Yankees OF Brett Gardner could find himself back in the lineup for Wednesday night's contest in the Bronx. 

It will all depend on the treatment Gardner received on his inflamed knee on Tuesday. He hit in the batting cage before Tuesday night's 7-2 win over the Mariners. And from what manager Aaron Boone has seen from his veteran outfielder, he is very optimistic Gardern is close to returning. 

"We will see. I think it's realistic," Boone told The Post's George A. King III. about Gardner returning to lineup. "I actually believe he might be an option [Tuesday night]."

Yankees RHP Domingo German allowed just one earned run in seven innings in his team's win over the Mariners on Tuesday night.

The only damage came in his first and last innings of the night. The Mariners scored an unearned run in the first after Didi Gregorius committed an error, then Nelson Cruz hit a solo home run in the seventh inning for Seattle's second run.

German issued no walks and struck out nine batters. He now has fanned 28 batters in his last 19 innings on the mound for New York. He threw 96 pitches, 67 of which were strikes.

Domingo German limited the damage in seven innings of work and Giancarlo Stanton, Miguel Andujar, and Gleyber Torres went deep as the Yankees beat the Mariners, 7-2, on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium. >> Box score

Things to know about Monday's game

1) Stanton put the Yankees on the board early on with a solo home run in the first inning. The Yankees' power surge continued in the fifth inning when Andujar and Hicks both hit two-run homers. Aaron Judge hit an RBI single in the seventh and Torres capped off the Yankees' scoring effort with a solo home run in the eighth. 

The Yankees open a three-game series with the Mariners on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium at 7:05 p.m.

Yankees notes

The Yankees lost a suspended game against the Nationals before winning Monday night's game. The Yankees are in sole possession of the best record in the majors and currently sit 25 games above .500... They are 14-4 in their last 18 games... The Yankees are 26-11 at home this season, which is the best winning percentage in the majors at home.

Lost a bit in the Gleyber Torres mania in the Bronx -- at least until Tuesday night -- was the emergence of Brandon Nimmo in Queens. 

The 25-year-old Nimmo is hitting .287/.410/.603 for the Mets with 12 HR, nine doubles, five triples, and seven stolen bases in 60 games this season -- and is currently one of the most valuable players in the majors.

Nimmo has the best slugging percentage in the National League (min. 200 plate appearances) and the fifth-highest in all of baseball. His 1.013 OPS is the best in the NL and fourth-best in baseball. 

Yankees OF Clint Frazier will tell it how it is: It's frustrating being down in Triple-A. 

Frazier was called up again to the big leagues, and this time around, it isn't just to be the 26th man. He is here to stay, but how long is the question. He is with the team due to Brett Gardner nursing a sore knee, and he will likely be sent back down once that pain is alleviated.

The 23-year-old is raking in Triple-A this season with a .312/.389/.558 slash line with seven homers and 11 RBI over 38 games. He could certainly be making contributions at the major league level with those types of numbers, but with the Yankees boasting a stacked outfield, Frazier has been the odd man out. 

Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter |

San Diego Padres reliever Brad Hand would be a perfect fit for the Yankees, lengthening a bullpen that is already dominant as well as helping to cover for a thin rotation. And if he were to become a member of the Houston Astros or Boston Red Sox, the Yanks' path to the World Series would be much more difficult.

But despite all that, signs point to the Yankees acquiring a starter like Cole Hamels or J.A. Happ instead.

The Yankees were knocked down a peg in the latest All-Star Game balloting update, with Gary Sanchez no longer leading for catchers.

Sanchez, whose slump has knocked his triple slash down to .194/.294/.440, has been overtaken by Wilson Ramos of the Rays, who is leading by roughly 60,000 votes.

The one Yankee who seems like a lock is Aaron Judge, who is third in outfield voting (with the top three vote-getters getting selected). Judge leads fourth-pace Michael Brantley by roughly a half million votes. 

Yankees OF Giancarlo Stanton said he wouldn't be changing his stance as he continues to fight his struggles at the plate. But, after a four-hit night in the team's win over the Nationals on Monday, it appears Stanton made an adjustment after all.

And it worked.

It was Stanton's third four-hit game with the Yankees this season, and he posted two RBI as well. As YES Network's Jack Curry pointed out after the game, Stanton's signature closed stance looked to be less drastic. His left foot was noticeably more open, while his body was more upright. 

Yankees relievers Jonathan Holder and Dellin Betances continued to dominate out of the bullpen in Monday's 4-2 win over the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park.

Holder pitched out of a two-on, no-out jam he inherited from Sonny Gray in the sixth inning while Betances struck out the side in his 11th consecutive scoreless outing.

Giancarlo Stanton went 4-for-5 with two RBIs and Aaron Hicks went 2-for-5 with a go-ahead two-run home run as the Yankees rebounded from losing in a suspended game earlier Monday with a 4-2 win over the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. >> Box score

Things to know about Monday's game

1) Stanton his first four-hit game since May 13, hitting an RBI single in the first inning and an RBI double in the seventh to give New York a two-run lead.

2) Hicks crushed his ninth home run of the season when he hit a 3-1 Erick Fedde sinker to deep right-center field that turned a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead in the fifth inning.

Former Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi said at Old Timers' Day he turned down an opportunity to return to the franchise as a potential coach.

"I think they kind of tested to see where I was at and I just said I wasn't ready," Giambi, 47, said, according to NJ.com's Brendan Kuty.

Giambi said the conversation didn't include an offer, but rather was something so the Yankees could examine his level of interest. He didn't say which position he may have been considered for, nor did he say who contacted him.

The Yankees play a make-up game against the Washington Nationals on Monday at 6:45 p.m. after they resumed their suspended game from May 15.

Yankees notes

The Yankees, who lost the suspended game 5-3, entered Monday leading all American League teams with 113 home runs. ... The Yankees and Nationals split their two-game series in New York last week. ... The Yankees have the No. 5 ERA in the majors (3.43), while the Nationals enter Monday with a 3.38 team ERA. ... RHP Giovanny Gallegos will be the Yankees' 26th man.

The Yankees lost to the Washington Nationals 5-3 at Nationals Park on a game that began May 15 and was resumed on June 18 due to weather. >> Box score

Things to know about the game

1) The Yankees and Nationals were tied at 3 entering the bottom of the sixth inning before rain halted play in May. 

2) Chad Green, who came on in relief of Masahiro Tanaka, surrendered a go-ahead two-run home run to Juan Soto, who on May 15 was in Double-A and made his official MLB debut on May 20, in the bottom of the sixth inning that gave Washington a 5-3 lead. (Soto's official MLB debut will still be May 20, but with an asterisk to denote his appearance in the suspended game.)

Former Yankees hurler Andy Pettitte is only 46 years old, but on Sunday, he was an Old Timer. 

Taking part in his first Old Timer's Day game at Yankee Stadium, Pettitte took in the moment both on the mound and at the plate. He also got to chat with the current Yankees in the dugout and cluhouse in the days leading up to the game. He even threw batting practice to the team on Sunday. 

Putting on the pinstripes against gave Pettitte flashbacks, and maybe it is because this year's Yankees squad has put together the best start by a Yankee team since the 1998 team that won the World Series after winning 114 regular-season games. Pettitte was 26 on that team, and now at 46, he thinks this Yankee team has the potential to be great as well...

The Yankees (46-21) resume their suspended game against the Nationals (37-31) from May 15 on Monday at 5:05 p.m.

Play was suspended after the top of the sixth inning with the game tied 3-3 in Washington. The Nationals got on the board first after Anthony Rendon hit a solo homer to left field in the bottom of the first off Masahiro Tanaka. 

The Nationals would add two more in the second after an Andrew Stevenson RBI single followed by an RBI double from Pedro Severino.

The Yankees have recalled OF Clint Frazier and sent INF Ronald Torreyes down to Triple-A to make room on the roster, the team announced Monday. 

Frazier has been up and down with the Yankees so far this season, where he has hit .375/.545/.500 in 11 plate appearances with the big league club this season. With Triple-A, he has posted a .312/.389/.558 slash line with seven homers and 11 RBI over 38 games. 

Frazier's recall could be due to Brett Gardner's sore right knee. Gardner sat for the team's series finale against the Rays on Sunday, but hoped he would be back in the lineup on Monday. 

It was yet another moment where Giancarlo Stanton could have won over the Yankee faithful. But the moment ended in what Stanton has been hearing amidst his Yankee Stadium struggles: boos. 

It was the bottom of the fifth inning in the Yankees-Rays matchup on Sunday, and New York finally had something going on offense. Aaron Hicks belted a solo homer to put the home team on the board with two outs. And after back-to-back walks to Aaron Judge and Didi Gregorius, it was Stanton coming to the plate who had the chance to do more damage. 

Stanton was facing lefty Jose Alvarado, and the matchup favored the towering slugger who entered the at-bat hitting .338 against lefties on the year. But he struck out on four pitches with a shower of too-familiar boos coming from the crowd. 

SNY's Andy Martino suggested last week that the Yankees should trade for Blue Jays LHP J.A. Happ, and it appears New York agrees. 

The Yankees are among teams interested in trading for the veteran starter, according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi. The Mariners are also mentioned to be in the running. 

While the Yankees like Happ, they're not going after him aggressively at this point, according to Martino. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays are not seen as reluctant to trade in division, and rivals sense they're open for business.

Though Yankees first baseman Greg Bird has just a .215 batting average and .743 OPS this season, manager Aaron Boone believes he will soon break out.

"I feel like he's pretty close to being really locked in," Boone said, according to the New York Post's Zach Braziller.

The 25-year-old Bird is 5-for-14 with a home run and two doubles over his last four games. After going 1-for-4 in Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, Bird said he is working on his consistency at the plate.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he hopes outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury can resume baseball activities soon as he looks to make his season debut.

Boone said Ellsbury, who has yet to play this season with a hip injury and plantar fasciitis. was examined by Ellsbury last week and could soon get ready to "ramp up" baseball activities, according to Newsday's David Lennon.

Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner said he hopes to return to the lineup for Monday's games against the Washington Nationals after sitting Sunday's series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays with a sore knee, according to YES Network's Meredith Marakovits.

Gardner, who has played in 59 of New York's 67 games, underwent an MRI on Sunday morning that revealed some minor inflammation, but nothing more. He also did not play in Thursday's series-opener.

"It's not really something I've had an issue with in the past," he said, according to NJ.com's Brendan Kuty. "A little alarmed by it not really feeling like it should. Got an MRI this morning. Everything looked pretty good on that. ... It wasn't necessarily any one injury or any one thing. Just kind of an over-time thing, I guess."

CC Sabathia endured a rough second inning and the Yankees couldn't generate enough offense to overcome it in a 3-1 loss to the Rays on Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium. >> Box score

Things to know about today's game

1) The Yankees struggled offensively aside from a fifth-inning solo home run by Aaron Hicks, who went deep for the eighth time of the year. Didi Gregorius hit his second triple of the season, but did not score

Yankees LHP CC Sabathia allowed three runs on 10 hits in 7 2/3 innings against the Rays on Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.

All three of the runs allowed by Sabathia came in the second inning before he settled in. Carlos Gomez drove in Willy Adames with an RBI double and Matt Duffy hit a two-run single to right field later in the inning.

Sabathia struck out 10 batters and walked just one. He threw a season-high 102 pitches on Sunday after throwing 101 pitches in the Yankees' 3-0 win over the Yankees on June 12.

Former Yankees players returned to Yankee Stadium on Sunday for the 72nd annual Old Timers' Day, which featured a three-inning game.

Nick Swisher, Andy Pettitte, Jason Giambi, and Aaron Boone participated in the festivities for the first time.

Swisher hit a three-run home run and a two-run double, while Johnny Damon hit two RBI singles. Willie Randolph added a two-run single.

The Yankees (46-20) will go for a sweep of the Rays (32-38) in the series finale on Sunday afternoon at 2:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium.

Yankees RHP Luis Severino allowed just three hits in eight scoreless innings in the Yankees' 4-1 win over the Rays on Saturday afternoon.

Severino, who threw 102 pitches, struck out nine batters. Per Statcast, six of his nine strikeouts came on pitches that were thrown over 99 miles per hour, which has been accomplished only by one other pitcher in the last decade.

Severino allowed one-out singles in the first and second innings, but did not allow another hit until the seventh inning. He pitched a one-two-three eighth inning to finish his outing.

The Yankees beat the Rays to set themselves up with the chance for a four-game sweep on Sunday with a 4-1 win over on Saturday behind Luis Severino, Gary Sanchez and Giancarlo Stanton. >> Box score

Things to know about today's game

1) Luis Severino was simply too much for the Rays, as he spun eight scoreless innings, allowing just three hits with nine strikeouts and two walks. In his eighth and final inning, his fastball still hit 99.7 MPH.

Giancarlo Stanton led off the 5th inning with the Yankees leading the Rays 2-0 with Gary Sanchez on deck. Both sluggers mashed solo home runs, extending the Yankees' lead to 4-0. 

Watch below.

Jonathan Loaisiga's MLB debut was near perfect as the rookie threw five scoreless innings with six strikeouts, earning his first major league victory as the Yankees beat the Rays 5-0.

The postgame interviews went his way, too, as Rays manager Kevin Cash compared Loaisiga to Yankees legend Mariano Rivera. Loaisiga was taken aback when told of Cash's high praise.

"That's a big compliment right there," Loaisiga said...

The Yankees (45-20) continue their four-game series with the Rays (32-37) on Saturday afternoon at 1:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman is already on the prowl for a starting pitcher he could add to his playoff-contending team. But, Yankee fans, don't worry. Gleyber Torres won't be part of that deal. 

After his emergence as one of the top rookies in the MLB this season, Torres has backed up his top ranking among Yankee prospects so far this season. It has only made his trade stock rise higher, and Cashman could certainly use him as the featured player in a blockbuster trade. 

But, being that Torres has already established himself a favorite among the Yankee faithful to go along with his superb play, Cashman knows he wouldn't be seeing any friendly encounters on the streets of New York if he sent him packing...

"Johnny Lasagna" will definitely be eating his post-game meal with a big smile on his face after his Major League debut Friday night.

Yankees RHP Jonathan Loaisiga earned the win in his first big league start after shutting out the Rays through five scoreless innings.

The 23-year-old, who was pitching in place of the injured Masahiro Tanaka, began his night in the Bronx with a walk to Matt Duffy. Though it wasn't the start he would have hoped for, Loaisiga set down Jake Bauers on strikes for his first big-league strikeout. He would finish the inning on a double play as well.

Making his Major League debut, Jonathan Loaisiga led a stellar day on the mound for the Yanks as they shutout the Rays, 5-0, in the Bronx. >> Box score

Things to know about tonight's game

1) Domingo German was impressive for a second consecutive start, striking out 10 batters en route to his first win of the season, after giving up a home run on the first pitch of the game. His final line: 6 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 10 K, 2 BB. German has struck out 19 batters over his last two starts (12 innings). 

The Yankees (44-20) play the second game of a four-game series with the Rays (32-36) on Friday night at 7:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium.

Anthony McCarron, SNY.tv | Twitter |

It's hard to project what the Yankees will get out of Jonathan Loaisiga on Friday night when the 23-year-old righty makes his MLB debut at Yankee Stadium. He's only got 35 games of pro experience, after all, none above the Double-A level.

But two talent evaluators who have watched the Nicaragua native say he's a highly-competitive hurler with what one calls "big stuff," including a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and can jump a tick higher.  

"Chip-on-shoulder type," says Dan Greenlee, the Marlins director, player personnel, who saw Loaisiga when he worked for the Yankees. Greenlee further describes Loaisiga like this: "Pounds zone. Fastball has velocity and swing-and-miss life. Power curveball and serviceable changeup. 

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 June 14, 2018, unless otherwise noted.

For Domingo German and the Yankees, Thursday night's game against the Rays couldn't have gotten off to a worse start.

German allowed a home run to Matt Duffy on the first pitch of the contest. But, German would settle in for a quality start by giving up three runs on five hits and two walks in six innings with a career-high 10 strikeouts and two walks to earn his first win in a 4-3 victory.

"It feels great," German said through an interpreter, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. "It has been a long battle for me to be able to win my first game in the big leagues. It means a lot. Hopefully I can relax a little more after getting the first one and keep battling."

Gleyber Torres and Aaron Hicks homered while Domingo German earned his first win of the season with a career-high 10 strikeouts over six innings. >> Box score

Things to know about tonight's game

1) Domingo German was impressive for a second consecutive start, striking out 10 batters en route to his first win of the season, after giving up a home run on the first pitch of the game. His final line: 6 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 10 K, 2 BB. German has struck out 19 batters over his last two starts (12 innings). 

The Yankees (43-20) begin a four-game series with the Rays (32-35) on Thursday night at 7:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium.

Danny Abriano, SNY.tv | Twitter | Mets GM Sandy Alderson said last season that he wouldn't hesitate to make a trade with the crosstown Yankees. And with Jacob deGrom's name swirling around, the idea of a blockbuster between the two teams has been kicked around.

But it doesn't seem the Yankees have the stomach for what it would take to land deGrom.

One Yankees person told FanRag's Jon Heyman that the team would never trade Gleyber Torres or Miguel Andujar. If accurate, that should pretty much end any Mets/Yankees/deGrom fantasy. That same Yankees person also said the Mets would never trade deGrom across town... 

Yankees 2B Gleyber Torres is usually the youngest player to take the field on any given night. But, during this series with the Nationals, OF Juan Soto had him beat. 

The 19-year-old Soto is two years younger than Torres, and has been in the league for only 20 games including Wednesday night's 5-4 loss for the Yanks. It has certainly been a remarkable journey for Soto, who was fast tracked through Washington's farm system from Single-A to the big leagues this season. 

He showed the Yankees exactly why that was the Nats' decision as he belted two homers -- a three-run opposite-field shot in the fifth and a 436-foot bomb in the seventh. 

The Nationals got the last laugh as Juan Soto's solo shot in the top of the seventh was the decision maker in the 5-4 loss for the Yankees on Wednesday night. >> Box score

Things to know about tonight's game

1) Sonny Gray continues to struggle at home, as he allowed four earned runs on seven hits over five innings. Gray didn't have the control of his arsenal on the mound as he did in Toronto in his previous start. He walked into this contest with a 7.22 ERA at home, and didn't do much to clean up that infalted number. Luckily, he had a couple pick offs and good plays in the field to keep the damage low. 

Yankees RHP Sonny Gray has been stellar on the road this season with a 2.83 ERA. When Gray throws in Yankee Stadium, though, that number rises drastically. 

Gray entered his Wednesday night start against Nationals with a 7.22 ERA at home. And he didn't do much to make that number fall either. 

In the top of the first, Gray let up back-to-back hits to Adam Eaton and Trea Turner who were sitting at the corners for Bryce Harper. Luckily, Gray dropped in a 3-2 curve ball to punch out Harper. Anthony Rendon, though, drove in the first run of the game with a sac fly to center field. 

Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner knows what the rest of us do about the Yankees: They need starting pitching. 

The rotation was a question to begin the year, and it certainly didn't help when the injury bug found its way to it. Jordan Montgomery had to undergo Tommy John surgery last week, and most recently, Masahiro Tanaka was lost to injured hamstrings after tagging up on a fly ball during the series with the Mets this past weekend.

There needs to be more depth in the rotation, and Steinbrenner admitted Wednesday that the team has money to go out and get someone by the trade deadline. 

The Yankees (43-19) look to sweep their two-game series with the Nationals (36-28) on Wednesday night at 7:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium.

Bryce Harper is a free agent after the season and he's in town this week to face the Yankees. So, is he Bronx-bound in 2019?

As has been the case since last season, Harper refuses to address questions about his free agent fate.

Aside fom the Yankees, Harper has been linked to the Cubs, Phillies, and Dodgers, among others. 

Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter | Major League Baseball's Competition Committee met on Tuesday in Manhattan to discuss strategies for proposing changes to the sport, according to league sources.

The discussions, scheduled as part of the owners' meetings this week, came at a time when many dramatic proposals regarding pace of play are in the news (commissioner Rob Manfred addressed some of them in a recent Q and A with The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal). 

Two sources familiar with the committee's work indicated that some members were in favor of banning or limiting defensive shifts -- but other sources strongly cautioned that it was far too early to characterize any one issue as front-burner. Essentially, the committee is in discussion mode, batting around various proposals and ideas, and not ready to list which are most important. 

Didi Gregorius hit two home runs, CC Sabathia pitched five and 2/3 scoreless innings, and the Yankees shut out the Nationals, 3-0, on Tuesday night in the first game of a two-game set against the Nationals at Yankee Stadium. >> Box score

Things to know about tonight's game

1) Gregorius' first homer came in the second inning and his second came in the sixth. Gregorius' first homer of the night was the first time he had homered since May 23. He has tallied three multi-hit games this season.