s the lineup that will face low-slot right-hander Justin Masterson…

1. CF Brett Gardner
2. LF Ichiro Suzuki
3. 2B Robinson Cano
4. DH Travis Hafner
5. RF Brennan Boesch
6. 3B Chris Nelson
7. 1B Corban Joseph — fourth career game at first, all this year
8. C Chris Stewart
9. SS Alberto Gonzalez

And on the mound is the 2010 Double-A Eastern League All-Star, right-hander David Phelps.

This game, the first of the doubleheader, is scheduled to start at 12:05pm ET. You can watch on YES. Enjoy.

Roster Update: Joseph is officially up with the team as the 26th man for the doubleheader. By rule, he must go back to Triple-A Scranton immediately following the two games. Brett Marshall is supposedly on standby at the team hotel in case they need to add a pitcher between games.

(Ed Zurga/Getty)

Even though they’ve won 21 of their last 30 games, the Yankees have yet to sweep a three-game series this year. That comes with a big asterisk though, remember they did sweep the Blue Jays in a four-game series at Yankee Stadium late last month. They’ve won the first two games of this series in Kansas City and have arguably their best pitcher on the mound going for their fifth straight win overall this afternoon. Here’s the lineup that will face right-hander Ervin Santana…

1. CF Brett Gardner
2. 2B Robinson Cano
3. LF Vernon Wells
4. DH Travis Hafner
5. RF Ichiro Suzuki
6. SS Jayson Nix
7. 1B Lyle Overbay
8. 3B Chris Nelson
9. C Chris Stewart

And on the mound is the 2005 Best Nine Award winner in Nippon Pro Baseball, right-hander Hiroki Kuroda. That award is given annually the best player at each position.

This afternoon’s game is scheduled to start at 2:10pm ET and can be seen on YES. Enjoy.

Mariano Rivera-Joba Chamberlain Spat: As you’ve probably heard, Mo and Joba had a little verbal spat in the dugout prior to yesterday’s game. Sweeny Murti says they kissed and made up afterwards. The only real mistake here was letting it happen in public. No big deal.

Real Joba News: Chamberlain (oblique) felt fine after throwing a bullpen session this morning. He’ll make a minor league rehab appearance with Triple-A Scranton on Tuesday. The team will see how he feels about that, but it’s possible he’ll be activated off the DL as soon as Thursday.

Ivan Nova Update: Nova (triceps) felt something in his side playing catch either yesterday or today, so he has been ruled out for tomorrow’s doubleheader against the Indians. Joe Girardi confirmed he would have been activated off the DL to start the second game.

(Jamie Squire/Getty)

The Yankees have won three straight and 20 of their last 29, but they need a rebound today. Specifically, they need Andy Pettitte to rebound from two dreadful starts and get back to being, well, Andy Pettitte. He says his cutter is the primary culprit, but when a pitcher that age had back trouble a few weeks ago, it’s hard not to wonder if there’s something more to the struggles. Here’s the lineup that will face righty Jamie Shields…

1. CF Brett Gardner
2. 2B Robinson Cano
3. LF Vernon Wells
4. DH Travis Hafner
5. RF Ichiro Suzuki
6. SS Jayson Nix
7. 1B Lyle Overbay
8. 3B Chris Nelson
9. C Chris Stewart

And on the mound is the guy Baseball America ranked as the 49th best prospect in baseball prior to the 1995 season, left-hander Andy Pettitte.

I truly despise Saturday night games, but what can you do. The game is scheduled to start at 7:10pm ET and can be seen on YES. Enjoy.

Eduardo Nunez Update: Nunez still feels something in his ribcage and did not take batting practice on the field today as expected. He’ll take today off and try again tomorrow.

(MLB on Twitter)

Coming into the season, the Royals and the Yankees were viewed as polar opposites. One has been in a cellar for the better part of two decades, the other has been at the top of the game. One made a huge blockbuster trade this past offseason, the other kinda sat around and did nothing. One has a roster full of young talent, the other has lots of old guys. One team is viewed as an up and comer, the other a … down and goer?

They both, however, currently sit right near the top of their respective divisions. The Yankees actually lead the AL East by percentage points over the Orioles and Red Sox despite lagging in the run differential department. Now that they can again use their DH and won’t have to worry about any left-handed starters, let’s hope they can beef up that record and increase that division lead this weekend. Here is the lineup that will face right-hander Wade Davis…

1. CF Brett Gardner
2. 2B Robinson Cano
3. LF Vernon Wells
4. DH Travis Hafner
5. RF Ichiro Suzuki
6. SS Jayson Nix
7. 1B Lyle Overbay
8. 3B Chris Nelson
9. C Chris Stewart

And on the mound is the 2004 First Team High School All-American, Phil Hughes.

Tonight’s game is scheduled to start a little after 8pm ET and can be seen on YES. Enjoy.

Eduardo Nunez Update: Nunez (ribcage) took some swings in the batting cage and felt fine, but he won’t hit on the field until tomorrow. I assume he’s available in an emergency like yesterday.

Joba Chamberlain Update: Joba (oblique) threw a 27-pitch bullpen session and came through with no issues. He’ll do the same on Sunday, and if that goes well, he’ll head out on a minor league rehab assignment.

(Dustin Bradford/Getty)

I have to say, I’m pleasantly surprised the Yankees have only allowed four runs through the first two games of this series. It helps that Troy Tulowitzki has been out with a nagging injury, but four runs in 17 defensive innings is pretty damn awesome for Coors Field. Now that I’ve sufficiently jinxed things, here is the lineup that will face left-hander Jeff Francis this afternoon…

1. CF Brett Gardner
2. SS Jayson Nix
3. 2B Robinson Cano
4. LF Vernon Wells
5. RF Ben Francisco
6. 3B Chris Nelson
7. 1B Lyle Overbay
8. C Chris Stewart
9. SP CC Sabathia

The forecast says it will be another rainy game, maybe even to the point of a delay. I really hope that’s not the case. The game is scheduled to start at 3:10pm ET and can be seen on YES. Enjoy.

Eduardo Nunez Update: Nunez (ribcage) won’t hit until tomorrow, but he went through some fielding drills and is available in an emergency.

(Doug Pensinger/Getty)

The Yankees and Rockies played through some sloppy conditions last night, mostly scattered showers with the occasional flash of lightning mixed in. Tonight’s forecast calls for more of the same, except the chances of precipitation are higher. That doesn’t mean they won’t play, just that it’ll be another messy game. Maybe even a delay or two. They could always play a doubleheader tomorrow, but that would not be ideal. Here’s the lineup that will face right-hander Juan Nicasio…

1. CF Brett Gardner
2. 2B Robinson Cano
3. LF Vernon Wells
4. 1B Lyle Overbay
5. RF Ichiro Suzuki
6. SS Jayson Nix
7. 3B Chris Nelson
8. SP David Phelps
9. C Austin Romine

Yes, the pitcher is batting eighth. Maybe Joe Girardi knows they’re going to get rained out and is just screwing around with us*. Either way, the game is scheduled to start at 8:40pm ET and can be seen on YES. Enjoy.

* There’s actually been quite a bit of research done that shows batting the pitcher eighth is a good idea because the nine-hole hitter acts as a second leadoff man. As with all lineup stuff though, it’s a good idea over the course of 162 games. One individual game is another matter entirely.

Eduardo Nunez Update: Nunez (ribcage) played catch today and is available tonight as a pinch-runner, but nothing more. Hopefully he can hit tomorrow and get back into the lineup, because having no backup infielder kinda stinks.

Ivan Nova Update: Nova (triceps) allowed two runs on five hits and three walks in 4+ innings of work during an Extended Spring Training game today. He felt fine physically, but they’re going to wait to see how he feels tomorrow before penciling him in for Monday’s doubleheader.

(Justin Edmonds/Getty)

I’m not going to lie: I am not looking forward to these three games in Coors Field. Hiroki Kuroda spoke to Ken Davidoff about the challenges of pitching in the thin mountain air, and it doesn’t sound fun. Considering how much the Yankees rely on their pitching, they have to hope the altitude helps the bats or their pitchers avoid the pitfalls of Coors Field. Here’s the lineup that will face left-hander Jorge De La Rosa…

1. CF Ichiro Suzuki
2. SS Jayson Nix
3. 2B Robinson Cano
4. LF Vernon Wells
5. RF Ben Francisco
6. 1B Lyle Overbay
7. 3B Chris Nelson
8. C Chris Stewart
9. SP Hiroki Kuroda

This is the team’s first non-Eastern Time Zone game of the year, which I’m guessing you realized when the game didn’t start at 7pm ET. First pitch is scheduled for 8:40pm ET and can be seen on YES. Enjoy.

David Robertson Update: Robertson (hamstring) played catch and threw some pitches in the bullpen, and everything went fine. He considers himself available tonight, but it’s unclear if Joe Girardi will give him the proverbial “one extra day.”

Ivan Nova Update: Nova (triceps) is scheduled to pitch in an Extended Spring Training game tomorrow, according to Anthony McCarron. Is it a coincidence he lines up a) with David Phelps‘ rotation spot, and b) to pitch Monday (the doubleheader against the Indians)? I’m guessing no. Nova is eligible to come off the DL on Sunday.

It’s a Jorge Posada kind of day. (Chris Trotman/Getty)

The Yankees wrap-up their ten-game homestand today, a homestand that has already been a smashing success. They’ve won seven of nine so far, including all four against the division rival Blue Jays. This afternoon’s game will determine whether they go 8-2 or 7-3 on the homestand, and I think we all agree the former sounds a whole lot better than the latter. Plus the Yankees are off tomorrow, and you know as well as I do that off-days are so much better when they follow wins. Here’s the starting lineup that will face rookie righty Dan Straily…

1. CF Brett Gardner
2. 2B Robinson Cano
3. LF Vernon Wells
4. DH Travis Hafner
5. RF Ichiro Suzuki
6. 3B Jayson Nix
7. 1B Lyle Overbay
8. SS Eduardo Nunez
9. C Chris Stewart

And on the mound is the 2001 ALCS MVP, left-hander Andy Pettitte.

Couldn’t have asked for better weather this weekend. It’s gorgeous outside. The game is scheduled to start at 1:05pm ET and can be seen on YES. Enjoy.

David Robertson Update: Robertson (hamstring) played catch for the second straight day and still feels a little bit of tightness. He’s going to play catch again before Tuesday’s game and if that goes well, he’ll throw some pitches off a mound in the bullpen.

Mark Teixeira Update: Teixeira (wrist) took batting practice on the field today for the first time. He’d been hitting in the batting cages for a week or so. Like pretty much every other Yankee on the DL, Teixeira will head to Tampa while the team goes out on the road trip.