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Game 16: Just a game between two sub-.500 teams

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(Presswire)

So, who had the Yankees and Red Sox being a combined eight games under .500 when they met for the first time this season? Not me, certainly. The Yankees are 6-9 and the Red Sox are 6-11. This is the first time the Yankees and Red Sox have met with sub-.500 records this deep into the season (at least 15 games) since 1992. Neither team’s season has gone according to plan.

“I don’t really get caught up in what (the rivalry) means. I certainly understand it. I’m doing everything I can to get us in the right place to go out and get a W,” Aaron Boone said this afternoon. “… I know we’re up against a good team that’s off to a tough start, similar to us. We know what they’re capable of and we know we have to play well to beat them.”

There would be no better way to snap out of this early-season slump than a quick little two-game sweep over an AL East rival. That applies to both teams. The Yankees want to keep burying the Red Sox and start climbing up the standings. You know Boston wants to do the same. One game at a time though. Gotta win the first one before you can win both. Here are tonight’s lineups:

New York Yankees
1. 2B DJ LeMahieu
2. RF Aaron Judge
3. 1B Luke Voit
4. SS Gleyber Torres
5. DH Clint Frazier
6. 3B Gio Urshela
7. CF Brett Gardner
8. C Austin Romine
9. LF Mike Tauchman

LHP James Paxton

Boston Red Sox
1. RF Mookie Betts
2. SS Xander Bogaerts
3. LF J.D. Martinez
4. DH Steve Pearce
5. 1B Mitch Moreland
6. 2B Eduardo Nunez
7. 3B Rafael Devers
8. C Sandy Leon
9. CF Jackie Bradley Jr.

LHP Chris Sale

It has been a beautiful day in New York. A little on the chilly side, but the sky is clear. It won’t last. There is rain in the forecast later tonight, around 11pm ET or so. Hopefully the game is over before the rain starts. Tonight’s game will begin at 6:35pm ET and you can watch on WPIX locally and MLB Network nationally. Enjoy the ballgame.

Injury Updates: In case you missed it earlier, Greg Bird has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a torn plantar fascia. He will be in a walking boot for two weeks, then be reevaluated. The Yankees expect him to miss at least a month. Saturday was the first time it really became a problem, apparently … Aaron Hicks (back) will remain with the Yankees through the end of the homestand before heading back to Tampa. He feels 100% and did more running, throwing, and hitting today. He’s a day or two away from taking batting practice … Miguel Andujar (shoulder) has increased his hitting and throwing. He’s still early in the process and they aren’t much closer to answering the “surgery or no surgery?” question than they were two weeks ago … Dellin Betances (shoulder) is no longer stuck in Tampa. He’s with the Yankees in New York. Nothing new to report though. He’s still early in the shutdown phase following last week’s cortisone shot … Troy Tulowitzki (calf) hit in the cage and did some running on the field today. It’s the first time he’s done any real baseball activities since landing on the injured list.

Yanks place Greg Bird on injured list with torn plantar fascia

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(Presswire)

Another one bites the dust. The Yankees announced this morning that Greg Bird has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a torn left plantar fascia. First baseman Mike Ford has been called up from Triple-A Scranton and Jacoby Ellsbury was put on the 60-day injured list to clear 40-man roster space.

Bird, who is no stranger to the disabled/injury list, is now the 12th Yankee on the injured list, and that’s after getting CC Sabathia back over the weekend. The Yankees are missing five of their nine starting position players, among others. The injured list, for posterity:

  • Miguel Andujar (shoulder)
  • Dellin Betances (shoulder)
  • Greg Bird (foot)
  • Jacoby Ellsbury (hip surgery)
  • Didi Gregorius (Tommy John surgery)
  • Ben Heller (Tommy John surgery)
  • Aaron Hicks (back)
  • Jordan Montgomery (Tommy John surgery)
  • Gary Sanchez (calf)
  • Luis Severino (shoulder)
  • Giancarlo Stanton (biceps)
  • Troy Tulowitzki (calf)

Bird has not hit much at all this year (57 wRC+) or the last three years for the matter (80 wRC+ from 2017-19), so I guess you could say this is not a big loss. Healthy players are better than injured players though, and Bird won’t be able to right the ship on the injured list. A torn plantar fascia? That sounds like a long-term injury. (And also a convenient excuse for his lack of production.)

In hindsight, Bird laboring while running down the line on a ground ball Saturday (the last game he played) probably should’ve been a bigger deal.

The 27-year-old Ford is a local guy from Belle Mead, New Jersey, and he signed with the Yankees as an undrafted free agent out of Princeton back in 2013. He is hitting .410/.467/.897 (235 wRC+) with more extra-base hits (four doubles, five homers) than strikeouts (seven) in ten games with the RailRiders this year. It’s also his third season at the level, so I’d take the numbers with a grain of salt.

Like Bird, Ford is a left-handed hitting bat-only first baseman. He can’t play other positions and isn’t especially nimble around the bag either, plus a platoon partner might not be a bad idea. The Yankees are replacing Greg Bird with an older and unproven version of Greg Bird, basically. Maybe the lefty hitting Ford will give the Yankees a shot in the arm against, uh, Chris Sale tonight.

(The Yankees should trade for Justin Smoak ASAP.)

At the risk of looking foolish, some optimistic spring training performance takeaways

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(Presswire)

Spring training is in the books and opening day is just days away. The slate has been wiped clean and all camp performances, good or bad, get a reset. By now, we all know better than to make strong declarations based on Grapefruit League statistics. It sure is fun to do, though. And hey, what’s my risk of interpreting how certain players performed? I can live with looking silly.

A handful of Yankees had intriguing numbers over the last month or so. We won’t know how significant those until later in the regular season, but I think we can make meaningful observations from some of the results.

Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton will strike out less

Both Judge and Stanton struck out about 30 percent of the time last season. If Grapefruit League play is any indicator, the duo will put the ball in play more often this year. Stanton fanned in 22.9 percent of plate appearances while Judge went down on strikes 26.7 percent of the time. Of course, neither accrued more than 48 plate appearances, so make of it what you will.

Despite the small sample, we do know that Judge has been trying to cut down on whiffs in camp. With two strikes, he’s eschewed his leg kick for a subtle toe tap. It’s seemingly worked out well thus far. Why can’t it continue to work in the regular season?

As for Stanton, there isn’t a discernible adjustment. At least, not one that I’m aware of. Nonetheless, he is just a season removed from the 23.6 percent rate he posted in his final season with Miami. Last year could have been a blip. As his spring training performance shows, this is who he is at his best.

Clint Frazier has some rust to shake off

This statement isn’t out on a limb, unlike the strikeout talk from the prior section. Frazier hit .149/.228/.245 in 57 plate appearances. He had the most opportunities out of anyone in camp, and understandably so. With much of last season lost due concussion recovery, it’s been a long time since Clint has been at full strength. Now that he’s finally cleared, there are some cobwebs for him to shake off.

It’s tough luck that Frazier still needs more time to get on track. Obviously, his health problems were the biggest misfortune of all. Pretty scary, in particular. But also, he’s missing an opportunity to grab a job from the outset of the season because Aaron Hicks is down for the count. He should still get an opportunity later this year, but he’ll have to wait.

Greg Bird is (finally) healthy

Fool me once, fool me twice, fool me…thrice? To be honest, I’m not sure how many times I have gotten excited about Bird at this point, only to be inevitably let down. Nonetheless, it’s hard not to read into his spring training numbers and not think he’s healthy. The Yankees gave him 54 trips to the plate in camp and he capitalized with a 1.091 OPS. Can’t I get a little excited?

Oh, but that elbow of his. He was hit there by a pitch last week. Here we go again, right? Well, it seems like he’s going to be fine, for now. I get the skepticism with Bird, but I’m ready to dive back in and believe. I think it’s easier this time because he’s the underdog to Luke Voit, and if Bird does indeed flame out again, the Yankees should be fine at the position anyway.

Tommy Kahnle is back

It’s always good to draw conclusions from seven and a third innings pitched. In that workload, Kahnle struck out nine and allowed only one earned run. His velocity appears to be back and not only is he healthy, but he’s also in far better shape than before. The way he took care of his body before this season was…something.

It’s going to be a huge plus to have a revitalized Kahnle with Dellin Betances on the shelf to start the year. It looks Kahnle’s 2017-self, minus all of the caffeine and junk food, is back and here to stay.

Stephen Tarpley is for real

The 26-year-old southpaw was named the team’s best rookie in camp, and deservedly so. He allowed no runs, one walk, and six hits in just over 11 innings of work this spring (before last night), which earned him a spot on the opening day roster. Tarpley already began to emerge as an intriguing relief prospect last season and did a nice job in a late summer cameo with the Bombers.

Tarpley is in line to be this year’s Jonathan Holder. He may ride the Scranton shuttle a couple of times early on, but more likely than not, he’s ready to carve out a role in the big leagues for good. His spring training was just a confirmation of his capabilities.

Update: Yankees finalize 2019 Opening Day roster

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German. (Presswire)

Sunday: Tyler Wade was optioned to Triple-A Scranton earlier today, the Yankees announced, clearing the way for new pickup Mike Tauchman to make the roster. Also, Aaron Boone told Coley Harvey that Stephen Tarpley will be in the bullpen, so between that and yesterday’s news, the pitching staff is set. Boone confirmed to Bryan Hoch that the updated roster below will in fact be the Opening Day roster.

Saturday: Although the official announcement will not come until Thursday morning, the Yankees have more or less finalized their 2019 Opening Day roster. Clint Frazier was sent to minor league camp Friday, taking him out of the running for the final bench spot, and George King reports Domingo German will be the 13th pitcher on the Opening Day roster.

Based on that, here is the 25-man Opening Day roster the Yankees will take into the regular season:

CATCHERS (2)
Austin Romine
Gary Sanchez

INFIELDERS (6)
3B Miguel Andujar
1B Greg Bird
IF DJ LeMahieu
2B/SS Gleyber Torres
SS Troy Tulowitzki
1B Luke Voit

OUTFIELDERS (4)
CF Brett Gardner
RF Aaron Judge
LF Giancarlo Stanton
UTIL Tyler Wade OF Mike Tauchman

STARTERS (5)
RHP Luis Cessa RHP Domingo German
LHP J.A. Happ
LHP James Paxton
RHP Masahiro Tanaka
LHP CC Sabathia (five-game suspension)

RELIEVERS (8)
LHP Zack Britton
LHP Aroldis Chapman
RHP Domingo German RHP Luis Cessa
RHP Chad Green
RHP Jonathan Holder
RHP Tommy Kahnle
RHP Adam Ottavino
LHP Stephen Tarpley

The Yankees will also have seven — seven! — players open the 2019 regular season on the injured list. The seven: Dellin Betances (shoulder), Jacoby Ellsbury (hip), Didi Gregorius (Tommy John surgery), Ben Heller (Tommy John surgery), Aaron Hicks (back), Jordan Montgomery (Tommy John surgery), and Luis Severino (shoulder). Sabathia (knee) will become the eighth once his suspension ends.

At this point, the only spots still maybe up for grabs are Bird’s and Tarpley’s. Bird is supposedly fine but he has not played since taking a pitch to the elbow Wednesday. Given his history, I worry this will be something that lingers and forces him to be replaced on the Opening Day roster. Tarpley could be swapped out for someone like Gio Gonzalez or Jonathan Loaisiga, but nah, he’s pretty much a lock.

The Yankees have eight more big league Spring Training roster cuts to make: Nestor Cortes, Francisco Diaz, Raynel Espinal, Estevan Florial, Gio Gonzalez, David Hale, Jonathan Loaisiga, and Jorge Saez. Florial will miss the next few weeks as he recovers from his broken wrist. Those cuts will happen soon (duh).

March 23rd Spring Training Notes: Severino, Bird, Loaisiga, Montgomery, Roster Cuts, Tarpley

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The Yankees dropped this afternoon’s game to the Blue Jays. Gleyber Torres provided the only offense with a three-run home run. Miguel Andujar doubled while Brett Gardner, Austin Romine, and Tyler Wade had singles. Masahiro Tanaka was sharp in his two scoreless innings. Next time we see him will be Opening Day. Aroldis Chapman faced four batters and retired one. It was ugly. Better he gets it out of his system now than next week.

Gio Gonzalez made his Yankees debut and gave up five runs (four earned) in two innings. Gonzalez told Coley Harvey he is “just a tick off” right now but woof, he did not look big league ready. He looked like a guy who hasn’t gone through a proper Spring Training. Based on today, Gonzalez will need to some Triple-A time before potentially helping the Yankees. Here are the box score and video highlights, and here are the day’s notes from Tampa:

  • In case you missed it earlier, the Yankees traded lefty reliever Phil Diehl to the Rockies for outfielder Mike Tauchman. There’s a chance Tauchman will make the Opening Day roster, which would seem to be bad news for Greg Bird or Tyler Wade.
  • According to a report during the YES Network broadcast, Luis Severino (shoulder) played catch at 90 feet today as scheduled, and everything went well. He’s doing better mechanically after feeling a bit off during his first day of throwing. Not sure what the next step is for Severino.
  • Greg Bird (elbow) was scratched from the lineup after taking batting practice today. Aaron Boone said Bird is “fine,” but he wanted to sit him one more day so the swelling can go away completely. Bird is tentatively scheduled to play tomorrow afternoon. [Erik Boland, Lindsey Adler]
  • Jordan Montgomery (Tommy John surgery) is targeting mid-August for his return. Right now he is throwing fastballs only and at less than full effort from a half-mound. He’s about a week away from graduating to a full mound, though offspeed pitches are still a ways off. [Lindsey Adler]
  • Jonathan Loaisiga was sent to minor league camp today and Boone said he will rejoin the Yankees after CC Sabathia’s five-game suspension ends. Domingo German (or an opener) will start the fourth game of the regular season, Masahiro Tanaka the fifth game (on normal rest), and Loaisiga the sixth game. Luis Cessa will pitch in long relief. Didn’t see that coming! [Bryan Hoch]
  • Following last night’s game Gio Urshela and Kyle Holder were reassigned to minor league camp, the Yankees announced. Nestor Cortes, Estevan Florial, and David Hale were sent down today. The Yankees will begin the regular season with a 24-man roster while Sabathia serves his suspension, so there are still five more cuts coming following the Tauchman trade.
  • And finally, Stephen Tarpley was named the James P. Dawson Award winner as the best rookie in camp prior to today’s game. Congrats to him. Tarpley threw 11.1 scoreless innings during Grapefruit League play. Andujar and Torres won it the last two years.

The Yankees wrap up their Grapefruit League season on the road against the Twins tomorrow. Unlike Tanaka today, James Paxton will make a full start tomorrow because he won’t pitch again until the second game of the regular season next Saturday. Lindsey Adler says Greg Bird, Luke Voit, Tyler Wade, Clint Frazier, and Austin Romine are making the trip. Tomorrow’s game will be televised live.

March 22nd Spring Training Notes: Severino, Betances, Bird, Hicks, Sabathia, Roster Cuts

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The Yankees beat the Phillies in their penultimate Spring Training home game tonight. Giancarlo Stanton led the way offensively with two loud homers. One left George M. Steinbrenner Field entirely. DJ LeMahieu had two singles and Aaron Judge had two walks. Most importantly, no one got hurt.

On the mound, Jonathan Loaisiga struck out seven and allowed two solo homers in four innings to close out his Grapefruit League season. He allowed 13 runs in 16 innings this spring. Zack Britton tossed 1.2 scoreless innings and Adam Ottavino struck out one in a scoreless frame Here are the box score and video highlights, and here are the day’s Spring Training notes:

  • Luis Severino (shoulder) will stretch out his throwing out to 90 feet tomorrow. He played catch at 60 feet the last two days and rested today. Dellin Betances (shoulder) will start throwing in the next few days. Greg Bird (elbow) will return to the lineup tomorrow after getting hit by a pitch Wednesday. “I’m just glad it’s good,” he said.  [Associated Press]
  • Aaron Hicks (back) has yet to resume baseball activities and Aaron Boone said it is “too ambitious” to expect him back on April 4th, the first day he’ll be eligible to be activated off the disabled list. The Yankees are taking it slow because they don’t want Hicks suffering a setback. [Bryan Hoch]
  • Boone reiterated the Yankees are leaning toward carrying CC Sabathia on the Opening Day roster to get his five-game suspension out of the way. That makes the most sense. Five-day suspension then ten-day injured list means the earliest Sabathia can return is April 13th. [Bryan Hoch]
  • Rex Brothers, Danny Coulombe, Phil Diehl, Clint Frazier, and Drew Hutchison were all sent to minor league camp, the Yankees announced. There are 42 players still in big league camp, but with eight guys ticketed for the injured list (or suspended) on Opening Day, there are really 34 players still in camp. Ten more cuts to get down to a 24-man roster.
  • Masahiro Tanaka is starting tomorrow and James Paxton is starting Sunday. I assume J.A. Happ will start the exhibition finale Monday. Those will be shorter tune-up starts. Gio Gonzalez is expected to pitch somewhere tomorrow. Maybe in a minor league game [Pete Caldera]

The Yankees will play their final Grapefruit League home game tomorrow afternoon. Tanaka’s starting and maybe we’ll see Gonzalez piggyback. Tomorrow’s game will be televised.

March 21st Spring Training Notes: Sevy, Bird, Wade, Frazier, Florial, Gonzalez, Sabathia, Mazzilli

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The Yankees got thumped pretty good by the Cardinals today. Gleyber Torres had a double and a walk, Gio Urshela had a double and a single, and Miguel Andujar had a single. The B-Team couldn’t get much going on offensively. Then again, when Ryan Lavarnway leads the starting lineup in service time, what do you expect?

Domingo German gave up five runs, including three homers, in only 3.2 innings. He’d given up only three runs in 11.1 Grapefruit League innings going into today’s game. Given all the injuries, I doubt today’s outing hurt German’s chances of making the Opening Day roster. Anyway, Stephen Tarpley continued his strong spring with a scoreless inning. Here are the box score and video highlights, and here are the day’s notes from Tampa:

  • Luis Severino (shoulder) made 50 throws at 60 feet today as scheduled and everything went well. Tomorrow is a rest day. I’m not sure what comes after that. He probably has more flat ground work ahead of him before getting back up on a mound. [Bryan Hoch]
  • Apparently that pitch did not hit Greg Bird’s elbow pad yesterday. He was swollen today and sent back to Tampa for tests. “As a hitter, I don’t want to mess with his mechanics,” Aaron Boone said. X-rays and a CT scan came back negative, so all is good, at least in theory. Bird is likely to return to the lineup this weekend. [Coley Harvey]
  • Tyler Wade is fine after leaving yesterday’s game with tightness in both hits. He was examined today and is good to go for Opening Day. Clint Frazier fouled a pitch into his calf during today’s game but he’s fine too. Sore, probably, but fine. Estevan Florial (wrist) will only be in a cast three weeks, so that’s good news. [Bryan Hoch, Coley Harvey, Joel Sherman]
  • Gio Gonzalez threw a bullpen session today (here’s video) and is tentatively scheduled to pitch in a game Saturday, though it could be on the minor league side. Larry Rothschild said he “looks pretty close,” for what it’s worth. Also, Gonzalez said he added a cutter over the winter and likes where it’s at. [Erik Boland, Coley Harvey]
  • CC Sabathia threw two innings and 26 pitches in a minor league game today and everything went well. Here’s some video. Tommy Kahnle pitched in a minor league game as well, throwing 1.2 innings and 33 pitches. James Paxton and Luis Cessa threw bullpen sessions. [Bryan Hoch, Erik Boland, Kristie Ackert]
  • Billy Burns, Matt Lipka, and Ryan Lavarnway were all reassigned to minor league camp following today’s game, the Yankees announced. There goes any slim chance Burns had at making the team as Aaron Hicks’ replacement. I count 47 players still in big league camp, which is an awful lot with Opening Day one week away.
  • And finally, Lee Mazzilli is doing well after being hit in the head by a batted ball during batting practice yesterday. The Yankees say he’s in good spirits and will remain in the hospital one more night for observation. Good news. [James Wagner]

The Yankees are back home tomorrow night against the Braves. Only four more exhibition games to go. Jonathan Loaisiga is the scheduled starter tomorrow night. The game will be televised live.