Yankees designate Kendrys Morales, recall Stephen Tarpley in flurry of moves

The Kendrys Morales era has ended. The first baseman and apparent outfielder (?) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list this morning, and then promptly designated for assignment. It was never going to work out for Morales in New York, as he was unable to get the ball in the air to best optimize his standout exit velocity metrics. Now he has been replaced in the lineup.

Edwin Encarnacion’s trade, as well as the returns of Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge, meant that Morales’ days were always numbered in the Bronx. That said, he didn’t make much of an impact or impression on the rest of baseball, and now we’ll have to see if a third team takes a flier on him in 2019. I hope for his sake he finds a job somewhere, but I can’t imagine teams will be knocking on the door to nab the 36-year-old.

Meanwhile, Stephen Tarpley has been recalled from Triple-A Scranton to fill the roster slot left open by Jonathan Holder’s optioning last night. The left-hander has done well with the RailRiders, bringing a 1.75 ERA and 2.99 FIP up to the big league roster.

Tarpley will likely see action tonight, as the Yankees will ask their bullpen to pitch the whole game against the Blue Jays. Chad Green will likely only be available for one inning after throwing 16 pitches last night, while both Luis Cessa (50 pitches on Sunday) and Aroldis Chapman (26 on Monday) are questionable as well. The Yankees need all the relief help they can get today.