Russo Should Stay

On Friday the Yankees will likely activate Curtis Granderson from the DL. The move that will likely follow that will be the demotion of Kevin Russo to AAA Scranton. The move that should follow instead is Randy Winn should be designated for assignment.

Sure Winn has the past track record and history as a solid MLB outfielder, but his decline over the past few seasons is nothing short of remarkable (in a bad way, of course). This season we have seen only a small sample size of Winn, but already Girardi seems to prefer Kevin Russo in left the last few games.

This season Winn is hitting .213/.300/.295 with 1 HR and 8 RBI in 61 AB's. Sure, that is a very small sample size. Winn is 0-11 against lefties this season and hit .158 against them last season. The Yankees did get Winn for his defense, but a combination of Kevin Russo and Ramiro Pena backing up in the outfield would certainly be alright.

Russo is showing that he is not only comfortable in the majors, but he also belongs there. His performance is reminiscent of that of Ramiro Pena last year when he made the team out of spring training and played well. There's something about Yankees minor leaguers refusing to let chances slip by them.

Russo should be rewarded with a utility spot similar to Pena's on the MLB roster. The Yankees can find another Randy Winn if they need one, Winn was once something special but no longer is. The only reason why the Yankees shouldn't do this is if they truly feel Russo will somehow get a starting job with the MLB team in the near future, or if they think Randy Winn's defense is not something they can lose.