The New York Yankees begin a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday at 7:10 p.m.

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Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge was exceptional in the first half of the season, reaching metrics rarely seen in the game. Unfortunately for Judge and the Yankees, the second half has been less kind at the plate.

Even after losing two out of three to the Red Sox at Fenway Park this past weekend, the Yankees still maintain confidence that they can win the American League East this year. 

Heading into Monday, the Yankees trail Boston by five games with 39 games left on the schedule. 

"It's not what you want," Joe Girardi told reporters Sunday. "Obviously, we need to continue to play well so when they come to our place, it means something. We probably had a chance to win four of the six and we won two of the six, so that's frustrating. But I still think we're playing pretty decent baseball and we need that to continue.

Sonny Gray labored through five innings and the Yankees could only muster three hits in a 5-1 loss to the Red Sox in the rubber game of their three-game series at Fenway Park on Sunday. >> box score

The New York Yankees (65-56) play the rubber game of a three-game set with the Boston Red Sox (70-52) at Fenway Park on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

 Yankees starter LHP CC Sabathia went from considering retirement to pitching a gem in a must-win against the Red Sox Saturday night.

Sabathia was activated off the 10-day DL to start against Red Sox ace LHP Chris Sale. After experiencing severe pain in his right knee in his last start, the 37-year-old thought that his career might be over. 

"I would say no," Sabathia told MLB.com's Bryan Hoch about if he expected to be pitching last night. "But everything has worked out and hopefully I can just continue going out there and keep helping the team."

CC Sabathia limited the Red Sox to two runs in his return from the disabled list, Tyler Austin hit a key three-run home run, and the Yankees held on to defeat the Red Sox on Saturday, 4-3. >> box score

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said pitcher Masahiro Tanaka is slated to start on Tuesday, reports the New York Daily News.

Tanaka threw a 37-pitch bullpen that he said was "very encouraging" on Friday, per MLB.com's Bryan Hoch, and the Yankees hoped he would return for their series against the Detroit Tigers. He was placed on the 10-day DL last week with right shoulder inflammation. 

There had been no talk about Tanaka feeling any pain in his shoulder prior to the team's announcement. YES Network's Meredith Marakovits said Tanaka felt "general soreness" and fatigue in his arm toward the end of his last outing against the Blue Jays.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi is no longer committing to LHP Aroldis Chapman as his primary closer after another rough outing on Friday night.

Girardi said he will instead use Chapman "at any point" and said it will "not necessarily" be in save situations, reports Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. Girardi would not commit to any other single pitcher, but suggested he would use Dellin Betances and David Robertson, according to NJ.com.

The New York Yankees (64-56) play the second game of a three-game set with the Boston Red Sox (70-51) at Fenway Park on Saturday at 7:10 p.m.

At the owner's quarterly meetings Thursday, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said he will not be implementing electronic umpires anytime soon, per USA Today's Bob Nightengale. 

Some believe that technology should be used to get the call right every time, like Cubs Ben Zobrist who openly said he wants an electronic strike zone. 

However, Manfred isn't going to accomondate those demands as he believes baseball needs to stay as human as possible. 

The Yankees couldn't hold on to the lead as the Red Sox rallied late to take the series opener, 9-6, at Fenway Park >> box score

The New York Yankees (64-55) will begin a three-game set with the Boston Red Sox (69-51) at Fenway Park on Friday at 7:10 p.m.

Follow the game live on SNY Gameday

Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman will be available on Friday against the Red Sox after having the last two nights off, per NY Daily News' Mike Mazzeo. 

Chapman successfully completed a bullpen session on Thursday, and had no issues with his hamstring, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post. He tweaked his hamstrong while running on the final play of the team's 5-4 win over the Mets on Tuesday.

He is 4-2 with a 3.48 ERA and has 15 saves in 36 games for the Yankees this season. He owns a 8.44 ERA in six appearances against the Red Sox. 

Doctors have told Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia that they can't promise the pain in his knee will not resurface in the future, per NJ.com's Brendan Kuty. 

Sabathia also noted that he may need a knee replacement once he decides to hang up the cleats.

He threw a 25-pitch bullpen session at Citi Field on Wednesday and told reporters that he feels ready to pitch against the Red Sox this Saturday. 

Yankees OF Aaron Judge has revealed why he doesn't watch his home runs.

"In my senior year in high school I had a ton of major league scouts at the game," Judge told the NY Post on Thursday. "I thought it would be cool to kind of show off. In my first at-bat I hit a ball to center field that I thought was a long way out. So I started watching. And then I started to take a nice little jog to first. The ball hit right off the top of the wall. I didn't even make it to second base.After that moment I said that would be the last time I don't hustle.''

Judge, 25, hit two home runs during the Yankees' four-game sweep of the Mets and has hit 37 this season. He is on pace to finish the season with 50 homers.

"That moment taught me a lot,'' Judge added about the moment he experienced in high school. "I don't think MLB teams are coming out here to see a kid hit the ball to the fence and barely make it to first base. I should have been on second base. So after that little thing, I haven't watched too many.''

Former Yankees SS Derek Jeter and his wife, Hannah, welcomed a baby girl -- Bella Raine Jeter -- on Thursday, The Players' Tribune announced on Friday.

Hannah announced her pregnancy in The Players' Tribune on Feb. 13, adding that Derek already had a name in mind -- and that they were expecting a girl. Derek and Hannah were married last July.

Hannah added in February that she felt some sadness that their children will never get to experience Jeter as a baseball player.

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 Aug. 17, 2017, unless otherwise noted.

The Yankees' Twitter account tweaked the Mets after the Yankees completed a four-game Subway Series sweep on Thursday night at Citi Field.

Click below for the Tweet

Gary Sanchez had a home run and five RBIs, Luis Severino allowed no earned runs in six and 1/3 innings, and the Yankees completed a four-game, two-stadium sweep of the Mets on Thursday night at Citi Field. >> box score

Matt Holliday and Starlin Castro will begin rehab assignments on Friday, reports Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.

Holliday will play for Single-A Tampa, while Castro will play for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Prior to Monday's game against the Mets, Holliday took batting practice while Castro fielded grounders.

The Mets' four-game series with the Yankees marked a series of big-league firsts for rookie 1B Dominic Smith: his first Subway Series, his first home run, and his first game at Citi Field. But he'll also remember the series because it was the first time he played a big league game with his childhood idol, Aaron Hicks.

The New York Yankees (64-55) will go for the sweep in the final game of a four-game series with the New York Mets (53-65) at Citi Field on Thursday at 7:10 p.m.

The Yankees have promoted Tyler Austin from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and placed 1B Garrett Cooper on the DL due to a hamstring injury, the team announced Thursday.

Austin had been optioned on Friday. By recalling him prior to 10 days passing, the Yankees -- by rule --had to add Austin to the roster in place of a player who is heading to the disabled list.

The 25-year-old Austin is 2-for-13 in four MLB games this season.

Miami Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria has agreed to sell his team to the group involving former Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, according to multiple reports.

Loria will sell the franchise for $1.2 billion to the group comprised of about 16 investors. Bruce Sherman, who was the former chairman of Private Captial Management, will have the majority control over the franchise with Jeter having the say in baseball and business sides of the organizaiton. 

The agreement is expected to be completed soon. Officials are not expected to vote on the purchase at the upcoming owners meeting in Chicago, but it will be a topic to discuss. The closing of the deal is expected to be completed by October. 

ESPN's Darren Rovell says NBA legend Michael Jordan is also part of the ownership group. Jordan is the majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, which he purchased in 2010 for $275 million. The franchise is now worth $780 million. 

Chris Carelli, SNY.TV: 

The Yankees have an advantage over many teams when it comes to their bullpen, but it's not where you might believe. Yes, the endgame quartet of Tommy Kahnle, David Robertson, Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman is not rivaled by many clubs, but assembling a dominant backend of the bullpen is fairly common in today's game.

However, some organizations are also changing their methods of bullpen assembly in the middle innings. Yankees are now dominating in this area, courtesy of right-handers Chad Green and Adam Warren.

Even if the year began with some lower expectations, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner is making sure that's not the case anymore. 

With the team contending in the middle of a playoff race, Steinbrenner made clear that he expects the team to make the postseason this year. 

"If we don't make the playoffs," Steinbrenner said at owners meetings in Chicago, according to MLB.com, "it's a failure. Any year, any year. That's just the mindset for us."

Didi Gregorius came through with a two-run double in the seventh to give the Yankees the lead for good, as they beat the Mets, 5-3, on Wednesday night at Citi Field. >> box score

Making his third start since being traded to the Yankees, Jaime Garcia was charged with three runs on five hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings.

The Yankees fell behind early but quickly tied things up in the second on Garrett Cooper's ground out. In the fourth Aaron Judge hit a home run into the third deck in left field for his AL-leading 37th roundtripper. 

Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge smashed a home run into the third deck at Citi Field during Wednesday's game against the Mets. 

The New York Yankees (63-55) play the third game of a four-game series with the New York Mets (53-64) at Citi Field on Wednesday at 7:10 p.m.

Gary Sanchez and Jacoby Ellsbury each homered off Mets starter Jacob deGrom and Sonny Gray finally got enough run support as the Yankees beat the Mets, 5-4, for the second straight day. >> Box score

The New York Yankees (62-55) play the second game of a four-game series with the New York Mets (53-63) at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m.

The Yankees have placed RHP Luis Cessa on the 10-day DL with a ribcage injury, and recalled LHP Caleb Smith from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Cessa started in place of RHP Masahiro Tanaka, who is on the 10-day DL himself with right shoulder inflammation. In the fifth inning, he felt discomfort in his upper back, and manager Joe Girardi knew he had to end his night. 

"When I was facing [Rene] Rivera in the fifth, I felt a little bit of discomfort, but I thought I could keep pitching," Cessa told The Post's Fred Kerber.  "Then Girardi came out and said, 'Let me take you out. I don't want you to do something wrong mechanically and get hurt even more.' That's when I was taken out of the game."

Smith has appeared in three games -- two of them starts -- with the Yankees this season. His last start came on July 29 where he earned a no-decision against the Rays. He allowed two runs on three hits while striking out four and walking three in 3 1/3 innings. 

Marlins OF Giancarlo Stanton has cleared waivers and is eligible to be traded to any team, reports Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports.

Passan notes that four teams have already reached out the Marlins about trading for Stanton, with one of those teams exchanging player names with the Marlins before a potential trade prior to the July 31 non-waiver deadline fizzled.

One of the teams that has received information on what it would take to trade for Stanton is the Giants, with a team source telling Passan the Marlins were willing to absorb "limited money via other major leaguers' contracts" as part of a potential deal.

The Yankees defeated the Mets in the first game of the Subway Series.

Elsewhere, the schedule for the upcoming NBA season was released, and Matt Forte is nearing a return for the Jets. 

New York Yankees RHP Luis Cessa will undergo an MRI after leaving Monday's game in the fifth inning with a back injury, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.

Cessa injured his right rhomboid and left the game accompanied by a trainer with one out in the fifth inning.

Cessa visibly grimaced after Juan Lagares fouled off Cessa's 64th pitch of the night, which resulted in manager Joe Girardi visiting the mound with a trainer. Two pitches later, after Lagares singled, and Girardi removed Cessa from the game.

Aaron Hicks, Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez each hit solo home runs to power the New York Yankees to a 4-2 win over the Mets on Monday at Yankee Stadium. >> Box score

With the game tied at 2 in the bottom of the eighth inning, Hicks crushed Hansel Robles' 1-1 fastball to deep right field to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead. Sanchez added an insurance run later in the inning with a solo home run off Erik Goeddel.

The Yankees trailed 2-1 in the bottom of the sixth inning when Judge slugged his American League-leading 36th home run of the season, his second in the month of August, to tie the game.

The New York Yankees (61-55) begin a four-game series with the New York Mets (53-62) at Yankee Stadium on Monday at 7:05 p.m.

New York Yankees designated hitter Matt Holliday and first baseman Greg Bird both took batting practice on the field prior to Monday's game against the Mets.

Holliday, who last played Aug. 4 due to a lower back strain, is hitting .229/.319/.430 with 16 home runs and 51 RBIs this season. He told NJ.com's Brendan Kuty he wasn't sure how much longer he would need to be on the disabled list.

Bird, who has been out since May 1 and underwent ankle surgery nearly a month ago, is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment on Wednesday and could return later in August.

Chris Carelli, SNY.TV:

"Remove Aroldis Chapman as the Yankees' closer" is the latest cry from the team's fans and even some in the media after the flame thrower allowed a game-tying homer in the ninth inning and then put the go-ahead run on base in the 10th inning of Sunday night's loss to the Red Sox.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi can be overly stringent in his bullpen usage, consistently turning to the same formula day in and day out. The writing on the wall should tell the skipper that a change could do the Yankees some good, especially when Girardi can turn to an established closer now on the roster. If administered a truth serum, Girardi might very well feel the same way as those clamoring for a change.

Except, it's not that simple. Consider these factors.

The Yankees suffered their league-leading 20th blown save of the season losing to the Red Sox, 3-2, in 10 innings on Sunday night. 

Elsewhere, the Jets won their first preseason game and the Mets completed a series win against the Phillies. 

Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge went 1-for-4 with three strikeouts during Sunday night's loss to the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. 

During the three-game series against Boston, Judge struck out six times in 10 at-bats. 

"In my first at-bat, I got a walk off Sale. The next two at-bats he struck me out, but he throws two [different] sliders on the corner, he paints a fastball in, he throws a fastball up," Judge told reporters after the game. "You're battling and it's grinding, but I feel good at the plate."

Tommy Kahnle allowed a go-ahead RBI single to Andrew Benintendi in the top of the 10th inning after Aroldis Chapman blew a one-run lead in the ninth inning as the New York Yankees lost their second straight game to the Boston Red Sox, 3-2, Sunday at Yankee Stadium. >> Box score

After the Yankees took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the eighth inning on Todd Frazier's sac fly, Chapman surrendered a game-tying solo home run to Red Sox 20-year-old rookie Rafael Devers in the top of the ninth.

In the top of the 10th, Chapman hit Jackie Bradley Jr. and walked Eduardo Nunez with one out before he was pulled in favor of Kahnle, who walked Mookie Betts and gave up Benintendi's RBI single.

New York Yankees RHP Luis Cessa will start Monday's game against the New York Mets after the team promoted LHP Caleb Smith when RHP Masahiro Tanaka went on the disabled list, manager Joe Girardi told Newsday's Anthony Rieber.

Cessa, who last appeared in a game on July 30 and started July 18, has a 4.83 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 31 2/3 innings across nine appearances (four starts) for the Yankees this season.

The Yankees promoted Smith from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and optioned RHP Giovanny Gallegos prior to Sunday's game against the Boston Red Sox. Smith is 0-1 with a 7.20 ERA in three appearances (two starts) for the Yankees this season. In the minors, he is 9-1 with a 2.41 ERA in 19 games (17 starts).

Tanaka, who was initially scheduled to start Monday, went on the DL due to shoulder inflammation.

New York Yankees first baseman Greg Bird will begin a rehab assignment on Wednesday as he looks to return from an ankle injury that has kept him out several months, according to WFAN's Sweeny Murti.

Bird, who underwent ankle surgery on July 18, has been shut down since May 1. He participated in batting practice and light running last Tuesday when the Yankees were in Toronto to play the Blue Jays.

The 24-year-old Bird, who missed 2016 due to a shoulder injury, was hitting .100 with one home run and three RBIs in 19 games prior to going on the disabled list.

The New York Yankees (61-54) wrap up their three-game series with the Boston Red Sox (66-50) on Sunday at 8:08 p.m. at Yankee Stadium.

Gary Sanchez's two-run homer in the first inning gave the Yankees an early 2-0 lead, but Andrew Benintendi hit two home runs off Luis Severino to help power the Red Sox to a 10-5 win on Saturday at Yankee Stadium. >> Box score

Yankees starting pitcher LHP Jordan Montgomery is 'Ok' after being struck in the head by a ball during batting practice Saturday, per Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal. 

Montgomery was signing autographs when he was struck with a line drive from Red Sox C Sandy Leon on the right side of his head. He was helped into the dugout by the Yankees' bullpen catcher as he held a towel on his head. He was then escorted into the clubhouse.

The 24-year-old was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre as LHP CC Sabathia went on the 10-day DL with a right knee injury. He is set to start against the Red Sox on Sunday. 

Montgomery is 7-6 with a 4.05 ERA in 21 games this season for the Yankees.