Andy Pettitte pitched yesterday for the Scranton Empire State Yankees in their home ballpark Rochester (seriously, who would want to play for the Yankees AAA team right now?) and declared himself ready for the MLB. Pettitte threw 92 pitches, 59 of which were strikes, and surrendered three earned runs in five innings.
While Empire State's defense caused Pettitte to work longer and harder than he should have had to, 92 pitches in five innings isn't the most encouraging outing.
Phil Hughes and David Phelps both pitched well in their last starts, and both are deserving of one more chance to prove that they belong in the rotation when Pettitte comes to take a spot in the rotation.
There is no harm in allowing Pettitte another start in AAA to work on his pitch count and getting him to 100+ pitches, while having more time to make a final decision on who goes where.
While the decision that will likely happen is David Phelps back to the bullpen and Phil Hughes in the rotation, if Hughes pitches like he did earlier in the decision and Phelps throws a gem the Yankees will have a tough decision to make. Hughes pitched his best game in a very long time yesterday, so perhaps the competition is helping him.
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Once the Yankees do decide to promote Pettitte, the decision of who should be sent down is a simple one, in my opinion.Although Dewayne Wise and Jayson Nix provide an abundance of outfielders, Wise has no reason to be demoted, and Nix can also play the infield, so he serves a purpose on the roster. A super utility player is a great player to have on the roster for late game situations, especially when players like Raul Ibanez are manning the outfield.
Meanwhile, the Yankees will have Freddy Garcia, David Phelps/Phil Hughes, (assuming they go to AAA) Cody Eppley, and even Cory Wade if necessary as long men out of the pen. The simple solution here is to demote Cody Eppley, or DFA Freddy Garcia.
Whether it's sooner or later, Pettitte's promotion will cause a roster shuffle, one that will be very interesting to watch. What would you do with the roster?