Two guys that could definitely help the club are rehabbing and could rejoin the team within a couple weeks. Eric Chavez went 4-5 for the Tampa Yankees yesterday and ran the bases successfully - good news for the 3B/1B recovering from a broken foot.
- Rafael Soriano allowed two runs in 1.2 innings on Tuesday, also for Tampa, but his velocity was 91-93 MPH. He won't join the Yankees until he shows he can pitch in back-to-back games without soreness (something he didn't like doing even when healthy). He's recovering from an inflamed right elbow.
- Ivan Nova was placed on the minor league 7-day DL after rolling his ankle fielding a grounder during Tuesday night's 6-1 loss to Columbus. Hopefully that's all the time he needs.
- I forgot to mention this yesterday, but LHP Steve Garrison was promoted to the Yankees in place of the injured Sergio Mitre. His first appearance will be his ML debut.
- Another save, another milestone for Mariano Rivera. He became the first pitcher to record 25 saves in 15 straight seasons after closing out Monday's 5-4 victory over Tampa Bay. With another five saves, he'll surpass Trevor Hoffman for the most consecutive 30-save seasons with nine.
- Curtis Granderson commented on the scarcity of black baseball fans yesterday. This is a subject that would be interesting to discuss, but we have to do so delicately. Why do you think there are so few black baseball fans nowadays, at least compared to football and basketball, which empirically speaking, have far more?
- Midseason prospect rankings have three Yankees in the top 50: Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances and, of course, Jesus Montero, at 13, 31 and 10, respectively. Prospect "fallers" included Montero, who fell seven spots from a preseason ranking of no. 3, while catcher Gary Sanchez fell 18 spots to no. 54. Regardless, four top 75 prospects is more than most teams can claim.
- SBN's own John Sickels profiled the aforementioned Dellin Betances, and also looked at recent call-up Brandon Laird, who has yet to make an appearance for the Yankees.
- I voted for Babe Ruth as the most exciting athlete in New York sports history. Who gets your vote?
- Have you noticed the month/year Jorge Posada is having? A sub-.700 OPS for a DH is just terrible, and while June (1.007 OPS) made it look like he might return to his career batting line, July has surely quashed that idea - five hits in 37 at-bats this month (.376 OPS). And he's not even allowed to start against lefties. I have to wonder why he's even taking up a spot on the roster.
- Tom Verducci reflected on the greatest team he ever saw: the 1998 New York Yankees.
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Kanekoa Texeira and Royce Ring were brought back to the system on minor league deals. Is Chad Gaudin next?
- Fenway Park will celebrate its 100th anniversary next season on April 20th, and who will try to derail the celebration but our own Bronx Bombers.
- Hideki Matsui hit his 500th career home run (including his time in Japan) in Oakland's 7-5 victory over Detroit last night. Congrats, Godzilla!