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 April 19, 2018, unless otherwise noted.

CC Sabathia wasn't expected to throw a normal start's worth of pitches on Thursday, his first start since returning from the DL. The bullpen would be relied upon for more than a few outs. 

Sabathia went 4.1 innings, allowing two unearned runs, meaning the bullpen would have to carry the other 4.2 innings. Over those frames, Chad Green, Dellin Betances, David Robertson and Aroldis Chapman combined to allow just one run, preserving the Yankees' 4-3 win over the Blue Jays...

The Yankees held off the Blue Jays for a 4-3 win in the Bronx as Aaron Judge homered in CC Sabathia's return from the DL. << Box score

Sabathia lasted 4.1 innings in his return, allowing two runs (none earned) on four hits with a strikeout and a walk. The bullpen behind him was stellar, combining for 4.2 innings allowing just one run...

Yankees manager Aaron Boone decided to drop struggling slugger Giancarlo Stanton in the order: from third to cleanup. 

Heading into the Yankees' game against the Blue Jays on Thursday, Stanton had been hitless in his last 13 at-bats and just 3-35 at home. But Boone doesn't see it much as a demotion.  

"It's more our personnel versus their pitching and [the Blue Jays'] bullpen, that kind of thing," Boone said...

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The Yankees have activated LHP CC Sabathia off the disabled list to make Thursday night's start against the Blue Jays, and placed RHP Luis Cessa on the 10-day DL (retroactive to April 18) due to a left oblique strain.

Sabathia had hit the 10-day DL after suffering a right hip strain that forced an early exit in his last start against the Orioles. He was hit hard in that outing as he allowed three homers on 58 pitches before being pulled after the fourth inning. 

An MRI revealed no structural damage to Sabathia's hip. The 37-year-old has dealt with injuries in the past, especially with his right knee that he had arthroscopic surgery on in 2016. With bone-on-bone arthritis in that knee, a replacement is likely to happen in the future. 

Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter | Ask nearly any front office executive when it's time to worry about a struggling team, and you'll get the same answer: Memorial Day. Only then has a GM gathered enough data to make a reliable judgment about his ballclub.

But the rest of us can't help but wonder right now about the 8-8 Yankees, whose April has so far been defined by one overriding question: Is this mediocrity for real?

While scouts who cover the Yanks generally believe the offense will recover -- Giancarlo Stanton can't chase this many bad pitches all year, can he? And someone among Neil Walker, Tyler Wade, Miguel Andujar, Brandon Drury, and Greg Bird will eventually produce in the infield, right? -- there are more legitimate questions surrounding the rotation and bullpen...

It isn't an "if" Gleyber Torres will be called up to the Yankees. With infield struggling continuing, it's turned into "when."

Torres has been raking with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The 21-year-old returned to the lineup Tuesday after back tightness had him out a couple games, and he didn't miss a beat going 1-for-2 with two walks and a sac fly. 

The 21-year-old is hitting .372 with a homer, triple, three double, and 11 RBI over 12 games so far this season, which begs the question of when New York's top prospect will see his major league debut. 

The Yankees have brought back a familiar face as they re-signed veteran 1B Adam Lind to a minor-league deal, per SB Nation's Chris Cotillo.

Cotillo adds that Lind will begin his time in extended spring training at their Tampa facility. Lind is familiar with the facilities having spent his spring with the Yankees. New York would eventually release him before they broke camp for the regular season. 

The 34-year-old was with the Nationals last season, where he posted a .303/.362/.513 slash line with 14 homers and 59 RBI over 116 games. He also knows the AL East well as he played for the Blue Jays for nine seasons from 2006-14. 

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After logging two fine starts to open the season, Masahiro Tanaka has hit a wall with two underwhelming efforts. It's difficult to witness Tanaka's recent ineffectiveness without thinking back to last season when he turned in the worst stretch of production in his professional career during the season's first half.

Tanaka is not an overpowering pitcher, which necessitates pinpointing his top-two used pitches, the split-finger fastball and slider. When he is unable to command those pitches, it forces him to resort to a very hittable four-seam fastball, which is simply not good enough to retire batters in a pinch.

After getting called up to replace the injuried Tommy Kahnle, Yankees RHP Luis Cessa has now found his way to the DL after Tuesday's 9-1 loss to the Marlins. 

Cessa, who gave up two runs over two innings last night, left the game with a left oblique strain and was placed on the 10-day DL. The 25-year-old was expected to receive a spot start at some point during the Yankees' 10-game homestand due to the high volume of games.

However, the team is going to have to look for another option if that was the case after all.

Yankees Manager Aaron Boone said he might move struggling OF Giancarlo Stanton down in the lineup when the team faces the Toronto Blue Jays in a series beginning on Thursday.

The Marlins scored four runs in the first two innings and Jarlin Garcia continued his early-season dominance en route to a 9-1 win over the Yankees on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium. >> Box score

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Another injury has struck the Yankees as RHP Tommy Kahnle was placed on the 10-day DL with right shoulder tendonitis, the team announced Tuesday. 

Kahnle has struggled in six appearances so far this season. He posted a 6.14 ERA and 1.64 WHIP with nine strikeouts and eight walks over 7.1 innings. He has also seen a drop in his fastball velocity with an average of 95.5 compared to 98.1 mph last season.

The Yankees don't see this DL stint as a big issues, though. Manager Aaron Boone says hopefully rest will have Kahnle back to his normal self. 

Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs as he extended his hitting streak to 12 games in Monday's 12-1 win over the Miami Marlins at Yankee Stadium.

Judge became the fastest player in MLB history to reach 60 home runs (197 games) with a solo home run over Caleb Smith in the second inning, five games faster than Mark McGwire's previous record.

Didi Gregorius and Aaron Judge combined for three home runs, Gary Sanchez had three hits and three RBIs and the Yankees blew out the Miami Marlins 12-1 on Monday at Yankee Stadium. >> Box score

Gregorius went 3-for-4 with two home runs and three RBIs, while Judge went 2-for-4 with two RBIs as New York won for the third time in the past four games.

Luis Severino (3-1) gave up one hit in six scoreless innings, retiring 15 of the past 16 hitters he faced.

Yankees outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, already on the disabled list with an oblique/hip injury, suffered a setback when he was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis on Monday.

Manager Aaron Boone said Ellsbury suffered the injury at some point last week and does not believe it to be serious, however he did not provide a timetable for when he would make his season debut.

"We're just trying to get him back to a point where he can start in on baseball activities and we'll go from there,'' Boone said before Monday's game against the Miami Marlins, according to the New York Post's Dan Martin. "Hopefully he's moving in the right direction."

The Yankees kick off a 10-game homestand with a two-game set against the Marlins on Monday at 6:35 p.m. in the Bronx.

Yankees notes...

The Yankees played just one of three games in Detroit as rain kept them off the field on Saturday and Sunday. They took the first game 8-6 to improve to 7-7 through 14 games. ...In that contest, Aaron Hicks belted a solo homer after racing around for a two-run inside-the-park homer in the at-bat before. Hicks had just returned from the DL two days prior. ...Aaron Judge extended his hitting streak to 11 games in the win over the Tigers as well. >> Click here to follow via SNY Gameday

Just as the Yankees had hoped, LHP CC Sabathia is slated to start on Thursday after missing his last one due to a right hip injury. 

Sabathia hit the 10-day DL after suffering a right hip strain that forced an early exit in his last start against the Orioles. He was hit hard in that outing as he allowed three homers on 58 pitches before being pulled after the fourth inning. 

An MRI revealed no structural damage to Sabathia's hip, and time off gave him much-needed rest to recover. The 37-year-old has dealt with injuries in the past, especially with his right knee that was saw an arthroscopic surgery for a cleanup back in 2016. With bone-on-bone arthritis in that knee, a replacement is likely to happen in the future. 

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The Yankees traded Starlin Castro and Chase Headley this past offseason, which immediately pointed to the chance that two rookies - Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres - would man second and third base, the former Pinstriper's respective positions. But neither rookie made the squad out of spring training,

Instead, the Yankees went with a young, but experienced third baseman in Brandon Drury, and an inexperienced 23-year-old in Tyler Wade at second base.

During their down time due to rainouts in Detroit, the Yankees optioned RHP Luis Cessa and OF Shane Robinson to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday. 

Though he hasn't allowed a hit yet this season, Cessa has only seen two innings over the Yanks' 14 games this season. The 25-year-old owned a 4.75 ERA and 1.47 WHIP in 36 innings with the ballclub last season. 

Robinson, who was brought in as an outfield replacement due to various injuries, played in two games during the Boston series. He went 1-for-3 in five at-bats with a stolen base as well.

Infielder Jace Peterson cleared waivers and elected to become a free agent after the Yankees designated him for assignment on Tuesday, according to SB Nation's Chris Cotillo.

Peterson, whom the Yankees signed to a minor league deal in January, went 3-for-9 in two MLB games this season and 1-for-4 with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Due to weather, Sunday's day-night doubleheader between the Yankees and Tigers has been postponed.

Heavy rain has postponed the Yankees' game Saturday afternoon in Detroit against the Tigers. 

The teams will attempt to play a day-night doubleheader Sunday in Detroit, with games at 1:10 and 7:10 p.m. But rain is also in the forecast Sunday. The teams have coninciding off days May 24 and June 4, 11 and 18.

Reliever Luis Cessa was supposed to get the start today for the Yankees in place of CC Sabathia, who is on the 10-day disabled list with a hip strain.

In his second game off the DL, Aaron Hicks led the Yankess with three RBI on two homers in 8-6 win over the Tigers on Friday.<< Box score

Gray lasted just three-plus innings against the Red Sox, giving up six runs on seven hits. He was able to escape a pair of runners on in the first inning but gave up four runs in the second and another two in the third.

In the second inning, Mookie Betts (RBI sacrifice fly) and Andrew Benintendi (RBI fielder's choice) each traded a run for an out or the damage could've been worse. Gray was lifted one batter into the fourth...

In just his second game back with the Yankees after coming off the DL, Aaron Hicks showcased his speed for an inside-the-park homerun Friday night. 

Hicks roped a Mike Fiers pitch to right-center field, and though it didn't have the distance to get out, it took a big bounce off the wall away from centerfielder Leonys Martin. Hicks turned on the jets and flew around the bases for what would be the Yankees first inside-the-park homer since 2011. 

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The Yankees travel north to face the Detroit Tigers in the first game of a three-game set at Comerica Park on Friday at 7:10 p.m.

Yankees notes...

The Yankees dropped two of three games to their rival Red Sox at Fenway Park this week. The team is now 6-7 overall, which is third in the AL East. ... The team's overall pitching has struggled early on this season, as New York holds a 4.69 combined ERA (24th in the MLB) >> Click here to follow via SNY Gameday

Sonny Gray failed to make it past the fourth inning for the second time in three starts this season in Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

Gray (1-1) surrendered six runs, seven hits and two walks in three innings as New York fell to 6-7 and lost for the fifth time in its last seven games.

"I just didn't execute very well," Gray said after the game, according to the New York Daily News' Mike Mazzeo. "It just made it hard all the way around."

Rick Porcello surges and Sonny Gray struggles as the Red Sox beat the Yankees 6-3 at Fenway Park. << Box score

Gray lasted just three-plus innings against the Red Sox, giving up six runs on seven hits. He was able to escape a pair of runners on in the first inning but gave up four runs in the second and another two in the third.

In the second inning, Mookie Betts (RBI sacrifice fly) and Andrew Benintendi (RBI fielder's choice) each traded a run for an out or the damage could've been worse. Gray was lifted one batter into the fourth...

The Yankees have activated Aaron Hicks from the DL and designated Shane Robinson for assignment. Hicks is batting sixth and starting at DH against the Red Sox on Thursday night. 

In the first game of the season against the Blue Jays, Hicks went 2-4 with two singles and appeared fine. After the game, though, trainers diagnosed Hicks with a strained right intercostal muscle.

Hicks is expected to be the team's everyday center fielder, but upon his first game back, Hicks will ease into things by starting at DH. Brett Gardner will remain in center field with Giancarlo Stanton in left and Aaron Judge in right.

Last season, Hicks hit .266/.372/.475 with 15 HR, 52 RBI and 10 SB in 301 at-bats. 

Tyler Austin has been suspended five games for his role in the Yankees-Red Sox brawl on Wednesday night, Major League Baseball has announced. Austin has appealed. 

Red Sox reliever Joe Kelly has been suspended six games and is appealing as well. 

Austin drew Boston's ire when Brock Holt took exception to Austin's slide attempting to break up a double play. A few innings later, Kelly plunked Austin with a fastball. The hitter slammed his bat on the ground and begun angrily walking towards the mound. The benches cleared as punches were thrown. 

One day after a brawl, the Yankees and Red Sox finish their series tonight at 7:10 p.m. at Fenway Park.

Yankees notes...

After being crushed Monday night by the Red Sox 14-1, the Yankees battled back to win the second game of the set 10-7. The win was rife with runs and drama, as the bats picked up Masahiro Tanaka while Tyler Austin ignited a brawl after Joe Kelly plunked him with a fastball. Now, the teams will play the rubber match of their first 2018 series. Aaron Hicks returns from the DL on Thursday night and is starting at DH. >> Click here to follow via SNY Gameday

Anthony McCarron, SNY.tv | Twitter | The Rivalry had grown musty in recent years, tabloid hype or fodder for the loudest louts in the stands at Yankee Stadium or The Fens. But not much more than that. Not anymore.

Joe Kelly taking selfies with Derek Jeter as the Red Sox feted the Yankee captain in his last game in Boston a few years ago? Party in the Bronx for David Ortiz? Hardly qualifies as bitter. The teams, mostly, have not been juggernauts at the same time, not like the early-to-mid-2000s. The Rivalry super-villains faded from the majors and into Yankee-Red Sox lore. Relative peace settled over an old feud.

But thanks to Wednesday night's brawl in Boston, there's real heat between the Yankees and Red Sox again. The kind stoked by hard feelings and anger, blood and bruises. Maybe this next generation of the rivalry is going to be as passionate as years past. Thank goodness...

If there ever was a time to awake the bats of Giancarlo Stanton and Gary Sanchez, it is against the Yankees' biggest rival. 

It obviously wasn't the biggest storyline of Wednesday night's brawl-filled fiasco at Fenway Park, but maybe it is the intensity of the rivalry that has sparked some offense from the Yanks' key power hitters. 

Both sluggers entered the series in major slumps. However, it wasn't something that the two were utterly concerned with. For example, general manager Brian Cashman said the way Stanton is handling the media's bombardment of questions shows he isn't worried in the slightest. 

After two benches-clearing incidents with one resulting in a brawl, one would think the latest feud in the Yankees-Red Sox rivlary is over. 

Boston doesn't think so.

"You know that's coming," Red Sox C Christian Vazquez told The Post's Dan Martin after Wednesday's game.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone wasn't keen on the Red Sox retaliation on Tyler Austin that caused the seventh-inning brawl Wednesday night. 

The whole incident was caused in the third inning when Austin slid into Sox shortstop Brock Holt, who caught a cleat in his calf. As the two exchanged words, both benches cleared without getting physical. 

That would change, though, when Red Sox reliever Joe Kelly beamed Austin, causing the Yankees' designated hitter to charge the mound. Both benches filed out of the dugout again to break up the altercation. 

The Yankees snap the Red Sox' nine-game win streak with a 10-7 win in a tension-filled game at Fenway Park Wednesday night. >> Box score

Add another Yankees-Red Sox brawl to their heated rivalry.

After Tyler Austin's slide to break up a double play in the third clipped Brock Holt, benches cleared as the two shared words. However, there was nothing physical about the altercation. 

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Injuries happen in sports.

It's a simple truth that the Yankees are coping with all too often early this season. Besides the injuries themselves, the Yankees are dealing with two players who withheld information to varying extents, though it is plausible the club could have handled the particular situations differently, potentially preventing or curtailing the current dilemma.

The Yankees will look to erase an embarrassing start to their series with the Red Sox tonight at 7:10 p.m. in Fenway Park.

Yankees notes...

The Yankees were crushed in their Boston debut, after the Red Sox dominated 14-1 on Monday night. Luis Severino was hit for five runs through five innings, and the struggles in the bullpen continued with Tommy Kahnle and Chasen Shreve getting hit hard. The Yankees now have a two-game losing streak. >> Click here to follow via SNY Gameday

The first Yankees-Red Sox bout of the season was set to be a cold, yet fiery pitching duel between both team aces -- LHP Chris Sale and RHP Luis Severino.

Severino came into the game with a 1.38 ERA and sub-one WHIP after his first starts of the season. He also had two great starts in Fenway Park last season, which made the prospect of facing the red hot Sox and their ace as doable. 

But this wasn't the Severino the Yankees are used to seeing. 

The Yankees had two errors and were only able to score one run despite generating 10 hits in a lopsided 14-1 loss to the Red Sox on Tuesday night at Fenway Park. >> Box score

Yankees OF Jacoby Ellsbury received a cortisone shot in his hip and will try to resume baseball activities in three days, reports Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.

Anthony McCarron, SNY.tv | Twitter | Giancarlo Stanton's whiffs and the bullpen's surprising struggles are grabbing much of the attention for the Yankees' .500 start to the season as they enter a rivalry showdown Tuesday night in Boston.

But another facet of the club may morph into the trouble area that occupies the Yanks' braintrust throughout the 2018 season -- the starting rotation. Or, perhaps more accurately, the starters not named Luis Severino.

The Yankees came into the season with questions about rotation depth. Some wondered why they didn't add a frontline starter over the winter, especially in a market that contained bargains...

The Yankees get their first taste of Fenway Park this season, as they travel to Boston for a three-game set.

Yankees notes...

The Yankees didn't finish their six-game homestand they way they would have liked, as they lost three of four games to the Orioles. They are now set to face a Red Sox team that has won eight straight games after losing their first on Opening Day. This will be the first of 19 matchups these bitter rivals face each other this season...

The Yankees have promoted OF Shane Robinson from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, while INF Jace Peterson was designated for assignment, the team announced Tuesday.

This could be a strategic move for the Yankees. Robinson is a natural outfielder, and the team certainly needs help there with Aaron Hicks, Jacoby Ellsbury, Clint Frazier, and Billy McKinney all on the DL.

Also, with the Red Sox throwing two lefties in Chris Sale and David Price in the first two games of the series, Robinson's right-handed bat is a better matchup compared to Peterson's left-handed stance.