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Taking stock of the Yankees’ trade chips prior to the deadline

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Frazier. (Presswire)

We are less than six weeks away from the 2018 non-waiver trade deadline and already the trade winds are beginning to blow. The Rays sent Denard Span and Alex Colome to the Mariners a few weeks ago, and the Royals have since gotten in on the act by trading Jon Jay to the Diamondbacks and Kelvin Herrera to the Nationals. The sellers are starting to sell.

The Yankees, clearly, will be buyers prior to the trade deadline. Starting pitching is an obvious need. Adding a reliever could be worthwhile too. It is entirely possible other needs will pop up over the next few weeks as well. The Yankees have luxury tax payroll space and a deep cache of prospects, which allows them to buy basically whatever they want at the deadline. They can get anyone.

“Clearly starting pitching was always a concern. It’s definitely one of the areas we’re going to be looking at,” said Hal Steinbrenner to Scott Orgera at the quarterly owners’ meetings last week. “Purposely left a decent amount of money for just this. If we decide to go get a pitcher and if a pitcher’s available, I think we definitely have the flexibility that would allow me to do just that.”

While no player is ever truly untouchable, the Yankees do have some untouchables. Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, and Luis Severino are as untouchable as it gets and Gleyber Torres has joined that group as well. “Come on now. I’ve got to walk around this city,” joke Brian Cashman to Erik Boland the other day when asked whether trading Torres is a possibility. Even with those guys off the table, the Yankees have plenty of trade chips. Let’s take stock.

The Andujar Question

Might as well start here. The Yankees reportedly made Miguel Andujar off-limits in trade talks over the winter and we’ve seen why so far this season. Even with a tiny little recent slump, Andujar is still hitting .290/.317/.519 (125 wRC+) with an 18.1% strikeout rate. A .229 ISO and an 18.1% strikeout rate is one hell of a combination for a rookie. We’ve also seen Andujar hit all types of pitching already.

That said, should Andujar be off-limits? You could argue his trade value is higher right now than ever before because he’s had some big league success and is still so young with so much team control. Andujar’s probably never going to walk much and his defense, which is serviceable, might never be better than, well, serviceable. I’m not saying the Yankees should give Andujar away. I love the kid. I’m just saying he’s not as untouchable as Torres.

The Top Chips

Drury. (The Citizens’ Voice)

Brandon Drury’s presence is the reason Andujar should not be untouchable. The Yankees have an MLB ready third baseman — their Opening Day third baseman, in fact — stashed in Triple-A. Drury is only 25 himself and, with another two weeks or so in the minors, his free agency will be pushed back one year. He’s hitting .360/.470/.529 (187 wRC+) with the RailRiders, and while that’s great, I’d expect a dude with two-plus years as an everyday big leaguer to wreck Triple-A pitching. That’s what Drury is doing.

Ostensibly, Drury does not have as much trade value as Andujar because he’s a little older and doesn’t come with as much team control. He is very clearly a trade chip though. The Yankees can’t keep him in Triple-A much longer. I mean, they could, but at some point there are diminishing returns. I’m not sure Drury is learning much or developing new skills right now. We are fast approaching the point where the Yankees either have to trade him or call him up before he starts to stagnate.

Among the guys we know the Yankees are willing to deal, Clint Frazier is the best trade chip. He’s 23, he’s been destroying Triple-A, he’s had some MLB success, and he’s not far removed from being a top prospect. The Yankees have a full outfield. As much as I would love the Yankees to get Frazier into the lineup on an everyday basis next year, they would be crazy to make him untouchable at the deadline. They reportedly offered him to the Pirates in a potential Gerrit Cole deal and he’s playing center field in Triple-A in what amounts to showcase. He’s available.

Justus Sheffield is, by no small margin, the top pitching prospect in the farm system. He was said to be on the team’s list of untouchables over the winter, though pitchers break and have such a high attrition rate — Sheffield has some command issues himself — that it would be silly to make him off-limits. If the Yankees have a chance to add a quality young pitcher like, say, Blake Snell, of course you trade Sheffield. We’re all hoping Sheffield one day turns into Snell! So trade him for the real Snell. The Yankees won’t deal Sheffield for a rental. But a young guy with years of team control? All bets are off.

The Second Tier

A few months ago Estevan Florial would’ve been among the top chips. Right now he’s coming back from wrist surgery — a fairly common wrist surgery, but still wrist surgery — and his swing-and-miss issues still exist. Because of that, I think he’s more of a second tier trade chip right. I don’t think Florial can headline a package for an impact pitcher at the moment. I also don’t think the Yankees will move him while his stock is down, unless it’s a deal they can’t refuse.

Many of the second tier guys are MLB ready or near MLB ready depth pieces. Tyler Wade. Billy McKinney. Chance Adams. None of them can headline a package for an impact player right now, but a deal for a lesser player? Or as the second or third piece in a larger trade? For sure. Wade is a legitimate shortstop and middle infielder with speed and those guys are hard to find. McKinney has a sweet swing and some power. I’m sure some teams still buy Adams as a starter. Good depth players who the Yankees can’t fit on the roster. Of course they’re available.

Among their tippy top prospects, I get the sense the Yankees are more willing to deal Albert Abreu than anyone. He’s had some injuries — this year’s appendectomy is nothing, but last year he had elbow and lat problems — and while the stuff is excellent, the command is far from it. Between the injuries, the lack of command, and the distance to the big leagues (he’s in High-A), Abreu strikes me as a top 100 caliber prospect the Yankees would be very open to moving. He has a long way to go to be the pitcher he has the potential to be and the Yankees are in win-now mode.

The Impending Rule 5 Draft Guys

Rogers. (Scranton Times-Tribunte)

When you have a great farm system, you’re going to lose players in the Rule 5 Draft. There aren’t enough roster spots to go around and the system is designed to give blocked players an opportunity. The Yankees lost eight total players in the last two Rule 5 Drafts (four each year), six more than any other team. Seven of those eight players came back — Luis Torres is the only exception — but still. You don’t want to risk losing players for nothing.

As a result, the Yankees have been active trading fringe 40-man roster players in recent years. That way they get something in return rather than potentially nothing. Zack Littell went to the Twins in the Jaime Garcia trade, and Ian Clarkin and Tito Polo went to the White Sox in the big Todd Frazier trade. They were traded weeks before they had to be added to the 40-man roster for Rule 5 Draft protection purposes. Here are this offseason’s notable Rule 5 Draft eligibles:

  • Catchers: None
  • Infielders: Diego Castillo, Dermis Garcia, Kyle Holder, Hoy Jun Park
  • Outfielders: Florial (I think)
  • Pitchers: Abreu, Adams, Sheffield, Cody Carroll, Juan De Paula, Freicer Perez (I think), Josh Rogers, Dillon Tate

Two names immediately jump out as potential “trade them before you have to add them to the 40-man roster” candidates: Rogers and Tate. Rogers is the left-handed Littell to me. Great minor league performance to date, good pitchability, not blow-you-away stuff. I don’t think it’s crazy to worry his lack of grounders (39.9% in Triple-A) and lack of swings and misses (9.0%) won’t translate well to Yankee Stadium, even as a lefty.

As for Tate, he was the fourth overall pick in the draft three years ago and he’s been very good this season, throwing 66.2 innings with a 3.11 ERA (3.38 FIP) at Double-A. You’d like to see more strikeouts (22.9%) from a dude with his stuff, but the walk (5.9%) and ground ball (50.8%) numbers are good. I wonder if this is a situation where his trade value exceeds his real life value. There’s a decent chance Tate is a reliever long-term. A good one, but still a reliever. Another club might view him as a no-doubt starter and fall in love with the whole “former No. 4 pick” thing.

Regardless of what the Yankees do with Rogers and Tate — right now I’d bet on Tate being added to the 40-man roster and Rogers not, assuming they aren’t traded — there is going to be some roster shuffling in the coming weeks. A few of these Rule 5 Draft eligibles could be moved prior to the trade deadline or soon after the season. Aside from Sheffield, there’s no stud here that will net you an impact big league player. These guys are for depth moves or to fill out a larger package.

The Lower Level Guys

Moreso than ever before, teams are taking very low level minor leaguers in trades. And I don’t mean low level as in not highly regarded. I mean the low levels of the minors. One of the prospects in the Kelvin Herrera trade was a 17-year-old in rookie ball. The second piece in last year’s Justin Wilson/Alex Avila trade was an 18-year-old in Single-A. The Yankees traded 20-year-old Blake Rutherford last year.

Teams are trying to acquire these talented young players before they break out into top prospects — the Yankees themselves have done this with the Nick Rumbelow trade (18-year-old Juan Then) and the Jake Cave trade (20-year-old Luis Gil) — and the Yankees have some of these players to offer, I think. Then is one. So is Saul Torres, Alex Vargas, Roansy Contreras, and Pablo Olivares. Guys like that are involved in trades more than ever before.

Could Luis Medina, Everson Pereira, or Ezequiel Duran be trade chips? They’re all teenagers and they’re all on the cusp of becoming excellent prospects, but of course they’re trade chips. The Yankees are a bona fide World Series contender. They’d be nuts to let a teenager in rookie stand in the way of a win-now trade. I’m not saying they should give those guys away! But they have value and they’re in demand, and they’re so far away from the big leaguers that they can’t be untouchable.

* * *

Trading players off your big league roster is not usually something a contending team does, but it is definitely possible. Neil Walker could go in a deal to offset salary a la Tyler Clippard last year, for example. I’d be surprised if the Yankees traded a reliever. I’d be even more surprised if they traded Sonny Gray, even in a deal for another starter. To me, the master plan is add a starter and get Gray on track, not replace Gray.

Domingo German and Jonathan Loaisiga are on the big league roster right now — they’re not just on the roster, they’re making starts every fifth day — and they’re trade chips for sure. German has shown promising swing-and-miss ability and everyone loves Johnny Lasagna, but they both have scary injury histories, and if they can help the Yankees get a potential difference-maker, of course they’ll trade ’em.

All of that is the long way of saying the Yankees have trade chips in all shapes and sizes. Once upon a time they were dealing from a pool of, like, three desirable prospects. Now they have pitchers, position players, MLB ready guys, far away guys, you name it. The Yankees can meet pretty much any asking price. That doesn’t mean they will. If the Yankees lose a bidding war this year, it’ll be because they don’t want to give up the pieces, not because they don’t have the pieces.

Yankeemetrics: Three more wins, bats still frozen (June 14-17)

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(Newsday)

Gley-Babe
The Fighting Spirit returned for one game, at least, as the Yankees survived yet another early-inning deficit and rallied to beat the Rays 4-3 on Thursday night. Domingo German put the Yankees quickly in a hole when Matt Duffy took him deep on the first pitch he saw. It was first time a Yankee pitcher surrendered a homer on the very first pitch of the game (i.e. top of the first inning) since Masahiro Tanaka served one up to Jose Reyes on June 17, 2014.

After that early hiccup, German settled down and pitched six strong innings, allowing just two more runs while striking out a career-high 10 batters. When German is locked in, he might have the nastiest stuff on the team with a biting curveball and filthy changeup that can make hitters look like little-leaguers at the plate.

He got 26 swings-and-misses, tied for the fourth-most by any pitcher in a game this year, and seven more than any other Yankee pitcher this season. Half (13) of those misses were with his curveball; the only other pitcher this season with more curveball whiffs in a game was Carlos Carrasco (14) on May 9.

The curveball is more than just a whiff machine, though, he also netted four called strikes with the pitch. That nasty combo of swinging strikes (41% whiff/swings) and looking strikes (36% called strikes/takes) puts German among the elite curveball artists this season. Among pitchers that have thrown at least 100 curves, German and Charlie Morton are the only guys with a Whiffs per Swing rate of at least 40 percent and a Called Strikes per Take rate of at least 35 percent.

(Getty)

Gleyber Torres made sure that German would get his first MLB win, crushing a 96-mph fastball from Blake Snell into the left field seats in the fifth inning, and turning a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 advantage. It was his 13th career homer, and eighth that either tied the game or gave the Yankees a lead. Through Thursday, those eight go-ahead/tying homers were three more than any other Yankee had hit since his debut on April 22.

Incredibly, what he is doing — relative to his age, experience and position — is nearly unprecedented. The only other rookie second baseman age 21 or younger to hit at least 13 homers in a season was Hall-of-Famer Joe Morgan with 14 in 1965.

And, of course, it wouldn’t be a Gleyber Day without a reference to Mickey Mantle. His 13 homers are already tied for the fourth-most by any Yankee in his age-21 season or younger:

Yankees Most HR in Age-21 Season or Younger
Year Name HR
1936 Joe DiMaggio 29
1952 Mickey Mantle 23
1953 Mickey Mantle 21
2018 Gleyber Torres 13
1951 Mickey Mantle 13
(Newsday)

J-Lo? Jonny Lasagna? J-Siggy?
The Yankees overflowing pipeline of young talent was in the spotlight again on Friday night as Jonathan Loaisiga delivered a super-impressive debut performance in the 5-0 win over the Rays. It was their third shutout in eight games; they had just two shutouts in the first 58 games of the season.

Loaisiga struggled with his command (four walks) but dominated hitters with his electric three-pitch mix (18.7% swinging strike rate) as he tossed five scoreless innings while striking out six. He also showed incredible poise, a bulldog mentality and an uncanny calmness on the mound, holding the Rays to one hit in 10 at-bats with runners on base.

His changeup, which he threw only 13 times (per Brooksbaseball.net), might have been his nastiest offering of the night. The Rays swung at seven of those changeups, making contact twice (one foul, one groundout) while whiffing five times. Mallex Smith had no idea what to do with this ridiculous changeup from Loaisiga:

He is the first pitcher in franchise history to allow zero earned runs and strike out at least six batters in his first career major-league game. And he is just the second Yankee pitcher ever to make his MLB debut at Yankee Stadium as a starter and not give up a run. The other was Sam Militello on Aug. 9, 1992 against the Red Sox.

Gary Sanchez broke the game open with bases-loaded three-RBI double in the eighth inning. That had made him 12-for-23 (.522), including three sac flies, and 25 RBI with the bases loaded since the start of 2017. He has the highest bases-loaded batting average over the last two seasons among players with more than 20 plate appearances (through Friday).

(Getty)

Severino cheat code
Another home series vs. the Rays, another series win; another Luis Severino start, another Severino gem; another power outburst, another Yankee victory. Just like clockwork, the Yankees cruised to a 4-1 win over the Rays on Saturday thanks to the familiar Bronx Bomber formula of power pitching plus power hitting.

The victory clinched their 12th straight home series win against Tampa Bay, the Yankees longest such streak since winning 17 in a row in the Bronx against the Washington Senators from 1952-57.

Luis Severino battled through a rocky first few innings, but still delivered a masterful eight-inning, nine-strikeout, scoreless performance. He dominated the Rays with an electric fastball that averaged a season-high 98.6 mph and topped out at 100.2 mph (per Statcast).

Six of his nine punchouts came on pitches clocked 99 mph or faster, matching the most in any game by a pitcher since pitch velocity tracking began in 2008 (Stephen Strasburg also did it in his MLB debut on June 8, 2010). Severino now has 15 strikeouts on pitches 99-plus-mph this season; all other MLB starters have combined for 18 (through Saturday).

Severino has been a beast in the Bronx this year, earning our #FunFact of the series: He has allowed no more than two runs in each of his first eight home starts in 2018, the longest such streak by any Yankee pitcher at Yankee Stadium (old or new) to begin a season.

And, of course, because it’s another Sevy Gem, we get to include our favorite leaderboard:

Hot day, cold bats
There would be no sweep of the Rays in the Bronx, as the Yankees punchless offense couldn’t rally from another early deficit, losing 3-1.

(New York Post)

Their deep hitting slump with runners in scoring position continued with an 0-for-7 performance on Sunday; in their last 12 games, dating back to the second game of the June 4 doubleheader versus the Tigers, the Yankees are 8-for-76 (.105) with RISP. Yet, they are 8-4 over this stretch thanks a pitching staff and defense that has given up just 24 runs in those 12 games. Sunday was the first game they lost this season at Yankee Stadium when allowing no more than four runs; they were an MLB-best 22-0 in those games.

There was little to cheer about in the this game aside from the solid effort by CC Sabathia, who battled back after some early-inning struggles and lasted into the eighth inning while striking out a season-high 10 batters. It was just the second double-digit strikeout game for Sabathia in the last five seasons (the other was Aug. 17, 2017 vs. Blue Jays), as he became the oldest Yankee with at least 10 strikeouts in a games since a 40-year-old Andy Pettitte on April 24, 2013 against … the Rays.

Game 65: Johnny Lasagna’s Debut

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(Oscar Navarrete/La Prensa)

I gotta say, if you would’ve told me in March that Jonathan Loaisiga would join the rotation on June 15th, I would’ve guessed all hell broke loose. The dude had pitched in one game above the short season minor leagues prior to this season and it seemed like he would be pretty far down the rotation depth chart. Instead, the Yankees have the best record in baseball and Loaisiga is debuting on June 15th. Shows what I know.

Loaisiga is only 23 but he’s endured a lot to get here. He’s had a ton of injuries, he was released by the Giants, and he actually agreed to join a team in Italy before the Yankees signed him out of a tryout camp. Now he’s a big leaguer, and deserving one. The man affectionately known as Johnny Lasagna threw 43 innings with a 2.30 ERA (2.39 FIP) and great strikeout (31.6%) and walk (2.3%) rates for High-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton prior to Saturday’s 49-pitch tune-up start.

What should you expect from Loaisiga tonight? A mid-90s fastball as well as a good curveball and a good changeup, for starters. I also wouldn’t expect very many innings. The Yankees capped him at five innings per start in the minors this year and he hasn’t thrown more than 89 pitches in a game. Hopefully Loaisiga can get them through five innings. Hopefully the offense can score more than four runs. Here are the lineups:

New York Yankees
1. LF Brett Gardner
2. RF Aaron Judge
3. SS Didi Gregorius
4. DH Giancarlo Stanton
5. 1B Greg Bird
6. C Gary Sanchez
7. CF Aaron Hicks
8. 3B Miguel Andujar
9. 2B Gleyber Torres

RHP Jonathan Loaisiga

Tampa Bay Rays
1. DH Matt Duffy
2. 1B Jake Bauers
3. C Wilson Ramos
4. 2B Joey Wendle
5. SS Willy Adames
6. CF Mallex Smith
7. 3B Christian Arroyo
8. LF Rob Refsnyder
9. RF Johnny Field

RHP Nathan Eovaldi

It is cloudy and on the cool side in New York, though there’s no rain in the forecast, and that’s all I care about. Tonight’s game will begin at 7:05pm ET and you can watch on WPIX. Enjoy the game.

Roster Move: Tyler Austin was sent down to Triple-A Scranton following last night’s game to make room on the roster for Loaisiga, the Yankees announced. Austin was great when the Yankees needed him in April. He hasn’t been all that good since. Can’t say it’s a surprise he was sent down.

Update: Jonathan Loaisiga will start Friday vs. Rays

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(Getty)

10:06pm ET: Boone corrected himself following tonight’s win. Loaisiga will start Friday, not Thursday. That’s when the Yankees were originally planning to use Tanaka’s replacement. Boone just misspoke before the game.

4:37pm ET: The Johnny Lasagna era is upon us. This afternoon Aaron Boone announced Jonathan Loaisiga is indeed being called up to replace Masahiro Tanaka. He’ll start Thursday, in the series opener against the Rays. That gives Domingo German and Luis Severino an extra day of rest before their next starts.

Loaisiga, 23, owns a 3.00 ERA (2.32 ERA) with 31.9% strikeouts and 2.2% walks in 45 innings split between High-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton this season. He threw 49 pitches Saturday in what sure seemed like a tune-up start. Loaisiga, my No. 17 prospect, had thrown only 2.1 innings above the short season minor leagues prior to 2018.

In yesterday’s poll, Loaisiga narrowly edged out Justus Sheffield as the preferred Tanaka replacement. The kid has made a meteoric rise since returning from Tommy John surgery last year, going from rookie ball to the 40-man roster to Double-A to the big leagues. Quite a year for Loaisiga.

The Yankees will have to make a 25-man roster move to accommodate Loaisiga. Ronald Torreyes was called back up when Tanaka went on the disabled list, so I suppose he could be sent back down, though I wonder whether Tyler Austin will get optioned instead. He hasn’t hit much lately and Torreyes is more versatile. We’ll see.

Poll: Replacing Masahiro Tanaka

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(Rich Schultz/Getty)

The Subway Series series win over the Mets this weekend came at a price. Masahiro Tanaka went down with “mild” strains of both hamstrings Friday night. He said he first felt tightness in his hamstrings in the third inning, and when he ran the bases in the sixth, things got worse. Strained both hamstrings in one game? A very Mets injury, that is. Fitting it happened at Citi Field.

Tanaka has since been placed on the disabled list and, over the weekend, Brian Cashman said it would be “weeks” until Tanaka returns. That’s not good. The Yankees are already without Jordan Montgomery. Losing another starter is bad news. Injuries are part of baseball though. Every team deals with them and the teams that deal with them the best are often the ones left standing at the end of the year.

“It’s certainly unfortunate, but it creates an opportunity for others,” said Cashman to Dan Martin. “We’re forced to find some things out in other areas with some other personnel. That’s always healthy, too. We’re always open to outside help, no matter what time of year it happens to be. But we also have internal options we can rely on … It’s always important to have depth, no doubt about that.”

Today’s off-day gives the Yankees the flexibility to start Tanaka’s replacement pretty much whenever they want. They’ve indicated the replacement will start Friday — that gives Luis Severino an extra day before his next start — but, if they want, they could push Tanaka’s rotation spot back to Saturday. Who will they call up? Who should they call up? I see five potential call-up candidates.

The Case for Chance Adams

Adams! Cut that hair! (Joe Vasile/SWB RailRiders)

Truth be told, it’s difficult to argue Adams should be first in line to replace Tanaka. Among actual prospects, Adams was the Yankees’ most MLB ready minor league pitcher coming into the season, but he’s struggled so far this year, pitching to a 5.43 ERA (4.70 FIP) with 27.7% strikeouts and 11.1% walks in 12 starts and 54.2 innings for Triple-A Scranton. Yuck.

Adams had surgery to remove a bone spur from his elbow in the offseason, and it’s entirely possible — if not likely — the surgery is to blame for his poor performance. He did not have a normal offseason and he was still working to rebuild arm strength in Spring Training and early during the regular season. We’re in June now though, and you’d think Adams would be back to normal by now, but apparently not.

Despite the lack of 2018 success, Adams could be the best Tanaka replacement option given his track record and his Triple-A experience. He pitched at the level pretty much all last season and had success, and that’s not nothing. Adams will be Rule 5 Draft eligible after the season, so he has to be added to the 40-man roster anyway. The Yankees could get a little head start on things and call him up now.

The Case for A.J. Cole

Cole’s done nice work since joining the Yankees, hasn’t he? He hasn’t pitched much, but when he has, he’s been effective. Cole has embraced the team’s anti-fastball philosophy and pitched to a 0.82 ERA (3.74 FIP) with 27.9% strikeouts and 14.0% walks in pinstripes. The walks are high, otherwise that’s pretty great. Might be worth giving him a shot in the rotation to see whether that anti-fastball success carries over into a starting role.

Two problems here. One, Cole has thrown a whopping eleven innings in pinstripes, so that success comes in a small sample. And two, Cole has thrown a whopping eleven innings in pinstripes! He’s not really stretched out. Cole hasn’t thrown more than 2.1 innings or 40 pitches in an outing in close to two months now. Asking him to throw even a modest five innings or 75 pitches might be unrealistic. That said, Cole’s on the roster, he’s pitched well, and he’s been a starter pretty much his entire career. It would be silly to rule him out as a rotation option.

The Case for David Hale

Calling up Hale would be the easy move. He’s already had two big league stints with the Yankees this season and they keep bringing him back, so they like something about him. Hale’s back with Triple-A Scranton now and he’s stretched out — he threw 5.1 innings and 88 pitches last Tuesday — so it’s an easy move. Call him up, slot him into the rotation, and let him run with it. No need to rush a prospect. Hale represents the path of least resistance and when no option stands out from the rest, the easiest move is often best.

The Case for Jonathan Loaisiga

Loaisiga. (David Monseur/MiLB.com)

It sure appears the Yankees are preparing Loaisiga for a call-up. Or, at the very least, they’re preparing him as a backup plan in case Plan A falls though. Loaisiga made a 49-pitch tune-up start yesterday, one week after Double-A Trenton manager Jay Bell insinuated Loaisiga was being prepped for a call-up during the doubleheader in Detroit. The rainouts in Baltimore meant a spot starter wasn’t needed, however, so he didn’t get the call.

There are several reasons the Yankees could turn to Loaisiga as Tanaka’s replacement. First of all, he’s already on the 40-man roster, which makes a call-up easy. Cole is the only other pitcher in this post on the 40-man roster. Secondly, Loaisiga is a rising star in the farm system, and prior to yesterday, he had a 2.30 ERA (2.39 FIP) with 31.6% strikeouts and 2.3% walks in 43 innings this season.

Third, Loaisiga’s stuff matches the numbers. He’s mid-90s with his fastball and he backs it up with a quality curveball and a quality changeup, and he throws lots of strikes. Lots and lots of strikes. This isn’t a dude with shiny minor league numbers and iffy stuff. And fourth, Loaisiga has an ugly injury history. The Yankees may want to get whatever they can out of him now before he breaks down again. Sounds harsh, but these types of moves happen all the time.

“He’s had some good games this year. He was impressive in Spring Training. He’s a young guy and hasn’t pitched a whole lot,” said pitching coach Larry Rothschild to Coley Harvey yesterday when asked about a potential Loaisiga call-up. The Yankees are playing coy right now like they always seem to do in these situations, but everything seems to be pointing to Loaisiga getting the call. Is he the right choice though? That’s up for debate!

The Case for Justus Sheffield

The best pitching prospect in the farm system — and not by a small margin either — is southpaw Justus Sheffield, who came over in the Andrew Miller trade. He’s one of the best pitching prospects in the minors overall, and this season he owns a 2.60 ERA (2.97 FIP) with 29.3% strikeouts and 12.9% walks in 55.1 innings around a minor shoulder injury. Sheffield has made four starts back from the injury, so it’s not too recent.

As luck would have it, Sheffield and Tanaka are on the same schedule. Sheffield started in Triple-A on Friday, the same night Tanaka hurt his hamstrings. It’s be an easy one-for-one swap. No schedules have to be altered or anything like that. And Sheffield is thinking about a call-up too. He’s not oblivious to what’s happening in the Bronx.

“Do I want to be the sixth starter? Do I want to be in the big leagues? For sure,” said Sheffield to Conor Foley over the weekend. “Am I shooting for that? Is that my goal? Yes, but thinking about it is not going to help me put my work in every four days and getting out there my fifth day.”

Simply put, the case for calling up Sheffield is that he offers the most upside among the available in-house options. A southpaw with mid-90s gas and this slider …

… has a chance to be really freaking good. Sheffield is having success in Triple-A now — he’s thrown more innings at Triple-A (27.1) than Loaisiga’s thrown at Double-A (25), if you care about such things — and he’s going to have to be added to the 40-man roster after the season anyway, so there’s not much harm in starting the clock now. Sheffield has a chance to be an impact pitcher, and countless top prospects got their first chance because someone got hurt.

* * *

The Yankees have ruled out Luis Cessa — he’s making his first minor league rehab start tonight — replacing Tanaka, though I suppose they could do something wonky and replace Tanaka with a bullpen game a la the Rays, but nah. Good teams don’t do that. I think we can safely eliminate that possibility. “We pretty much, I think, have an idea of what we’re going to do. We’re not going to deal with it now because we don’t have to, because things can change injury-wise,” said Cashman to Bryan Hoch.

Over the last few years the Yankees have done a really good job evaluating their own prospects. With the exception of Tyler Wade, the kids they’ve called up have all been ready to step right into the lineup and produce. If the Yankees call up Adams, Loaisiga, or Sheffield, I trust that they’re ready. And, if the Yankees go with Cole or Hale, I trust them that the kids aren’t ready.

Also, keep in mind that whoever replaces Tanaka isn’t automatically guaranteed to stay in the rotation. If that pitcher doesn’t perform, the Yankees have other options and can make a change. Anyway, this is all ripe for a poll, so let’s get to it.

Who *should* replace Masahiro Tanaka in the rotation?
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Jonathan Loaisiga may be closer to helping the Yankees than it may appear

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(Getty)

Earlier this week the Yankees played a doubleheader in Detroit, and if not for Sunday’s rainout in Baltimore, they would’ve had to use a spot starter at some point. If not in the doubleheader than either yesterday or today. All the rainouts stink, but, in this case, it allowed the Yankees to avoid starting a minor league call-up.

The Yankees never did reveal the identity of the call-up starter, though, based on the schedule and the fact he’s already had two stints with the Yankees this season, David Hale seemed like a good guess. He started and threw 6.1 innings for Triple-A Scranton last Wednesday, so he was lined up perfectly to start in the doubleheader. I thought it would be Hale.

It’s possible, however, the Yankees had another — and much more fun! — idea in mind. Yesterday Double-A Trenton manager Jay Bell insinuated that right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga, a fast-riser in the farm system and my No. 5 prospect, was being prepped for a call-up in the days leading up to the doubleheader. From Greg Johnson:

“We were just giving him a little bit more time off, but there was a potential of some movement (in the system) there,” manager Jay Bell said. “You can read between the lines.”

…

“If I could tell you more, I’d tell you more,” Bell said. “But I just don’t know what I’m at liberty to talk about.”

Loaisiga started for Double-A Trenton last night and was excellent again (5 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K), and it was his first start in nine days, which is what Bell was referring to with the “just giving him a little bit more time off” thing. The Yankees were holding him back in case they needed him for the doubleheader, basically. Happens all the time.

I think Loaisiga’s story is well-known by know, at least among RAB readers. He originally signed with the Giants way back in the day, they released him after some injuries, the Yankees signed him out of a tryout camp, and soon thereafter he needed Tommy John surgery. The 23-year-old returned with his new elbow ligament last season and has been electric since. This year he has a 2.30 ERA (2.40 FIP) with 31.6% strikeouts and 2.3% walks in 43 innings split between High-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton.

It’s possible Loaisiga was only being held back as a backup plan, in case Hale couldn’t go or something like that. Or maybe Loaisiga was Plan A all along. He’s already on the 40-man roster, and while the Yankees do have an open spot, they may not have wanted to go through the process of re-adding then designating Hale yet again just to have him make one spot start. They’ve been down that road with him twice already this year. It’s a hassle.

Given the way they’ve operated the last few seasons, I’m of the belief Loaisiga was indeed Plan A. They’ve been going young wherever possible, even in short-term injury fill-in situations. Giving Loaisiga a spot start in a doubleheader would’ve been aggressive — the kid had barely pitched in full season ball prior to this season — but the stuff is good and he’s been pitching well of late, and if the Yankees think he’s mature enough to handle it, why not? I’m not sure Loaisiga is ready for full-time MLB duty, but one spot start isn’t the end of the world.

Sunday’s (and I guess Thursday’s as well) rainout eliminated the need for a spot starter in Monday’s doubleheader and that appears to have robbed Loaisiga of the opportunity to make his MLB debut. Sucks, but you know what? The Yankees have more doubleheaders coming this season (lots more), and the fact Loaisiga was apparently even being considered for a call-up speaks volumes. The Yankees really like the kid and think he can help right now. And, if that is truly the case, he’ll get a chance to pitch in the big leagues soon enough.

DotF: Bird, McKinney continue rehab assignments in AA win

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I haven’t updated the minor league standings once this season, so let’s do that now. Here are some notes to check out first:

  • In case you missed it earlier, the Yankees activated 3B Brandon Drury from the disabled list and optioned him to Triple-A Scranton. Interestingly enough, they called him an “INF/OF” in the press release. I wonder if that means the Yankees are planning to move Drury around now?
  • RHP Jonathan Loaisiga has been placed on the Double-A disabled list, the team announced. He has a blister. Pitcher blisters can be nasty, but all things considered, this is good news. Loaisiga has a long injury history. A blister is no big deal. His arm is okay and that’s most important.
  • RHP Garrett Whitlock has been promoted to High-A Tampa, the team announced. He had a 1.13 ERA (2.35 FIP) with 29.7% strikeouts and 4.7% walks in seven starts and 40 innings for Low-A Charleston. With 3B Miguel Andujar graduating to the big leagues over the weekend, Whitlock has moved into MLB.com’s top 30 Yankees prospects.
  • RHP Albert Abreu placed 20th on this week’s Prospect Hot Sheet. “He’s a power pitcher who sits in the mid- to upper 90s, with the ability to put away hitters with either his breaking ball or his changeup. Now, it’s a matter of Abreu developing more touch and feel to go with his power arsenal,” says the write-up.

The Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders had a scheduled off-day. They are 16-19 and 4.5 games back in the division.

Double-A Trenton Thunder (3-2 win over Akron in ten innings, walk-off style) they are 23-13 and one game up in the division

  • CF Trey Amburgey: 1-5, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K — had one extra-base in his previous 44 at-bats
  • LF Billy McKinney: 0-4, 2 K — 2-for-12 (.167) with four walks and four strikeouts in four rehab games so far
  • 1B Greg Bird: 0-3 — played seven innings in the field as scheduled … he is 2-for-11 (.182) with three walks and two strikeouts in four rehab games so far
  • DH Chris Gittens: 0-1, 1 R, 1 RBI, 3 BB, 1 K — walk-off sac fly
  • SS Abi Avelino: 1-4, 2 K, 1 SB — 19-for-49 (.388) with seven steals in eight attempts in 13 games since being sent down
  • RHP Dillon Tate: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 6 K, 6/5 GB/FB — 61 of 99 pitches were strikes … 20.7 K% and 6.9 BB% in 35.1 innings so far this year

The High-A Tampa Tarpons were rained out. They’re going to play a doubleheader tomorrow. The Tarpons are 20-16 and two games back in the division.

The Low-A Charleston RiverDogs were rained out as well. They’ll play a doubleheader tomorrow. They are 17-19 and five games back in the division.