Archive for Transactions
Yankees acquire Fernando Martinez
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(Jim Rogash/Getty)
With the injuries continuing to pile up at both the big league and Triple-A levels, the Yankees have acquired Fernando Martinez from the Astros for minor league reliever Charles Basford. Martinez was outrighted earlier this year and is not on the 40-man roster, and he will presumably report to Triple-A Scranton.
Martinez, 24, is a former top Mets prospect who never fully developed due to continued injury problems. The Astros originally claimed him off waivers from the Amazin’s last offseason. In 310 career MLB plate appearances, the left-handed hitting Martinez is a .206/.269/.362 (71 wRC+) hitter. He’s produced a .219/.291/.371 (69 wRC+) line in 117 Triple-A plate appearances this summer.
Basford, 22, was selected in the 37th round out of Samford in the 2012 draft. The right-hander pitched to a 5.18 ERA (3.57 FIP) in 24.1 innings for Short Season Staten Island after signing last summer, and he returned to the level this year. Basford allowed four hits and one run in two innings of relief work in his season debut last night.
Baseball America ranked Martinez as one of the 30 best prospects in baseball each year from 2007-2009, but this move is designed to give the team’s top minor league affiliate another warm body, not bolster the big league roster. With Zoilo Almonte called up and Brennan Boesch, Ronnie Mustelier, and Melky Mesa on the DL, Triple-A Scranton is running very short on outfielders. If Martinez shows up in the Bronx this summer, something has probably gone very wrong. Consider this the minorest of minor moves.
Roster Moves: Youkilis, Neal, Bootcheck, Warren
Posted by: | CommentsThe Yankees announced a series of roster moves this afternoon, so let’s recap:
- Kevin Youkilis has been placed on the 15-day with a lumbar strain. That’s the same back injury that send him to the DL earlier this year. He woke up with numbness in his right foot and will see a specialist. Not the most surprising news in the world, hopefully the injury explains his lack of production.
- Thomas Neal and Chris Bootcheck have both been called up from Triple-A Scranton. We heard both moves were coming earlier today. Neal will primarily DH against lefties while Bootcheck gives the bullpen a fresh long reliever.
- Adam Warren has been optioned to Triple-A Scranton. He threw 85 pitches across six innings in yesterday’s 18-inning marathon, so he was the obvious send down candidate to clear to a roster spot for a fresh arm.
- To clear spots on the 40-man roster for Neal and Bootcheck, the Yankees have transferred Eduardo Nunez to the 60-day DL and outrighted Cesar Cabral to Double-A Trenton. Because Cabral cleared waivers, the Rule 5 Draft rules no longer apply and he is officially Yankees property with no strings attached.
- Obviously, David Adams remains with the team with Youkilis hitting the DL.
King: Yankees will call up Chris Bootcheck
Posted by: | CommentsVia George King: The Yankees will call up right-hander Chris Bootcheck from Triple-A to bolster the pitching staff. Adam Warren is likely to be sent down following Thursday’s six-inning relief outing. King confirms the team will also call up Thomas Neal and send down David Adams. It’s unclear if either Bootcheck or Neal will be with the team in time for tonight’s game.
Bootcheck, 34, has pitched to a 3.32 ERA (3.60 FIP) in 62.1 innings across eleven starts for Triple-A Scranton this year. He was scheduled to start tonight, so he will be able to provide a ton of innings out of the bullpen if need be. The righty owns a 6.54 ERA (4.84 FIP) in 147.1 career big league innings, most coming with the Angels. He last pitched in the show with the Pirates in 2009. The Yankees will need to make a 40-man roster move to accommodate Bootcheck, though I suppose Eduardo Nunez is a 60-day DL candidate at this point.
Feinsand: Yankees will call up Thomas Neal, option David Adams
Posted by: | CommentsVia Mark Feinsand: The Yankees are expected to call up outfielder Thomas Neal prior to tonight’s game against the Angels. Infielder David Adams will be optioned to Triple-A to clear room on the 25-man roster. The team has an open 40-man spot, so no further move is required.
Neal, 25, is expected to DH against left-handed pitchers according to Feinsand. The right-handed hitter has a .339/.426/.446 (144 wRC+) line with two homers in 195 Triple-A plate appearances this year, including a .333/.435/.436 mark against southpaws. He signed with the Yankees as a minor league free agent over the winter and made his big league debut with the Indians last September. Considering how terrible Vernon Wells and Ichiro Suzuki have been, it won’t take much for Neal to hit his way into a regular lineup spot.
Chien-Ming Wang opts out of contract; signs with Blue Jays
Posted by: | CommentsRight-hander Chien-Ming Wang has exercised an opt-out clause in his contract and the Yankees have granted him his release, the team announced. I guess he had more opt-out clauses than the five that were originally reported. Ken Rosenthal says he will sign with the Blue Jays and join their rotation next week.
Wang, 33, pitched to a 2.33 ERA (3.36 FIP) with 58% ground ball rate in 58 innings across nine starts for Triple-A Scranton this year. Rumor has it he was seeking a big league contract before opting out of his contract, and it looks like Toronto is willing to give him one. The Jays are dealing with a ton of pitching injuries and need the help. The emergency of Vidal Nuno and Michael Pineda‘s encouraging rehab pushed Wang further out of the picture, so it’s no surprise he opted out. Oh well.
Update: Yankees release Ben Francisco
Posted by: | CommentsJune 4th: Francisco has cleared waivers and been released. So that’s one loose end tied up.
May 26th: The Yankees have designated Ben Francisco for assignment to clear room on the 25-man active roster for the recently claimed David Huff, the team announced. Thy are now carrying a 13-man pitching staff and have an open 40-man roster spot.
Francisco, 31, hit a weak .114/.220/.182 (12 wRC+) in 50 plate appearances for New York this year. He never did emerge as a reliable right-handed complement to their lefty-heavy outfield, so his days have been numbered for a while. In fact, Francisco hadn’t even appeared in a game in nine days now. My guess is Huff (or at least the 13-man staff) will stick around only until the next position player is ready to activated off the DL, which could be Mark Teixeira as soon as next weekend.
Yankees activate Andy Pettitte, send Brennan Boesch to Triple-A
Posted by: | CommentsAs expected, the Yankees have activated Andy Pettitte (trap) off the DL. He will start tonight’s game. To clear room on the roster, Brennan Boesch was send down to Triple-A. The Bombers are now carrying a normal 12-man pitching staff and four-man bench.
Oh, and Lyle Overbay is starting in right field against the Indians tonight. So that’s where the Yankees are at right now.
Yankees outright David Huff to Triple-A
Posted by: | CommentsLeft-hander David Huff has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Scranton, the team announced. The Yankees claimed him off waivers last weekend before designating him for assignment to clear room on the roster for Joba Chamberlain when he was activated off the DL.
Huff, 28, allowed one run in his only inning of work for the Yankees and allowed six runs in four big league innings total this season. He owns a career 5.41 ERA (4.88 FIP) in 289.1 innings, but almost all of those have come as a starter. Huff’s days in the rotation are over and he’ll continue to work out of the bullpen for the first time in his career with the Triple-A squad.
Yankees activate Teixeira & Youkilis; send Nuno & Nova to Triple-A
Posted by: | CommentsThe Yankees have officially activated both Mark Teixeira and Kevin Youkilis off the 60-day and 15-day DL, respectively, the team announced. Vidal Nuno and Ivan Nova were sent to Triple-A to clear 25-man roster spots. The Yankees had two open 40-man roster spots, so they didn’t need to make another move to accommodate Tex.
With Andy Pettitte set to turn on Monday, Nuno was an obvious send down candidate. Nova threw 61 pitches on Wednesday and was going to out of commission for another day or two anyway, so he was the other move. I assume both guys will step into the Triple-A Scranton rotation and start every five days. When Pettitte returns, the Yankees are likely to demote a position player — David Adams seems most likely now that his bat has cooled off — and get back to a normal 13 position players, 12 pitchers roster.
Yankees activate Joba Chamberlain; designate David Huff for assignment
Posted by: | CommentsThe Yankees have activated Joba Chamberlain off the DL, Joe Girardi announced. David Huff has been designated for assignment to clear a 25-man roster spot, and as an added bonus the Yankees now have two open 40-man spots.
Joba, 27, has been sidelined for one month and one day with an oblique strain. He made a handful of Extended Spring Training relief appearances and is apparently good to go. Huff, 28, appeared in one game for the Yankees after being claimed off waivers from the Indians over the weekend. There’s a decent change he’ll clear waivers and remain in the organization as a non-40-man roster player.
