Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez will be activated from the injured list today in Toronto, per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch (via Twitter). The club’s PR department has announced the move as well.
Sanchez is in the midst of another strong season when healthy behind the plate. The nuances of Sanchez’s contributions are self-evident in his power-heavy .229/.299/508 batting line. On-base struggles notwithstanding, Sanchez remains one of the more potent catchers in the game, and his position means his power contributions are of slightly more unique to New York than those of other Yankees’ mashers. Backup Austin Romine has been a surprisingly fair facsimile while hitting .265/.290/.426, but it’s still a position without a ton of reliable depth. This was Sanchez’s second stint on the injured list this season.
Kyle Higashioka was optioned to Scranton Wilkes-Barre to make room. Higashioka, 29, hasn’t seen a ton of playing time, but he has stood in ably when given the opportunity: .256/.250/.590 across just 40 plate appearances.
Left-hander Stephen Tarpley will also be joining the big league club from Triple-A. Tarpley has made 15 appearances with the big league club with an 8.31 ERA/6.56 FIP across 17 1/3 innings. Big league hitters have launched against the 26-year-old Arizona native for 13.5 hits and 2.6 home runs per nine innings. It’s a small sample so far this season for Tarpley, who made the ALDS roster last year after 10 strong outings in September.
Meanwhile, Jonathan Holder was placed on the 1o-day injured list due to right shoulder inflammation. Despite strong peripherals (10 K/9 to 2.4 BB/9, 4.18 K/BB), Holder has struggled to keep the ball in the yard at times, blowing his ERA up to 6.31 (4.45 FIP) across 34 appearances. The 26-year-old has been a steady contributor the last two season for the Yankees – 3.42 ERA over 97 games in 2017 and 2018 – so there’s a fair amount of flukiness in the unusually high number of runs allowed.
Love an OBP lower than Avg like old pal John Buck. Hopefully Sanchez can rediscover himself at the plate. Romine & Higgy did a solid job in his absence. It’ll be interesting to see how Romine does in FA. I’d bet the Angels sign him to a multi yr deal.., Say 2 Yrs $10M.
I’m hoping the Yankees bring him back. He’s been a solid backup.
Can nuances be self-evident?
And can a bus be road?
Cue the Yankees homers accusing everybody who voices criticisms of Sanchez as, Yankees Haters, not real Yankees fans, biased against the Yankees, and so many more to list.
I’ve gotta be real here. I see more comments like this than actual comments from Yankees fans
2012orioles, it’s one of the greatest ironies on these boards.
Actually he’s on to something, and this is coming from a Yankee fan.
Did you see Gardner get tossed in this last Yankee game? What an idiot. Arguing balls and strikes again. Then when the ump kicks him out, Gardner gets into Roid Rage.
What a clown.
Did YOU see Gardner get tossed last night? He didn’t say a word.
He was banging his bat on the roof of the dugout acting like a child. Over and over and over again.
He’s been slowly building up a reputation the last few years as a malcontent towards the umpires and last night believe Segal may have picked him out for doing what Gardner does.. constantly complain, whether it be balls and strikes, some other perceived slight.. He’s really getting bad at it.
I’ve not seen anyone on NY this bad since Billy Martin, who finally was warned towards the end by umps to just “sit down and zip it” due to his always running off at the mouth on anything he thought NY may have remotely been slighted at.
Always thought Gardner was a tough as nails player and just intense, played with his emotions on his sleeve, like Kevin Youkilis used to, but he’s now way past that point.
I liked Gardner up until about two years ago. He has become a whiny little boy otch. Arguing all the time. He didnt say anything this time? Well his actions were childish. Call it karma. Stop acting like a child and maybe people will stop treating you like one.
Malcontent!!!….JohnSiler as usual you’re wrong…..night after night he accepts the umpire calls without showing them up…and many times those calls are bad as we all have witnessed…..years building up…..don’t know where you. make this stuff up….Oh Yes the inevitable Red Sox homer comment naming Youkilis a God of intense calm!
Guess you conveniently forget Big Papi calling his own balls and strikes right and fuming for being punched out in a crucial situation as the umpire dared make him look bad on clearly a strike three call!
I wouldn’t go as far as your going or even close to half as far as your going with your Gardner rage. You have s clear bias Gardner rage going on and maybe you should stop with the steroids and calm down. He’s not even close to what Pedroia was and your trying to suggest he’s an awful guy? Stop
He is no where near what Pedroia was. Pedroia won titles.
So if you win titles you cease being a jerk? I can take honest opinions but everything out your mouth is anti-Yankee. It makes anything you say questionable.
I never said “if you win titles you cease to be a jerk”. He compared Pedroia to Gardner. I don’t recall Pedroia being a jerk. I think I saw he’s only been tossed out of a game three times in his career.
Obviously, as usual you’re clueless and this time blind!
You didnt see gardner banging his bat on the roof of the dugout? You probably just saw the yankee network clip.
He didn’t get tossed for the bat. He got tossed for something Maybin said. The ump was wrong and clearly so are you.
Banging the bat is not worthy of being kicked out of a game. Umps can’t try and control every emotion out of the game. Besides, I thought the ump heard someone say something from the dugout and attributed it to Gardner. Umps said he said something. Video shows that Gardner said zip. Cameron Maybin was chirping at him as he had just struck out on a questionable called 3rd strike. I think he ran the wrong guy.
Gardner got tossed… he may not have said anything, but he was definitely acting like a fool. Throw him out, maybe he learns how to act like a major leaguer and not a little leaguer. But with you guys babying him, he’ll probably stay acting like a child.
You’re one of those guys who always needs to be right to sleep at night aren’t you?
Sanchez is a prolific catcher? He has a terrible fielding percentage… leads in errors committed even though he’s been hurt a lot and been DHing. He only throws out 20% of base stealers. He is in the middle of the pack in passed balls and wild pitches. Hitting, his average is near the Mendoza line. He’s under .300 for OBP.
Just say what he is… he’s a home run hitter that wears Catcher’s clothes. He’s Edwin Encarnacion at the catcher position.
The definition of a dh
Know what…why don’t you address your displease towards TC Zenka….he’s the one who wrote the article.
Still though, having that bat in the lineup at the catcher position has quite an impact. There’s a big difference between Encarnacion’s stats in the DH spot and the C spot
Absolutely, a home run bat behind the plate is nothing to sneeze at. Usually teams just go for defense and any kind of production is a plus. The defense they give up is more than made up for with his bat.
You’re way off base with this Sanchez criticism. He was in the middle of a brutal slump before hitting the IL and that’s why his AVG and OBP have taken a hit. When he’s hot no catcher in the league compares to him offensively. Also he’s an excellent pitch framer and has a very good arm. He might not be a gold glover but he’s definitely serviceable behind the plate
I like Tarpley and Holder. They could be a very good back of the bullpen type guys. Lefty righty combo that have huge strike out numbers. Both 26 years old and should be in the majors full time soon.
Tarpley is a LOOGY that throws 95.
Huge splits… right handed hitters hit .400 against him. Lefties hit .119
Tarpley it says was drafted out of HS and then attended USC and then drafted again out of Scottsdale Community College. Did he go to USC for one year and leave? Anyone know about this?
Went to USC one year, transferred to Scottsdale CC for one year, then entered the draft again.
Ya’ll need to get a life – or whatever, snipping at blogs.
Any MLB team would jump at the chance to have Sanchez- period. He’s worked a his catching glove defense & had improvement this year when healthy. His bat & HR’s speak loud. He’s been injured a bit too much – that’s a negative.