Yankees Rumors

Yankees To Place Nestor Cortes On 15-Day Injured List

By Mark Polishuk | August 25, 2022 at 12:20pm CDT

The Yankees will place left-hander Nestor Cortes on the 15-day injured list prior to tomorrow’s game, according to The Athletic’s Lindsey Adler. Cortes is suffering from a groin injury. As reported earlier today, New York was preparing to place a then-unknown pitcher on the IL to make room for the promotion of minor league right-hander Greg Weissert.

While any pitching injury would’ve been a setback, losing Cortes for any amount of time is a tough blow to the Bronx Bombers. “Nasty Nestor” has been arguably the Yankees’ best starter this season, and one of the better pitchers in all of baseball. After surprisingly emerging as a rotation stalwart in 2021, Cortes has kept on rolling, posting a 2.68 ERA and above-average strikeout (25.9%) and walk (5.8%) rates over 131 innings of work. Despite a low-velocity four-seamer, Cortes’ fastball has been extremely effective, and his cutter isn’t far behind in terms of sheer effectiveness.

Though Cortes’ 131 innings is a new career high for the 27-year old over any pro season, there hasn’t been much sign that Cortes is slowing down, and he was expected to be a big weapon for the Yankees in October. This 15-day IL stint could perhaps serve as a bit of break in terms of keeping Cortes’ arm fresh, though naturally his groin issue is now a new concern. The severity of the injury or a possible timeline for Cortes’ return isn’t yet known.

New York enjoyed a great run of pitching health over the first half of the season, but several injuries have cropped up in recent weeks. The bullpen has taken the brunt of the injury woes, but the rotation hasn’t been immune, with Luis Severino out until mid-September due to a lat strain and now Cortes’ injury. The Yankees acquired Frankie Montas from the A’s at the deadline but also moved Jordan Montgomery to the Cardinals in another trade, plus Domingo German has been a little inconsistent (if generally solid) since making his season debut in July, after shoulder problems kept him on the sidelines.

Clarke Schmidt was recently called back up to the active roster, and the former first-rounder seems like the probable candidate to step into Cortes’ rotation spot. Over 22 games and 45 2/3 career innings at the MLB level in 2020-22, Schmidt has only made three starts, but the Yankees have mostly been using him in long relief this season and were stretching him out at Triple-A.

Yankees Notes: Stanton, Florial, Britton

By Steve Adams | August 24, 2022 at 9:35am CDT

The Yankees are expected to reinstate Giancarlo Stanton, who has been on the shelf since late July due to tendinitis in his left Achilles, prior to tomorrow’s series opener in Oakland. Stanton was on the field going through a full pre-game routine yesterday, per ESPN’s Marly Rivera (Twitter link with video). The Yankees already announced following last night’s game that outfielder Estevan Florial has been optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, which seems to further set the stage for Stanton’s return.

Stanton, 32, has had a productive season at the plate in terms of power output and run production, belting 24 homers and plating 61 runs through just 324 trips to the plate. After an excellent first two months at the plate — Stanton hit .285/.339/.523 through the end of May — he’s been more of a pure “three true outcomes” slugger in the summer months of the season.

Since the calendar flipped to June, a whopping 56% of Stanton’s hits have been home runs (13 of 23). He’s batting just .167 in 40 games since June 1, but he’s still walking at a strong 13.1% clip and obviously flexing his power. Exactly half of his plate appearances have ended in a strikeout, walk or home run in that time. Stanton’s .167/.277/.471 slash dating back to June has dropped his season-long line to .228/.309/.498. That’s still 28% better than league average, per both wRC+ and OPS+, but the Yankees and Stanton alike will surely be hoping for a more balanced set of results when he returns.

Stanton will return to the lineup at a time when the Yankees’ offense has been stumbling through one of its driest spells of the year. The Yanks are just 7-14 this month and have plated only 70 runs in those 21 contests — an average of 3.33 runs per game (all while allowing 89 runs in August). They’ve been held to four or fewer runs in 13 of their past 15 contests.

Florial’s return to the big leagues will prove quite brief. There was optimism among Yankee fans when he was promoted on the heels of a .286/.368/.490 showing in Scranton, but he wound up starting just three games, going 1-for-9 with four strikeouts in that tiny sample. The former top prospect, like many Yankee farmhands in recent years, has yet to receive an earnest audition at the MLB level, receiving just 50 plate appearances over the past three seasons (and hitting just .186/.302/.300 in those sparse opportunities).

Stanton isn’t the only veteran reinforcement on the horizon for the Yanks, it should be noted. Lefty Zack Britton, who has yet to pitch in 2022 while rehabbing from last year’s Tommy John surgery, is set to embark on a minor league rehab assignment today, tweets Meredith Marakovits of the YES Network.

The 34-year-old lefty has been a vital part of the Yankees’ late-inning relief corps when healthy, logging 123 2/3 innings of 2.69 ERA ball while brandishing one of the game’s most notoriously devastating sinkers. It’ll take a bit of time for Britton to build up to readiness for a big league return, of course, but the commencement of a rehab assignment means that both he and injured closer Clay Holmes could return to the bullpen in the near future. If Holmes is back to form after a brief trip to the injured list, the Yankees can deploy two of the game’s premier sinker/grounder specialists to help lock things down late in games.

Yankees Place Scott Effross On IL With Shoulder Strain

By Darragh McDonald | August 22, 2022 at 3:55pm CDT

Yankees right-hander Scott Effross is going on the 15-day injured list with a shoulder strain, according to manager Aaron Boone, courtesy Lindsey Adler of The Athletic. Boone characterizes the strain as minor but says that Effross will be shut down from throwing for 7-10 days, per Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. Fellow righty Clarke Schmidt will take his place on the active roster.

It’s yet another blow to a Yankee relief corps that has seen its fair share of them this year. Earlier in the campaign, they lost Chad Green to Tommy John surgery. In July, Michael King suffered a season-ending elbow fracture. That month also saw Miguel Castro land on the shelf due to a shoulder strain. Here in August, the club has seen Clay Holmes and Albert Abreu go on the IL due to back spasms and elbow inflammation, respectively.

Effross, 28, was acquired from the Cubs prior to the trade deadline and immediately jumped into the mix for high leverage work in the Bronx. He recorded a hold in his second appearance with the club, later tallying a save as well. Unfortunately, the club will now have to get by without him as an option, at least for a few weeks. He’s thrown 52 1/3 innings this year between Chicago and New York, registering a 2.75 ERA with a 27.5% strikeout rate, 6.2% walk rate and 43.1% ground ball rate.

While the loss of Effross is certainly bad news, the Yankees got good news about their bullpen elsewhere. Holmes has started throwing bullpens without physical issues, per Meredith Marakovits of the YES Network, meaning he’s on track to return soon. Miguel Castro has started throwing as well, per Marly Rivera of ESPN, and could progress to throwing a bullpen by Friday. And in non-bullpen news, Boone tells Rivera that the plan for slugger Giancarlo Stanton is to be activated from his rehab assignment on Thursday.

Injury Notes: Abreu, Britton, Kershaw

By Darragh McDonald | August 21, 2022 at 2:57pm CDT

The Yankees placed right-hander Albert Abreu on the 15-day injured list today due to right elbow inflammation. The club didn’t provide any estimated timeline for Abreu’s absence, but an issue with a pitcher’s throwing elbow is always somewhat concerning.

Abreu went from the Yankees to the Rangers in the offseason as part of the Jose Trevino trade. He lasted less than two months in Texas, getting designated for assignment and then traded to the Royals. About three weeks later, he was designated again and returned to the Yankees on waivers. Between the three teams, he has a 3.32 ERA on the year in 38 innings.

Other injury notes from around the league…

Though losing Abreu isn’t good news, the Yankees got much better news elsewhere on the roster. Manager Aaron Boone tells Joe Trezza of MLB.com that lefty Zack Britton recently threw a bullpen and is nearing a rehab assignment. Now 34, Britton was one of the best relievers in all of baseball from 2014 to 2016 while with the Orioles. His strikeout rate tapered off after that, though he still got grounders on over 70% of balls in play. 2021 was a down season, as he registered a 5.89 ERA before hitting the injured list in August. He eventually required surgery to repair his UCL, which wiped out what was left of that season and threatened his 2022 as well. In November, general manager Brian Cashman said it was “probable” that Britton would miss all of this season, though it seems he’s still got a shot of returning. There’s just over six weeks remaining in the regular season, but the Yanks are a virtual lock for the postseason, giving Britton a bit more time to make an impact. He’d no doubt love to get back on the hill and help the team, while also showcasing his health before reaching free agency this winter.
The Dodgers could potentially get Clayton Kershaw back sooner than expected. Just yesterday, it was reported that he could soon go out on a rehab assignment and return in the second week of September. Manager Dave Roberts now tells J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group that the plan is for the lefty to throw a bullpen on Monday, followed three or four innings in a simulated game later in the week before being activated without a rehab assignment. That would seem to open the door to Kershaw returning before the month of August is complete. Kershaw’s return would only further strengthen the rotation, which also welcomed Dustin May back yesterday. Kershaw’s been dealing with back issues this year, but has a tremendous 2.64 ERA in 85 1/3 innings when healthy.

AL Notes: Yankees, Stanton, Blue Jays, Mayza, Twins, Maeda

By TC Zencka | August 20, 2022 at 9:13am CDT

Giancarlo Stanton is beginning a rehab assignment today, per Lindsey Adler of The Athletic (via Twitter). Before this latest injury, Stanton had been enjoying a run of sound health. For the season, Stanton has appeared in 80 games, slashing .228/.309/.498 with 24 home runs in 328 plate appearances. Stanton even started 38 games in the outfield grass, his most defensive action since 2018. Elsewhere around the Junior Circuit…

Blue Jays southpaw Tim Mayza will begin a rehab assignment in Triple-A today, per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com (via Twitter). Mayza has been a key piece of Toronto’s bullpen for a number of years, no less so this season when he has pitched to a 2.88 ERA/3.94 FIP across 41 appearances totaling 34 1/3 innings. Mayza has been out of action since August 7th. The 30-year-old has held lefties to a .157/.218/.275 line this season.
The Twins are cautiously optimistic that Kenta Maeda might be able to return late in the season to pitch out of the bullpen as he used to for the Dodgers. Maeda is throwing bullpens now, but President of Baseball Ops Derek Falvey was non-commital about Maeda’s ability to make a late-season appearance, per Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (via Twitter). Maeda is recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Dellin Betances Reportedly Retires

By Darragh McDonald | August 17, 2022 at 10:50pm CDT

Relief pitcher Dellin Betances has decided to retire, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The 34-year-old is apparently hanging up his cleats after a career wherein he pitched in parts of ten seasons with the Yankees and Mets. He had been with the Dodgers’ organization on a minor league deal this year.

Selected by the Yankees in the eighth round of the 2006 draft, Betances was a starting pitcher in his first few years as a professional. However, command issues and various injuries eventually pushed Betances into more relief work as he moved up the ranks. He made just one MLB start, which came back in 2011.

The move to the bullpen ended up working out fabulously for both Betances and the Yankees, starting with a tremendous breakout in 2014. Though he had just 7 2/3 innings of MLB experience coming into that year, he ended up throwing 90 innings over 70 relief appearances during that campaign. He registered an ERA of just 1.40, along with an incredible 39.6% strikeout rate, 7% walk rate and 46.6% ground ball rate. He finished third in the voting for the American League Rookie of the Year award, trailing only Jose Abreu and Matt Shoemaker.

That will arguably go down as Betances’ best season, though he was still an incredibly effective reliever for the next four years. In a five-year run beginning with that 2014 season and running through 2018, he threw 374 innings, an average of almost 75 per season. He logged a combined 2.21 ERA in that time, striking out a whopping 40.4% of batters faced, though walking 10.7% of them, and getting grounders on 48.1% of balls in play. He racked up 11.3 wins above replacement during that stretch, according to FanGraphs, which was third among all relievers in baseball, trailing only Aroldis Chapman and Kenley Jansen. He made the All-Star team in four consecutive seasons, beginning with that 2014 campaign.

Unfortunately, that five-year run of dominance has been followed by a four-year run of frustration, largely due to injuries. In 2019, he began the year on the injured list due to a shoulder impingement. He wasn’t able to make his season debut until September, but tore his achilles tendon during that game after just 2/3 of an inning.

In spite of losing essentially that entire season, Betances hit free agency as a highly-touted reliever based on his previous track record. He agreed to a contract with the Mets that paid him $7.5MM in 2020, along with a $6MM player option for 2021 that came with a $3MM buyout. He ended up getting into 15 games with the Mets that year but struggled mightily. He registered a 7.71 ERA in that time, with his velocity noticeably diminished and his strikeout rate significantly lowered. He also walked 20.3% of batters faced in that short time. He was placed on the injured list due to a lat strain at the end of August and couldn’t return. After that showing, he decided to trigger his $6MM player option instead of returning to free agency. He threw just one inning for the Mets that year, which came in one April 7 appearance that will ultimately go down as his last appearance in the majors. He went on the IL with a shoulder impingement, eventually requiring season-ending surgery. His contract also came with a vesting option for 2022, where Betances would have a $1MM player option if he pitched in 50 games in 2021, which he came nowhere near.

After returning to free agency, he signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers for 2022. Though he hadn’t been effective for a few years, the Dodgers were willing to take a chance to see if he could recover any of his previous form. If he cracked the majors, he would have earned $2.75MM with further incentives available. Unfortunately, he logged a 10.26 ERA in 16 2/3 minor league innings this year, walking 16.5% of the batters he faced. After yet another frustrating sequence of events, it seems Betances had decided to walk away.

Despite the disappointing results of the past few seasons, Betances will surely be remembered for that five-year run in pinstripes where he was one of the most dominant pitchers in the world. He spent five full seasons striking fear into the hearts of opposing teams and their fans whenever he stepped to the mound. He finishes his career with 394 1/3 innings pitched in 374 games. He’ll go down in the record books with a 2.53 ERA, 36 saves, 121 holds and 633 strikeouts. We at MLBTR congratulate Betances on an excellent career and we wish him the best in his post-playing endeavors.

Yankees Place Clay Holmes On 15-Day Injured List

By Mark Polishuk | August 17, 2022 at 2:40pm CDT

The Yankees have placed closer Clay Holmes on the 15-day injured list due to back spasms, as one of a series of transactions. Miguel Andujar and Tim Locastro were optioned to Triple-A, while Ron Marinaccio, Estevan Florial, and Oswaldo Cabrera were all called up from Triple-A. (Florial and Cabrera’s promotions were reported earlier today.)

Holmes’ placement is retroactive to August 14, and he hasn’t pitched since August 12. There was increasing expectation that Holmes would need an IL trip to fully recuperate from his back problem, though New York manager Aaron Boone told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand and other reporters that the team is hopeful Holmes only misses the 15-day minimum.

Since being acquired from the Pirates prior to the 2021 trade deadline, Holmes has been outstanding in the pinstripes, posting a 2.10 ERA over his 77 innings in New York. This outstanding performance elevated Holmes to the closer’s job when Aroldis Chapman went on the IL himself earlier this season, and with Chapman struggling even before he got injured, the Yankees kept Holmes as the top ninth-inning choice even after Chapman’s return.

However, just as the Yankees have looked shaky over the last five weeks of play, Holmes has also come back to earth after his incredible start. The righty has a 9.00 ERA over his last 12 games and 11 innings pitched, and he has blown four of his last five save chances. As a result, it now appears quite possible that Chapman (who has pitched better since his return from the IL) will reclaim the closer’s job in Holmes’ absence, and perhaps for the remainder of the season. The Yankees could also essentially use both pitchers as closers or set-up men depending on the situation, rather than have a strict order to their late-game plans.

Yankees To Recall Estevan Florial, Oswaldo Cabrera

By Steve Adams | August 17, 2022 at 7:47am CDT

The Yankees are set to call up outfielder Estevan Florial, as first reported by Bob Klapisch of the Newark Star-Ledger (Twitter link). New York will also promote infielder Oswaldo Cabrera for his Major League debut, Daniel Alvarez Montes of El Extra Base reports. Both players are already on the 40-man roster. The Yankees have yet to formally announce the pair of promotions or the corresponding moves that will accompany them, although Cabrera has confirmed his first call to the Show on his Instagram.

This is the second call to the Majors this year for the 24-year-old Florial and the third season in which he’s received some big league action. Despite already receiving several MLB opportunities, however, Florial has appeared in just 16 Major League games and taken 40 plate appearances as a member of the big league club, hitting just .206/.325/.353 in that time.

That lack of production, of course, have come with sparse playing time. Florial has never gotten a true look and regular playing time at the big league level, despite ranking among the game’s top 50 or so prospects from 2018-19. His stock has dimmed since that time — due in no small part to a tepid .218/.315/.404 slash in Triple-A last season. However, Florial is enjoying a vastly better run in his second Triple-A stint this year, batting .286/.368/.490 with 14 home runs, 26 doubles, a pair of triples and a hefty 32 stolen bases.

Florial’s huge 30.8% strikeout rate in Triple-A isn’t an improvement over last year’s 30.9% mark, so the lack of bat-to-ball skills are a clear concern (and another reason he’s perhaps not as highly touted as a few years ago). Nonetheless, with the Yankees stumbling through a dismal 3-12 stretch over the past couple weeks that includes just nine total runs over their past seven games, they’ll look to augment the lineup and get some fresh faces into the mix in hopes of turning things around.

In addition to Florial, the Yankees will give the 23-year-old Cabrera his first call to the Majors. A switch-hitter who’s seen time at second base, shortstop, third base and in the outfield corners this year (albeit just one game in left and one in right), Cabrera will give skipper Aaron Boone plenty of versatility. He’s batting .262/.340/.492 through 208 Triple-A plate appearances with eight homers, a dozen doubles, three triples and ten steals to go along with a 9.4% walk rate and 26.6% strikeout rate.

While neither Florial nor Cabrera is necessarily among the sport’s overall top-ranked prospects, they’re both well-regarded within the Yankees’ system. Baseball America ranks Florial as the team’s No. 10 prospect and Cabrera at No. 12, while MLB.com places them back-to-back at Nos. 14 (Cabrera) and 15 (Florial).

AL East Notes: Hall, Springer, Franco, Ramirez, Stanton

By Mark Polishuk | August 14, 2022 at 8:02am CDT

Orioles pitching prospect DL Hall made his Major League debut yesterday, allowing five runs over 3 2/3 innings in an 8-2 loss to the Rays. The outing will act as a cup of coffee for Hall for the time being, as the Orioles will send him back to Triple-A today and transition him to relief pitching. MASNSports.com’s Roch Kubatko writes that the O’s view Hall as an intriguing bullpen option for this season, as a live arm with the potential to work multiple innings in a game.

The move also allows for the Orioles to limit Hall’s innings. With 81 1/3 total frames pitched in the majors and minors this season, Hall is already within sight of his career high of 94 1/3 innings pitched (in 2018 in A-ball). Given Hall’s injury history and the fact that he tossed only 31 2/3 IP last year, Baltimore is trying to both manage Hall’s health and capitalize on his short-term potential to help the Orioles’ surprising postseason bid.

Angels Notes: Trout, Lorenzen, Duffy, Bradley, Moniak, Iglesias

By Mark Polishuk | August 13, 2022 at 8:22am CDT

Mike Trout has been cleared to run and throw, and the former MVP is scheduled to take batting practice on the field today. Trout and Angels head trainer Mike Frostad spoke with reporters (including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register) yesterday, with Trout expressing confidence that he’ll be able to return to the lineup “sooner rather than later.” A more specific timeline isn’t yet known, as Trout may require a minor league rehab assignment.

Trout has now missed a full month of action due to left ribcage inflammation and back spasms, and Frostad’s past update about Trout’s larger-scale back problems (a costovertebral dysfunction) left concern over both Trout’s short-term and near-term future. Given that Trout ended up missing almost all of the 2021 season due to a calf problem that just kept lingering, fans probably won’t be fully relieved until they actually see Trout back on the field, no matter this latest positive news about his rib injury.

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