The Yankees are expected to activate first baseman Greg Bird and RHP Tommy Kahnle off thie disabled list for this weekend's series against the Los Angeles Angels, according to NJ.com's Brendan Kuty.

Bird, 25, has not played a regular-season game since undergoing surgery to remove a bone spur from his ankle in March. In 12 minor league rehab games, he has hit .205 with three home runs and eight RBIs.

Chris Carelli, SNY.TV Facebook | Twitter | About Me | Archives

Our weekly minor league report canvases the Yankees farm system, providing updates about the status of the teams in action and the organization's top prospects.

Notes: Top-30 prospect rankings (via MLBPipeline.com) are club based with overall MLB ranks, if applicable, in parenthesis. Prospects currently in the major leagues will not be covered here. Team records and statistics are through games played May 24, 2018, unless otherwise noted.

Chris Carelli, SNY.TV Facebook | Twitter | About Me | Archives: The Yankees are 31-15, the second-best record in baseball. Want to know what's a complete bummer about that? That it is also the second-best record in the American League East. Yes, if the playoffs began today, the Yankees would be hosting the wild card game. This isn't about the way MLB sets their playoff brackets. It is about how critical each and every game is going to be for the Yankees this season as they battle the Red Sox for the division crown.

When the Yankees lose, it is of course first about the players. They have bad games -- starters pitch ineffectively, the offense might fail to hit with runners in scoring position or the bullpen might squander a lead. The game is certainly in the hands of the players. However, the manager has influence over these games. If they didn't, teams wouldn't employ them, or the coaches standing by their side. Managers undoubtedly do not get enough credit for wins, and get lambasted more often for losses. It comes with the territory. Win or lose, in Yankees manager Aaron Boone's circumstance, he deserves to take some criticism for his actions while managing the bullpen this season.

The Yankees now sit 46 games into the season and it is time Boone takes full responsibility for his decisions. If Larry Rothschild isn't helping, then get rid of him. Otherwise, the calls are Boone's.

MLB commiossioner Rob Manfred will be taking five immediate actions after a study revealed that the baseballs have gotten more aerodynamic during the current home run surge.

There were an all-time high 6,105 home runs hit during the 2017 season, up from 5,610 in 2016 and 4,909 in 2015. 

The study, which was conducted by a committee of scientists on the increases of the home run rate since 2015, was assembled by Manfred in August of 2017 and included chairman Alan Nathan, the Professor of Physics Emeritus at the University of Illinois, and nine other experts...

Andy Pettitte and Jason Giambi are among the first-time attendees who will be at Yankees Old Timer's Day on June 17, the team announced Thursday.

Hall-of-Famers Whitey Ford and Reggie Jackson will also be there.

Click below for the full list of attendees...

The Yankees consecutive series won ends at eight after the Rangers came back to defeat New York 12-10 in Arlington. >> Box score

CC Sabathia seems to be hitting a bump in the road after an excellent start to his 2018 season. 

The big lefty allowed the most runs he has all season thus far after the Rangers smacked him around to plate seven in his latest start. 

The Yankees' offense gave Sabathia more than enough insurance as they plated four runs in the first three innings. But it was the fourth inning that opened up the floodgates for the Rangers. 

The Yankees took a big sigh of relief when they learned that Gary Sanchez was only cramping in his right calf when he had to come out of Tuesday's game.

It is with that sigh of relief that manager Aaron Boone kept caution when making his Wednesday lineup that didn't see Sanchez' name penciled in. He decided to give his slugging catcher an off-day to recuperate, knowing the Yankees have no game schedule on Thursday as well.

"I feel like we dodged a bullet," Boone told MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. "He came out here and did some agility running workouts before and checked out OK. He was actually texting me early [Wednesday] morning that he was good to go, but with this off-day tomorrow, it's probably best to hold him back. I think he's fine, and he'll be an option for us if we need him."

The Yankees play the rubber game of their three-game set with the Rangers on Wednesday night at 7:05 p.m. in Arlington.

Yankees notes

The Yankees are 10-3 in their last 13 road games this season. They have also won eight straight series dating back to April 19. ...Yankee hitters have been mashing home runs with at least three coming in the last four games. Also, three separate players (Gary Sanchez, Tyler Austin, and Gleyber Torres) have collected a multi-home run game in three straight contests....

It's the golden rule: Don't argue balls and strikes. 

Yet, manager Aaron Boone did so on Tuesday night against the Rangers, and it earned him his first ejection of his early managerial career. Home plate umpire Pat Hoberg heard Boone chirping all night, and after a questionable strike call against Gary Sanchez, Hoberg had heard enough. 

"At different points in the night I raised some things and I guess he had heard enough," Boone told The Post's George A. King III about the ejection. "Nothing more than that."

The Yankees have brought in a fresh arm for their pitching staff, as they signed LHP Ryan Bollinger to a major league contract, the team announced Wednesday.

Bollinger has split time with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Double-A Trenton so far this season. He has recently thrown with the Thunder, where he owns a dominate 0.90 ERA in three starts (all wins). He also has 13 strikeouts over those appearances.

This is the 27-year-old's first season back in Major League Baseball after spending time in independent leagues over the past few seasons. He played in the Canadien-American League with the Trois-Rivieres Aigles from 2015-16, and even made it down to Australia to play with the Brisbane Bandits in 2017.

Domingo German was roughed up by the Rangers early on and the Yankees' offense couldn't overcome the deficit in a 6-4 loss on Tuesday night at Globe Life Park. >> Box score

The Yankees will play the second game of a three-game series with the Rangers on Tuesday at 8:05 p.m. at Globe Life Park in Arlington.

Yankees notes

The Yankees are 5-3 since May 10 after riding a 17-1 streak ... The Yankees have scored 10 runs in back-to-back games and have the best winning percentage in the majors... The team has hit at least four homers and eight extra-base hits in three straight games, becoming the first team to complete the fea ... The Yankees are the fourth team in modern history to have eight or more extra-base hits in three onsecutive games. On Saturday New York's offense tied a season-high with five homers.

Chris Carelli, SNY.TV Facebook | Twitter | About Me | Archive

The Yankees bullpen was "destined" to become the best the game had ever seen. Yankees relievers were believed to be able to dominate game after game.

What's that they say about the best laid plans?

Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter |

The Yankees continue to roll, but it remains clear that a rotation upgrade could be the difference between dominating the regular season and passing the Houston Astros to win the American League pennant. Two of the their most appealing options, Texas' Cole Hamels and Detroit's Michael Fulmer, bring very different pros and cons. Here's a look:

Fulmer

At 25 years old and with five years of team control remaining, Fulmer will likely be a prize at this year's trade deadline. That means that the Tigers can demand a high price, and play suitors against one another. Even teams like the Braves and Phillies, who might not be quite ready to win, could see value in bidding for Fulmer...

If one were to look at Masahiro Tanaka's record, it would show a starting pitcher enjoying a great start to the season. At 5-2 after last night's win over the Rangers on the road, Tanaka hasn't lost a start since April 17. 

But all adept baseball fans know a pitcher's record is only the facade. And for Tanaka, that couldn't be any more true. 

It was another night that saw a less-than-impressive Tanaka despite getting the victory chalked up in his win column. The 29-year-old let the long ball hurt him again as all four runs he allowed came on home runs. The first was a moonshot to Joey Gallo in the bottom of the second followed by Rougned Odor's first homer of the season, a three-run bomb to right-center that tied the game at four. 

Yankees rookie second baseman Gleyber Torres became the youngest player in franchise history to record a multi-home run game since Mickey Mantle in Monday's 10-5 win over the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington.

Torres, at 21 years, 159 days, hit two home runs off Bartolo Colon as New York won its third straight game. He became the second-youngest Yankee to hit two homers in a game, as Mantle achieved the feat at 20 years, 296 days.

Since being promoted from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Torres has a .321/.389/.571 batting line with six home runs and 18 RBIs, and the Yankees are 20-4 in games he's appeared in. He is hitting .340 since May 2.

Rookie second baseman Gleyber Torres hit two home runs while Aaron Judge hit his 12th homer of the season as the Yankees beat the Texas Rangers 10-5 on Monday at Globe Life Park in Arlington. >> Box score

Torres, at 21 years, 159 days, became the youngest Yankee since Mickey Mantle (20 years, 296 days) to have a multi-homer game. His second-inning homer off Bartolo Colon gave the Yankees a 3-0 lead, and he added another one in the sixth inning to make it 6-4.

Neil Walker went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs and Aaron Hicks also homered as the Yankees became the first team since the 1961 Milwaukee Brewers, according to The Athletic's Katie Sharp, to hit at least four home runs in three straight road games on the same road trip. New York also became the fourth team in modern MLB history to total at least eight extra-base hits in three straight games.

The Yankees begin a three-game series against the Texas Rangers on Monday at 8:05 p.m. at Globe Life Park in Arlington.

Yankees notes

The Yankees are in a first-place tie with the Boston Red Sox atop the AL East and have the best winning percentage in baseball, .007 points higher than Boston's. ... New York has won four of its last five games and 21 of its last 25. On Saturday and Sunday, the Yankees outscored the Kansas City Royals 18-4. ... Since April 21, the Yankees have scored six or more runs 13 times.

The Yankees optioned outfielder Clint Frazier back to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after Sunday's 10-1 win over the Kansas City Royals.

Frazier, 22, was called up earlier this week and went 1-for-2 with a double and two walks in his season debut in Saturday's 8-3 win.

For the second straight game, Didi Gregorius found himself on the bench instead of his more familiar spot at shortstop. The Yankees were facing another lefty in Eric Skoglund, and with his slump still in full form, manager Aaron Boone found it best to sit him. 

Gregorius didn't complain. Instead, he understood exactly why his manager made the move. 

"I am not the one who makes the lineup, I can't be disappointed," Gregorius told The Post's George A. King III. "I do want to play, but there is not much we can do about it. We talked about it [Saturday]."

Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter | It hasn't been easy to find ways to write about the Yankees lately, at least without looking ridiculous. There's only so many holes an analyst can poke in a 30-13 team. Yeah, they need rotation help, but we've said that already.

What's left to write? "The Yankees continue to be awesome" is hardly news. So we were pleased to find, following the team's weekend romp in Kansas City, an actual problem. Are you ready for it? The Yankees have … way too many good players. They are facing a roster crunch that almost never happens in baseball.

This is not an issue relatable to the Mets, who somehow scratched out a win Sunday with a lineup that felt more appropriate for a spring training road game. And while the Yankees are pleased that their problems are of the first-world variety, they face difficult decisions on talented players...

Former Yankee third baseman Alex Rodriguez knows what lies ahead for ex-teammate Robinson Cano. 

Cano was suspended 80 games for testing positive for the diuretic Furosemid, which is used as a masking agent. He is currently serving that suspension as he nurses his fractured hand he sustained during an at-bat. 

Rodriguez, who was spending for the entire 2014 season for his own PED use, thinks the road will be tough for Cano. But he believes he will land on his feet...

Yankees RHP Sonny Gray had his strongest outing of the season on Sunday, throwing eight innings of one-run ball in a 10-1 win over the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.

Gray struck out five batters and only aallowed four hits, recording a quality start for the third time in his last four outings.

"I mean, I felt good my last four or five times out,'' Gray said, according to the Bergen Record's Pete Caldera. "I know my results weren't great in my last start (5 IP, 5 ER, 9 H vs. Oakland on May 11) but at the same time I feel really good, especially moving forward.''

Tyler Austin hit two home runs and Sonny Gray pitched eight strong innings as the Yankees defeated the Royals, 10-1, on Sunday afternoon >> Box Score 

The Yankees (29-13) and Royals (14-31) continue their three-game set in Kansas City at 7:10 p.m. on Saturday night.

Yankees notes

Aaron Hicks hit an inside-the-park home run, Gary Sanchez hit two homers, and the Yankees beat the Royals on Saturday night, 8-3. >> Box Score 

Gary Sanchez put the Yankees on the board in the first inning with an RBI double and Hicks' inside-the-park home run two innings later gave the Yankees a 2-0 advantage.

Gleyber Torres put the Yankees in front for good with a three-run homer in the fouth inning for his fourth home run of the season. Torres' homer was the second of five home runs hit by the Yankees on offense in an eight-run effort. 

The Yankees dominated Royals starter Danny Duffy, who gave up five runs on seven hits in four innings.

The Yankees (28-13) and Royals (14-30) continue their three-game set in Kansas City at 7:10 p.m. on Saturday night.

Yankees notes

On Friday night, CC Sabathia was pegged with his first loss since August of last season. He was due for one. 

The 37-year-old labored through 5.0 innings while allowing four runs (two earned) on four hits while allowing five walks. He wasn't sharp, nor was his defense as a Gleyber Torres error proved costly.

This season, Sabathia is 2-1 with a 2.40 ERA over 41.1 innings with 33 K and 9 BB...

Baseball is rife with streaks and slumps as outlooks change seemingly in an instant. Didi Gregorius' batting average is currently feeling the effects of the nature of the game.

Gregorius started the season on fire, winning AL Player of the Month. But, his form hasn't followed the calendar turn as he's enduring a wicked 1-45 slump. 

During that time, Gregorius' batting average has slipped from .372 all the way down to .248. A precipitous drop of 124-points...

Yankees top prospect OF Estevan Florial will be missing significant time as he will have surgery to repair a fractured hamate bone in his right wrist, per NY Daily News Mike Mazzeo. 

Florial, who is considered the top position-player prospect in the Yankees' system, could miss as much as three months worth of games. 

Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who had the exact same injury as Florial back in 2001, missed only one month. He sees this as simply a small setback...

After a couple days off, the Yankees couldn't get anything going on offense as the Royals took the first game of a three-game set, 5-2, at Kauffman Stadium. >> Box Score 

With the Rangers open to trade talks, the Yankees are among the most likely teams to land LHP Cole Hamels, per USA Today's Bob Nightengale. The other teams Nightengale lists are the Brewers, Cubs, Phillies, and Diamondbacks.

A starting pitcher been a need for the Yankees since the start of Spring Training, and though a combined 3.79 ERA for starters this season isn't bad, the team wouldn't mind adding depth to their rotation. 

Despite his 2-4 record, Hamels owns a 3.48 ERA in nine starts (51.2 innings) for the Rangers this season. He still possesses his crafty repertoire on the bump with 57 strikeouts as well. 

The Yankees (28-12) and Royals (13-30) begin a three-game set in Kansas City at 8:15 p.m. on Friday night.

Yankees notes

Despite his strong start and leading the team in home runs, Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge believes he still has a ways to go to reach his potential.

"People keep talking about how well I'm doing, but I look at as I'm still trying to get consistent,'' Judge said, according to the New York Post's Dan Martin. "I don't feel like I've been consistent all year."

The 26-year-old Judge leads the Yankees in every major offensive statistical category: batting average (.307), home runs (11), RBIs (35), on-base percentage (.441), slugging percentage (.593), OPS (1.035) and hits (46). 

Even so, he feels he can do better.

Count former Yankees star Mark Teixeira as one of many around baseball who wasn't exactly shocked when news broke that Mariners 2B Robinson Cano was suspended 80 games after testing positive for furosemide.

Furosemide isn't a PED, but, according to SNY's Andy Martino, can be used as a masking agent for steroids. Martino reported that a source told him that furosemide is "used for flushing" drugs out of your system...

On May 17, 1998, David Wells produced an eternal afternoon.

Wells was on the mound against the Twins for Beanie Baby Day at Yankee Stadium, as anyone under the age of 14 would receive a white bear named Valentino. 

For those kids who were lucky enough to be in attendance, Wells would give them another scenario to recreate in their backyards: throwing a perfect game for the Yankees...

Clint Frazier said he was ready, and the Yankees called him up to the big leagues for their series against the Nationals. Well, one game was suspended and the other was postponed, both due to inclement weather. That means Frazier will travel with the team to Kansas City now to prove that he was worth the call up. He also wants to prove to the Yankees that he is worth keeping instead of being used as a trade chip down the road. 

Frazier has been killing minor-league pitching as he produced a .362 average with three homers and four RBI in 12 games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barres. He was on deck to finally get back to the plate as a Yankee, but Miguel Andujar grounded out in the fifth inning on Monday before the skies opened up for good. 

Can Frazier do enought to show the Yankees that he would be better on their team instead of somewhere else? The Baseball In Night New York -- SNY's Doug Williams, Jon Hein, Andy Martino, and Todd Zeile -- discuss what Frazier's future with the Yankees should look like down the road...

Babe Ruth played some of the best individual seasons of baseball known to the history of the game. 

There was his 60-homer season, one where he outhomered 10 different teams in a single season, and the year he set the record for total bases that is still in the record books today. 

But, looking at Ruth's career with the all-around WAR statistic (wins above replacement) as ESPN's Sam Miller pointed out, his best season ever was in 1923 when he posted a 14.1 WAR. He hit .393 with 41 homers, set a career high in doubles, drew 170 walks and threw out 20 baserunners from the outfield.

Chris Carelli, SNY.TV Facebook | Twitter | About Me | Archive

Once Thursday comes to an end, Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge will have been fully contained for two straight days…by Mother Nature and a scheduled off-day for the club.

No one knew what to expect of Judge in 2017. All he did was go on a marvelous tear through major league pitching staffs, becoming an instant star as he clobbered 30 home runs by the All-Star break.

Yankees SS Didi Gregorius was on top of the world in April. He was named the AL Player of the Month after hitting .327 while leading the league in extra base hits (19) and RBI (30). 

But the "April showers bring May flowers" phrase is reversed in Gregorius' case. Tbrough his first 12 games in May, Gregorius has plummeted back down to Earth and then some, as his slump continues to haunt him. 

Gregorius is stuck in the depths of a 1-for-41 slump, with his longest hitless streak at 30 at-bats. Overall, he has notched six hits over 51 at-bats in May.

The completion of Tuesday's suspended game and the full game that was to be played afterwards between the Yankees and Nationals in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday have been postponed.

The games will be made up on June 18 at 5:05 p.m. at Nationals Park. 

The Yankees and Nationals were tied, 3-3, in the sixth inning on Tuesday night when the game was suspended until Wednesday due to weather. 

Nationals OF Bryce Harper will be one of the prized free agents on the market this offseason, and he had no interest Tuesday in discussing the potential of signing with the Yankees.

"I'm a National now," Harper told reporters when asked about donning pinstripes. 

The 25-year-old Harper will be headlining a free agent class that is expected to include Manny Machado, Josh Donaldson, Dallas Keuchel, and potentially Clayton Kershaw (who can opt out of the two remaining years on his deal).

Yankees RHP Masahiro Tanaka allowed three runs in five innings against the Nationals on Tuesday night before the game was suspended until Wednesday due to rain.

Tanaka allowed all three runs within the first two innings and went on to pitch three scoreless innings thereafter to allow the Yankees' offense to come back and tie the game in the top of the fifth. 

Yankees OF Giancarlo Stanton collected his 1,000th career hit on Tuesday night in the team's game against the Nationals.

The Yankees (28-12) and Nationals (24-18) begin a quick, two-game series in Washington at 7:05 p.m. on Tuesday.

Yankees notes

The Yankees currently own the best record in the MLB, as they have won eight of their last 10 games. 

Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter |

Why on earth would anyone be surprised by Robinson Cano's suspension for violating the league's joint drug program? How could anyone react with "wow," "holy (bleep)," or any other expression of incredulity?

The questions are not an indictment of Cano specifically. His suspension was for the diuretic furosemide, which is not a PED but can be used as a masking agent, according to a person familiar with the subject. "It's used for flushing," or getting the drugs out of your system, says the person.

Yankees OF Clint Frazier has reportedly been called up for the team's series against the Nationals, per The Daily News' Mike Mazzeo. 

Frazier was sidelined due to a concussion he sustained in Spring Training. But since being cleared to play, he has been raking through minor league pitching. The 23-year-old is hitting .362 with three homers and 4 RBI in 12 games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barres, and he feels that he is ready for the big stage again...

Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter | Whether playing for the Yankees or in Triple-A, this is a significant time for Frazier, who needs to re-establish his value to the Yankees -- and to potential trade deadline suitors...