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

The Yankees beat the Royals, 6-5, to earn a sweep in today's split doubleheader at Kauffman Stadium. >> Box score

Four takeaways from Saturday's game...

1) After Chad Green allowed a first inning run as the Yankees opener, the team turned to Chance Adams, the club's 26th man for the doubleheader. Adams pitched well, despite his line as his defense was atrocious behind him and the official scorer handed out some gift hits to the Royals that probably should have been ruled errors. Regardless, anyone watching had to like how Adams got the ball back each time his defense failed him, threw strikes and worked at a very good pace. He earned his first career MLB win.

The Yankees (33-17, 3.0 GA in AL East) take on the Kansas City Royals (17-33, 17.5 GB in AL Central) in the second game of a split doubleheader on Saturday at 8:15 p.m.

Yankees notes

The Yankees now boast a six-game winning streak after taking the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Royals. ... Luke Voit cranked his 13th home run of the season to propel the Yankees to victory in Saturday's first game, giving him a team-best 37 RBIs on the season. ... Brett Gardner extended his hitting streak to six games with a triple in the sixth inning of Saturday's first game.

The Yankees have been decimated by injuries this year, with roughly a dozen key players going down. Check back here for the latest updates on the walking wounded. 

10-day IL: Aaron Judge, Jonathan Loaisiga, James Paxton, Giancarlo Stanton, Troy Tulowitzki, CC Sabathia

60-day IL: Jacoby Ellsbury, Didi Gregorius, Luis Severino, Dellin Betances, Greg Bird, Jordan Montgomery, Miguel Andujar

Chad Green began his big-league career as a starter before shifting to the bullpen. In a way, serving as the 'opener' for Saturday night's game is a return to his roots.

For Green, though, his first two starts since 2017 don't resemble those he used to make. Instead, Green is simply the opener -- he will start the game, but is not expected to pitch more than two innings before giving way to the rest of his bullpen mates. The Yankees' bullpen is well-rested, as long men Luis Cessa, David Hale, Nestor Cortes Jr. and Jake Barrett can all provide length for Friday's game.

But why have the Yankees come to this point?

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

The Yankees beat the Royals, 7-3, in Game 1 of a day/night doubleheader at Kauffman Stadium. >> Box score

Four takeaways from Saturday's game...

1) J.A. Happ was electric (he retired 15 straight batters at one point) through one-out into the sixth inning, but ran into a three-hitter rut, which ended on a game-tying three-run home run off the bat of Whit Merrifield. Happ recorded 19 swinging strikes (14 with his four-seam fastball, spotted all over the zone), which is by far the best he's accomplished this season. Happ finished with a solid enough line of 6 IP, 3 R, 4 H, 0 BB and 10 K and recorded his fourth win of the season.

The Yankees (32-17, 2.5 GA in AL East) square off against the Kansas City Royals (17-32, 16.5 GB in AL Central) in the first game of a split doubleheader on Saturday, beginning at 2:15 p.m.

Yankees notes

The Yankees enter the series on a five-game winning and with Gleyber Torres and Gary Sanchez coming off a monster series against the Baltimore Orioles. Torres has gotten a hit in 11 of his last 12 games to raise his average to .302 and has seven home runs in that span, all of which came against Baltimore. ... Sanchez has three home runs in his last four games and has gotten a hit in nine of his last 11 games to raise his average to .276, which is 42 points higher than this point last year. 

The Yankees could face some competition in bidding for free agent pitcher Dallas Keuchel from a division rival, but this time it does not appear to be the Boston Red Sox.  

Instead, the Tampa Bay Rays have been staying in touch with Keuchel, as well as closer Craig Kimbrel, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. 

The Yankees have been closely linked to Keuchel, who is expected to sign somewhere by June 3 when teams would no longer be subjected to draft-pick compensation.

The Yankees were set to open their three-game series with the Royals on Friday, but Mother Nature had other plans.

Over an hour before first pitch was scheduled, the Yankees and Royals announced that Friday's game had been postponed. The two teams will play a split doubleheader on Saturday.

Tonight's game in Kansas City has been postponed. It has been rescheduled for tomorrow (Saturday) as the nightcap to a split doubleheader, with Game 1 scheduled for 2:15p ET and Game 2 scheduled for 8:15p ET.

- New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 24, 2019

James Paxton struck out seven batters and allowed one hit over four innings of an extended Spring Training game on Friday, but it was not all good news for the left-hander. 

Paxton admitted afterward that he is still experiencing discomfort in his left knee that has kept him out since May 4. 

"I felt it a little bit, but I was still able to make my pitches, which is what I wanted to see," Paxton said, per the AP. 

Let the Madison Bumgarner sweepstakes begin in earnest after the Giants' lefty delivered the most compelling reason this season to believe that he can still be an October difference-maker for any number of teams, the Yankees obviously being one of them. 

More than ever the belief around baseball is the Giants are going to trade Bumgarner come July to kick off a needed rebuild. The question for weeks has been how much teams would be willing to give up as his stuff seemed diminished by age and two injury-plagued seasons.

Against the Braves on Thursday afternoon, however, Bumgarner's fastball, cutter, and curveball were crisp enough to produce 17 swings-and-misses, his highest such total since September of 2016, when he was a few weeks away from slamming the door shut on the Mets' postseason with a four-hit shutout in the wild-card game.

The Yankees don't have Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Miguel Andujar or Didi Gregorius, a group that combined for 119 home runs last year.

And still, they're finding ways to win ... win a lot.

"These guys, the focus each and every day is on the game and playing winning baseball, and everyone kind of pulling their weight, and the mantra of come in and do your job," manager Aaron Boone said, according to ESPN's Coley Harvey. "They've really taken to that, and a lot of them really well."

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

The Yankees need rotation depth, and the time is fast approaching when they'll have to make a decision as to the route they'll take to secure it.

The Yankees lost another rotation member Tuesday, when the club placed CC Sabathia on the 10-day injured list due to pain in his surgically repaired right knee. The Yankees are already down staff ace Luis Severino. And while James Paxton is close to returning from an injury of his own, he's not exactly the poster child for health.

Fresh off of a four-game sweep of the Orioles in Baltimore, Yankees manager Aaron Boone lauded his team's ability to find different ways to win.

"Anytime you can get four games, that doesn't happen very often," Boone told YES Network after the Yankees' 6-5 win on Thursday. "We won in a lot of different ways in this four-game series, so it was good to see, but the guys played until the end each and every day, and [it's] a good way to get on the plane."

Boone's starting lineup on Thursday didn't include Gleyber Torres or Gary Sanchez, the two players who have absolutely scorched Baltimore pitching this year. Still though, both players managed to play a big role in the win. In a 5-5 tie in the ninth inning, Torres drew a pinch-hit walk, and Sanchez followed it up with a pinch hit single. Torres would eventually score the game's winning run on a walk by Aaron Hicks.

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

The Yankees swat five homers, beat the Orioles, 7-5, at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. >> Box score

Seven takeaways from Thursday's game...

1 ) The Yankees loaded the bases (walk, single, walk) after Baltimore reliever Mychal Givens retired the first two batters in the ninth inning and Aaron Hicks drew a walk to take the lead.

Yankees infielder Gleyber Torres has four home runs against the Orioles in the past three days. He's riding an 11-game hitting streak. And he hit two home runs in Wednesday's win.

And yet, he's not in the lineup on Thursday.

For as hot as Torres has been this season, manager Aaron Boone wanted to give Torres a game off, especially with the Yankees having a day game after a night game.

The Yankees (31-17, 2.0 GA in AL East) aim for a four-game sweep when they face the Baltimore Orioles (15-34, 16.5 GB) on Thursday at 12:35 p.m. at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

Yankees notes

In 11 games as a team, the Yankees are hitting .298 with 34 home runs against the Orioles this year. They have also scored 80 runs against Baltimore. ... DJ LeMahieu has four straight multi-hit games, as he is 9-for-18 with two home runs and four RBIs in that span. ... The Yankees' plus-60 run differential ranks fifth in the majors, trailing only the Dodgers (plus-62), Cubs (plus-63), Twins (plus-81) and Astros (plus-94). ... New York has won eight straight games against Baltimore.

The morning after CC Sabathia's knee started "barking," the left-hander has been placed on the 10-day IL. 

A corresponding roster move was not announced.

Sabathia joins starting pitchers James Paxton and Luis Severino, who are also out with injuries. 

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

The Yankees swat five homers, beat the Orioles, 7-5, at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. >> Box score

Five takeaways from Wednesday's game...

1 ) The Yankees launched another five home runs and are now 9-2 against the Orioles this season. The Yankees have hit 11 homers in the three games of this four game set.

The 2019 Yankees offense isn't your father's Yankees offense.

This year's squad ranks seventh league-wide in both runs and home runs - not bad, but not quite what the team was expecting coming into the year. After injuries to sluggers Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Didi Gregorius and Miguel Andujar, among others, it's understandable that the Yankees' offense would see a decline in the power department.

Has that stopped them? Not one bit.

The Yankees (30-17, 2.0 GA in AL East) set out to continue their dominance against the Baltimore Orioles (15-33, 15.5 GB) on Wednesday at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

Yankees notes

Gary Sanchez has feasted on Orioles' pitching in 2019, slamming eight home runs against Baltimore, six of which have come at Camden Yards. ... Clint Frazier bounced out of a 6-40 slump with two home runs against the Orioles on Tuesday, his seventh and eighth long balls of the season. ... DJ LeMahieu remains an absolute hitting machine for the Bronx Bombers, as his three hits last night now give him an AL-best 18 multi-hit games on the season. 

Yet another injury setback has delayed Giancarlo Stanton's return once again.

The Yankees announced Wednesday that Stanton was returned from his rehab assignment because of "mild strain of the left calf," as manager Aaron Boone put it. He remains on the injured list, and Boone added he will be shut down for a week to 10 days. 

Stanton and Boone have both said they believe his strain came from being hit by a pitch during a live batting practice session last Thursday...

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

The Yankees came back to beat the Orioles 10-7 in a messy game Monday at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. >> Box score

Five takeaway's from Monday's game

1) The Yankees, down 6-1 at one point, scored seven unanswered runs from the sixth inning onward, scoring five of those runs off of Orioles closer Mychal Givens. The big blow was Gary Sanchez's two-out, three-run home run that gave the Yankees the lead. For Sanchez, it was his 13th home run of the season; he now has 26 RBIs on the season.

There was only good news coming from Giancarlo Stanton's rehab down in Tampa to start this week, but then it was seen he was held out of another rehab game on Tuesday. 

Multiple reports found out why following the Yankees' win over the Orioles tonight, stating Stanton felt calf/knee soreness after getting hit by a pitch during batting practice. Manager Aaron Boone called it "precautionary" that he was held out, and said he may be able to play in Wednesday night's game.

This news came after a report from SNY's Andy Martino that said Stanton could return to the Yankees this weekend if all went well down in Tampa. It is unknown whether or not that has since been pushed back due to this situation.

James Paxton is headed to Tampa in what could be the final step of his rehab process. 

After a successful bullpen session, Paxton is scheduled to toss a simulated game on Friday down in Tampa. If all goes well, YES Network's Meredith Marakovits said on Tuesday night's broadcast that the Yankees would likely activate him afterward.

Marakovits spoke to Paxton after the bullpen, and he said he felt "next to nothing" on the left knee that has kept him out since May 4. That wasn't the case on Sunday when he still felt some discomfort, so this is a step in the right direction. 

The Yankees (29-17, 1.0 GA in AL East) continue their four-game series against the Baltimore Orioles (15-32, 14.5 GB) on Tuesday at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

Yankees notes

Gleyber Torres has been a thorn in the side of the Orioles all season, bashing eight home runs while hitting .486 against Baltimore pitching. ... DJ LeMahieu has now recorded 17 multi-hit games this season, including a two-hit performance last night. ... Gary Sanchez has clubbed 13 home runs (tied for fifth-most in the AL) in just 113 at-bats this season.

Gleyber Torres is having a ridiculously good season. Against the Orioles, though, his numbers are almost impossible to believe. Almost as impossible to believe as the fact that Baltimore keeps pitching to him.

After clubbing two homers against the Orioles during Monday night's win, Torres is hitting .486/.538/.1.257 against the O's with three doubles, eight homers, and 10 RBI.

That means that of Torres' 10 homers this season, 80 percent (!) have come against Baltimore.

The Yankees are calling on an old friend to provide a fresh arm. 

New York selected the contract of right-hander David Hale from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and optioned Nestor Cortes Jr. following Monday's game. To make room for Hale on the 25-man roster, they transferred third baseman Miguel Andújar to the 60-day injured list. 

Hale was 3-1 with a 4.11 ERA in six starts for the RailRiders this season. He went at least five innings and allowed three earned runs or fewer in each outing but his last, when he surrendered five earned runs on eight hits over three innings against Indianapolis. 

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

The Yankees came back to beat the Orioles 10-7 in a messy game Monday at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. >> Box score

Five takeaway's from Monday's game

1) The Yankees, down 6-1 at one point, scored seven unanswered runs from the sixth inning onward, scoring five of those runs off of Orioles closer Mychal Givens. The big blow was Gary Sanchez's two-out, three-run home run that gave the Yankees the lead. For Sanchez, it was his 13th home run of the season; he now has 26 RBIs on the season.

The Yankees (28-17, 0.5 GA in AL East) begin a four-game series against the Baltimore Orioles (15-31, 13.5 GB) on Monday at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

Yankees notes

Gleyber Torres is hitting .400/.455/.800 with three home runs and five RBIs over his last eight games. ... Yankees relievers have a 3.28 ERA in the month of May, which ranks 11th in the majors. ... Since April 26, Gio Urshela is slashing .397/.435/.534 with one home run and 11 RBIs.

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

Every Monday, we'll be taking a look at how the Yankees' top prospects (their MLB.com Yankees Top 10 rankings are in parenthesis) are faring.

Jonathan Loaisiga, RHP (No. 2, MLB No. 59) -- ETA 2019

Loaisiga was placed on the injured list (now shifted to the 60-day list) with a strained right shoulder. Loaisiga, who has a significant injury history, has thrown 14 innings with the Yankees to the tune of a 4.50 ERA and another 10 innings for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre recording an ERA of 7.20.

The Yankees used a seven-run sixth inning beat the Rays, 13-5, at Yankee Stadium. >> Box score

Five Takeaway's from Sunday's game...

1) The Yankees blew open a 5-5 game in the sixth inning with seven runs. The Rays walked five in the inning and Thairo Estrada had the big hit, a three-run double.

2) Chad Green was the opener in this one and, much like the rest of his season, the results were not good. Green allowed two base-runners in the first inning and then coughed up two homers in his second frame. As Green's descent continues, it's a wonder where the Yanks will use him going forward.

The Yankees look to jump back into first place when they face the Rays at Yankee Stadium on Sunday at 1:05 p.m.

Yankees notes

The Yankees are using Chad Green as an opener one year after the Rays began their opener experiment. ... DJ LeMahieu leads off for the Yankees, while Kendyrs Morales is in there as the DH, hitting fifth. 

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

The Yankees were unable to duplicate Friday's magic and fell against the Rays in 11 innings on Saturday, 2-1. >> Box score

Six Takeaway's from Friday's game...

1) Luke Voit led off the bottom of the 11th with a single to try and get another rally going against Jose Alvarado, but Gary Sanchez hit into a game-ending double play while Luis Cessa allowed a one-out solo home run to Austin Meadows in the top of the 11th as the difference in the game. 

The Yankees had another injury scare on Saturday afternoon. 

Masahiro Tanaka was removed from a 1-0 game after six innings with a right shin contusion after he took a Yandy Diaz comebacker off his leg. 

The right-hander underwent X-rays which came back "negative," according to the team. After the game, Tanaka told reporters that he doesn't know if he'll be able to make his next start and will wait to see how he feels tomorrow.

The Yankees will look to carry the momentum from Gio Urshela's walk-off single Friday night as they aim to stay atop the AL East over the Rays on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. 

Yankees notes

The Yankees are in sole possession of first place in the AL East for the first time since June 26 of last year. ... Urshela's hot bat has him bumped up to the sixth spot after going 3-for-4 with the game-winning hit on Friday. He enters Saturday's game hitting a slash line of .347/.398.500 with two home runs and 16 RBI in 98 plate appearances this season and is hitting .350 with 10 RBI in the month of May. ... Gary Sanchez will get a half-day with the day game after a night game but stays in as a DH with impressive numbers against Snell. Sanchez is 4-for-11 with three of those hits being home runs against the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner. 

Despite being completely decimated by injuries, the Yankees have managed to get contributions from everyone who has been asked to fill a void as they now find themselves atop the AL East. And it's all been a pleasure for owner Hal Steinbrenner to watch.

"Considering the adversity we've faced in the first two months of the season, it's phenomenal the job these guys have done," Steinbrenner told the Associated Press Friday at a Yankees extended spring training game before the big-league club came back in the ninth to defeat the Rays, 4-3, and wrest control of the division.

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

The Yankees walk it off, beating the Rays, 4-3, at Yankee Stadium to take the AL East lead. >> Box score

Six Takeaway's from Friday's game...

The Yankees open a three-game series against the AL-leading Tampa Bay Rays on Friday at 7:05 p.m. after sweeping the Baltimore Orioles in a doubleheader on Wednesday and taking two of three from last week at Tropicana Field. 

Yankees notes

Gleyber Torres enters Friday's game red-hot, blasting three home runs in Wednesday's doubleheader against the Orioles. Torres has gotten a hit in 17 of his last 18 games and is hitting .352/.387/.606 with four home runs and 11 RBI in that span. ... Gary Sanchez is also coming off a strong performance in which he collected two hits, including his team-leading 12th home run. 

The Yankees have pulled Clint Frazier three times in the past five games in favor of the team having a stronger defense for the later innings.

And Frazier is more than understanding about it.

"It's the better play, I think," Frazier said, according to NJ Advance Media's Brendan Kuty. "Obviously, I've had some stuff in the past that shouldn't have happened that did. It's not like it's unwarranted, you know?"

The Yankees tried, but didn't succeed in having 3B Miguel Andujar avoid season-ending surgery on his torn labrum in his right shoulder.

After suffering another tear following his extensive rehab, Andujar just didn't seem right when he returned to the Yanks, and an MRI revealing another small labrum tear explained why. So Andujar opted for season-ending surgery that will be performed by Dr. Christopher Ahmad on Monday. 

This is not what the Yankees wanted to see from their young third baseman, who was the AL Rookie of the Year runner-up a season ago. GM Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone praised the development of Andujar being key for the Yankees' future all offseason, and he was a main reason why the team was "lukewarm" on Manny Machado in free agency. 

The Yankees beat the Orioles, 5-3, in the first game of today's doubleheader at Yankee Stadium. >> Box score

Six Takeaways from Wednesday's game...

1 ) Domingo German held the Orioles to one run in seven innings of work, his longest outing of the season. German scattered six hits, walked one batter and struck out eight. He is now 8-1 (MLB-best eight wins) with a 2.50 ERA, as he continues to be the best starter in the Yankees rotation.

It was the scenario the Yankees didn't want to see occur, but it finally became the only option. 

The team announced on Wednesday night that Miguel Andujar will undergo surgery to repair the torn labrum in his right shoulder. It will be on Monday with Dr. Christopher Ahmad performing the surgery at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. 

Andujar initially saw the injury arise at the beginning of the season, where he only played in three games before hitting the Injured List. While and MRI revealed a torn labrum, the Yankees believed he could rehab it cautiously so they could avoid surgery. 

After beating the Orioles in Game 1 of their doubleheader, the Yankees go for the sweep on Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m.

Yankees notes

Aaron Hicks, who was set to make his season debut Monday after missing the first 40 games with a back injury,.is in the lineup. ... Luke Voit's struggles continued in Game 1, with him now hitless in his past 21 at-bats after going 0-for-4. 

The Yankees beat the Orioles, 5-3, in the first game of today's doubleheader at Yankee Stadium. >> Box score

Five Takeaways from Wednesday's game...

1 ) J.A. Happ allowed a first-inning home run and another run in the second and fourth innings. Happ's two homers allowed give him 11 for the season, placing him with the second-most in the league, behind Orioles starter David Hess. Happ left with the lead with one out in the sixth inning is now 3-3 on the season with a 4.44 ERA.

After two rainouts, the Yankees are set to play Wednesday for the first time since Sunday, with Game 1 of a scheduled single-admission doubleheader set for 3:05 p.m.

Yankees notes

Aaron Hicks, who was set to make his season debut Monday after missing the first 40 games with a back injury, is not in the Game 1 lineup. He'll likely start in center field in Game 2. Brett Gardner is in center while Mike Tauchman, who was called up to be the Yankees' 26th man for the doubleheader, begins Game 1 in left field. ... DJ LeMahieu is on fire as the Yankees' leadoff hitter. Over his last 14 games, he's 23-for-54 (.426) with one homer, four doubles, 11 RBI, five walks, 10 runs and two stolen bases.

Aaron Boone struggled during a Tuesday afternoon news conference to describe Giancarlo Stanton's shoulder injury, but the Yankees remain unconcerned about Stanton's health, and consider him to be progressing.

According to people familiar with the situation, Stanton's shoulder discomfort -- which the team called a shoulder strain shortly after Boone was unable to name the injury -- is not serious enough to prevent him from facing live pitching in Tampa.

If he continues in this vein with no setbacks, he should be in extended spring training games in a week or so, then would begin a rehab assignment.

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

When Domingo German stepped on the mound as a Yankee in 2018, the talent and the hint of potential success in the big leagues was evident. However, German failed to consistently deliver positive results and eventually fell out of favor down the stretch.

None of that matters to the Yankees now because it is clear that German gained valuable experience from all those major-league reps.

The short-term future looks bleak for Yankees slugger Miguel Andujar, who faces potential season-ending surgery, but the Bombers have found themselves another bat. 

The Yankees acquired switch-hitting first baseman/DH Kendrys Morales from the Oakland A's in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations. 

To make room on the 40-man roster, the Yankees transferred Jonathan Loaisiga to the 60-day IL. 

Another day, another washout for the Yankees. 

Tuesday's game against the Orioles was postponed due to inclement weather, a day after they postponed Monday's game against Baltimore due to unplayable field conditions. 

The team will make up Tuesday's game as part of a day-night doubleheader on Aug. 12, beginning at 1:05 p.m. and will play a single-admission doubleheader on Wednesday to make up Monday night's postponement.