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Yankees Promote Estevan Florial; Aaron Hicks Expected To Miss Rest Of Season

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Just under a week after the announcement that center fielder Aaron Hicks will undergo wrist surgery, Yankees skipper Aaron Boone today confirmed to reporters that the operation is now expected to put an end to Hicks’ 2021 season (Twitter link via the YES Network’s Jack Curry). That’s seemed possible, if not likely, since the time the surgery was announced, but the only prior indication on a timeline had been a “months-long” recovery period.

The news on Hicks comes less than an hour after the Yankees announced a series of roster moves. Corey Kluber and Luke Voit were placed on the injured list, as was expected following yesterday’s announcements on their own injuries. Coming up to the big league roster in their place are righty Albert Abreu and outfield prospect Estevan Florial.

With Hicks down for the season and Brett Gardner struggling mightily, there would appear to be a door open for Florial to claim some playing time. The 23-year-old has played 312 games in center field over his professional career and was at one point touted as the organization’s center fielder of the future. Florial was near-universally ranked among the game’s 50 best prospects prior to the 2018 season, though his stock has dipped since that time.

It’s also worth pointing out that while there’s an ostensible opportunity for Florial to seize a starting job now, he’s been struggling tremendously himself down in Triple-A. Florial hit .229/.308/.603 in nine Double-A games to begin his season, but he’s gone 6-for-34 with 11 punchouts in 40 plate appearances since moving up to Triple-A. The 17 games he’s played between Double-A and Triple-A in 2021 represent his only experience above A-ball, save for the single game he played for the Yankees at the MLB level last summer. Put more simply: there’s a very good chance he needs more development. Nevertheless, Boone indicated Florial will get the start in center for the second game of today’s twin bill.

Florial wasn’t recalled as the 27th man for that doubleheader — righty Nick Nelson has that designation — but it could still be a very brief stay for him in the Majors. Boone said that activating Giancarlo Stanton from the injured list tomorrow is “in play” as an option (Twitter link via MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch), and the Yankees will need to make a corresponding move to get him on the roster. That doesn’t necessarily mean Florial’s stint will be a one-and-done showing, but it’s at least possible that’s the direction they go.

Whether he’s in the Majors or back in Scranton, Florial’s performance will bear monitoring in the weeks to come. With few other center field options on the roster, that’d be one obvious area for the Yankees to look to address via the trade market in the event that Florial’s struggles continue.

Corey Kluber To Miss At Least 8 Weeks; Luke Voit Suffers Oblique Strain

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4:30pm: It gets worse for the Yankees, as Boone has since said Kluber will miss at least eight weeks (via Jack Curry of YES Network). He’ll be shut down from throwing for four weeks and then will have to build up his arm strength for another four.

4:12pm: Yankees right-hander Corey Kluber has a sub-scapular strain in his rotator cuff and will miss at least four weeks, manager Aaron Boone told Bryan Hoch of MLB.com and other reporters. Meanwhile, first baseman Luke Voit has a Grade 2 oblique strain and will go on the 10-day injured list.

Kluber had to leave his start early on Tuesday as a result of this injury, which will at least put a temporary halt to what has been an outstanding season for the two-time American League Cy Young winner. After signing a one-year, $11MM contract with the Yankees in the offseason, Kluber has opened the year with 53 1/3 innings of 3.04 ERA ball, and he fired a no-hitter against Texas last week. It’s by far the best Kluber has looked since earlier in his career, which has been hampered by multiple injuries over the past few years. The former workhorse, 35, totaled just 35 2/3 innings in 2019, his last season with the Indians, because of a fractured forearm. And he was unable to bounce back last year as a member of the Rangers, with whom he threw one inning and was then shut down for good with a shoulder problem.

The loss of Kluber for at least two months (if not more) is obviously a significant blow to the Yankees’ rotation, which has been a strength during the team’s quality start. Ace Gerrit Cole, Domingo German and Jordan Montgomery have all pitched well, while Jameson Taillon’s peripherals are a lot more encouraging than his 5.06 ERA. The Yankees could also get back Luis Severino from Tommy John recovery sometime during the summer, but in the meantime, they’ll turn to Deivi Garcia to fill the last spot in their starting staff.

The loss of Voit is another troubling development for the Yankees, and it continues a difficult, injury-shortened campaign for him. After leading the majors with 22 home runs a season ago, he opened this year on the IL with a torn left meniscus that required surgery. Since he made his season debut in May, Voit has hit an uncharacteristically poor .182/.280/.250 with shockingly little power in 50 plate appearances. Voit has just one home run and a meager .068 ISO thus far. The Yankees seem likely to use Mike Ford and DJ LeMahieu at first base while Voit is absent.

In better news for the Yankees’ offense, slugger Giancarlo Stanton could come off the IL on Friday, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic was among those to report. Stanton, who has been out since May 14, slashed a superb .283/.347/.534 with nine homers in 144 PA before going down with a quad strain.

Corey Kluber To Undergo MRI On Shoulder

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9:21pm: Kluber offered some positive news after the game, telling Andy Martino of SNY and other reporters that he didn’t feel any pain during his outing. He added that this problem “doesn’t feel at all like what I dealt with last year.”

7:46pm: The Yankees announced that right-hander Corey Kluber left his start against the Blue Jays on Tuesday with tightness in his pitching shoulder. He’ll undergo an MRI on Wednesday.

Kluber, making his first start since throwing a no-hitter against the Rangers last Wednesday, went just three innings before departing. He allowed two runs on two hits and three walks (with five strikeouts), raising his season ERA to a still-excellent 3.04 over 53 1/3 innings. To this point, the two-time American League Cy Young winner has been a tremendous signing for the Yankees, who gave him a one-year, $11MM guarantee in free agency. They took that gamble after the former Indians ace missed nearly the entire 2019 season because of a fractured forearm and then totaled a mere one inning last year with the team he just no-hit, Texas. Kluber left his first start with the Rangers on account of shoulder tightness and then sat out the rest of the year with a Grade 2 tear of the teres major muscle.

The fact that the 35-year-old Kluber’s shoulder is acting up again is clearly a worrying sign for him and the Yankees, whose rotation has posted a sterling 3.31 ERA and helped them to a 28-19 record. Kluber, Domingo German and Jordan Montgomery have served as highly capable complements to all-world righty Gerrit Cole, and Jameson Taillon’s peripheral numbers suggest his 5.06 ERA will trend in a better direction. But the Yankees now have to wonder how much more they’ll get from Kluber this season as a result of this news.

The Best Minor League Deals Of 2021 (So Far): Pitchers

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We took a look last week at some of the minor league pacts that have paid the most dividends, focusing in on position players in both leagues. Unsurprisingly, given the lack of offense throughout baseball as a whole at the moment, there are even more success stories on the pitching side of the coin. Some of these are products of small sample size, particularly for the many relievers on the list, but at least for our initial check-in on this subject, the early returns have been strong.

  1. Ian Kennedy, RHP, Rangers: We’re nearing Memorial Day weekend, and Kennedy is tied for the American League lead in saves — just as everyone expected! The 36-year-old righty isn’t just scraping by and narrowly escaping in a bunch of three-run leads, though. He’s tallied 19 1/3 innings and allowed just four runs, all while recording a terrific 31.1 percent strikeout rate and a tiny 5.4 percent walk rate. If Texas remains near the bottom of the AL West standings, he’ll be an appealing trade target for bullpen-needy clubs.
  2. Drew Steckenrider, RHP, Mariners: A quality setup man with the 2017-18 Marlins, Steckenrider’s time in Miami was derailed by injuries — most notably a 2019 flexor strain. He looks to be back on track in his new surroundings, however, having tossed 18 1/3 innings of 2.45 ERA ball with a 29.2 percent strikeout rate and an 11.1 percent walk rate. The walks are a bit elevated, but he’s helped to combat that with a career-best 54 percent ground-ball mark. The Mariners (or another club) could control Steckenrider through 2023 via arbitration as well, which only adds to the value.
  3. Jimmy Nelson, RHP, Dodgers:  The Dodgers just placed Nelson on the injured list due to a forearm issue, so there are (once again) some obvious health question marks with Nelson. There’s no ignoring how effective he’s been thus far, however. Nelson’s 39.1 percent strikeout rate is the ninth-best among all MLB relievers, and he’s paired that with a pristine 2.41 ERA. Like Shaw, he’s walked too many batters (13 percent), but the former Brewers ace has shown high-leverage, late-inning potential with L.A.
  4. Bryan Shaw, RHP, Indians: Shaw was an iron man in the Cleveland ’pen but flopped in Colorado after signing a three-year, $27MM contract going into 2018. Back in his old stomping grounds, he’s tallied 19 innings with a pristine 1.42 ERA. The 33-year-old has issued 13 walks, so he’ll need to cut back on the free passes if he hopes to continue this success, but Shaw’s strikeout and ground-ball percentages are among the best of his career (29.3 percent, 57.5 percent, respectively).
  5. Lucas Luetge, LHP, Yankees: Luetge’s last MLB appearance prior to his Yankees debut came with the 2015 Mariners. The now-34-year-old southpaw signed minor league deals with five organizations before making it back to the show, which is remarkable in and of itself. That he’s been one of the Yankees’ best relievers, however, makes his story all the more incredible. Luetge, who entered 2021 with all of 89 MLB frames under his belt, has a 2.95 ERA and a 19-to-3 K/BB ratio in 21 1/3 innings for the Yankees thus far. Considering the injuries to Zack Britton and Darren O’Day, Luetge’s unexpected contributions have been a godsend. If he can keep this up, he’ll be arbitration-eligible this winter and controllable through the 2024 season.
  6. Hyeon-jong Yang, LHP, Rangers: Yang, a former KBO MVP, could’ve returned to that league on a guaranteed deal but refused to give up on his aspirations of playing in the Majors, even if it meant taking a non-guaranteed pact. He’s 21 1/3 innings into the realization of that lifelong goal, and the Rangers are no doubt pleased with their decision. Yang, 33, opened the season with the Rangers’ alternate site group but had his contract selected in late April. He now owns a 3.38 ERA, and while his pedestrian strikeout and walk rates might point to some possible regression, he’s induced plenty of weak contact (average 87.4 mph exit velocity, just a 13.1 percent line-drive rate). An 11.2 percent swinging-strike rate suggests there could be more K’s to come, as well.
  7. Chi Chi Gonzalez, RHP, Rockies: Gonzalez’s numbers don’t stand out that much, but he’s eating innings and delivering roughly league-average run-prevention numbers when adjusting for his home park (102 ERA+, 99 ERA-). Through nine appearances, seven of them starts, Gonzalez is carrying a 4.54 ERA. He’s totaled 41 2/3 innings for a Rockies club that has gone the whole season without lefty Kyle Freeland. Gonzalez has rattled off consecutive quality starts and helped the Rox get through the first two months of the season. The secondary marks aren’t great, but average innings have value — especially in 2021 when teams are so conscientious about their pitchers’ workloads.
  8. Nabil Crismatt, RHP, Padres: Crismatt had just 8 1/3 innings of MLB experience (all with the 2020 Cardinals) when he arrived in Padres camp this spring. He’s more than doubled that total in 2021 already, pitching 17 2/3 innings of 2.55 ERA ball with a hefty 52.2 percent grounder rate. Crismatt is an oddity in today’s game, sitting under 89 mph with a fastball that is only seldom used due to the fact that he throws his changeup at a whopping 46.5 percent clip. It’s weird, but so far — it’s worked.
  9. Anthony Bender, RHP, Marlins: A 26-year-old rookie who never pitched above Double-A with the Royals or Brewers before joining the Marlins on a minor league deal this winter, Bender is sitting 97.4 mph with his heater and has tossed 8 2/3 shutout innings to open his career. He’s whiffed 36.7 percent of his opponents against a 3.3 percent walk rate. Small sample? Sure, but Bender also rattled off 8 1/3 shutout frames during Spring Training, too. Not bad for a guy who posted a 5.48 ERA with the independent American Association’s Milwaukee Milkmen in 2020.
  10. Heath Hembree, RHP, Reds:  After a rough 2020 season, Hembree has bounced back early in 2021. His 4.15 ERA through 13 frames is nothing special, but his strikeout rate is sitting at a career-high 33.3 percent after plummeting in 2020. His 6.3 percent walk rate is a career-best, and his 13.1 percent swinging-strike rate isn’t far off from his peak years in Boston. Hembree’s velocity is also up to 95.2 mph after dipping to 93.9 mph in 2019-20. It’s early, but those are some encouraging indicators.
  11. Zack Littell, RHP, Giants: Littell hasn’t spent much time with the Giants yet, but he’s chucked 10 2/3 innings and held opponents to just one run on eight hits and three walks with nine punchouts. His 94.8 mph average fastball velocity is a career-high, as is his 48.3 percent grounder rate. The former Twins righty only has a year of big league service and could be controllable for several years if he figures it out in San Francisco.
  12. Deolis Guerra, RHP, Athletics: It’s hard to believe Guerra just turned 32, given that he was one of the pieces traded from the Mets to the Twins way back in 2008’s Johan Santana trade. He’s bounced around the league in journeyman style but is enjoying a nice run with the A’s to kick off the ’21 season. In 20 2/3 frames, Guerra has a 3.92 ERA with a pedestrian K-BB% but intriguing levels of weak contact induced.
  13. JT Chargois, RHP, Mariners: Like Littell, Chargois hasn’t seen much time in the bigs yet, but he’s sporting a 9-to-1 K/BB ratio in 8 2/3 innings for Seattle. He’s had multiple chances with the Twins and Dodgers in recent years but never found much consistency. Chargois also mustered only a 5.81 ERA pitching for Japan’s Rakuten Golden Eagles in 2020. Still, it’s a nice start to his 2021 season.
  14. Brad Boxberger, RHP, Brewers: The right-hander, who’ll turn 33 this week, has hurled 17 1/3 innings so far in Milwaukee and pitched to a 4.15 ERA but with a more impressive 17-to-3 K/BB mark. As with many relievers early in a given season, the bulk of the damage against Boxberger came in one appearance (against the Cardinals). He’s been unscored upon in 16 of his 19 outings so far in 2021.
  15. Ervin Santana, RHP, Royals: The Royals love their reunions more than any team in baseball, and Santana is somewhat improbably back to “smelling baseball,” as he likes to say, for a second stint in Kansas City. He’s only allowed four runs in 15 1/3 innings (2.35 ERA), but he’s also only picked up eight strikeouts against four walks. His fastball is sitting 93 mph again after living at 89-90 in 2018-19, but the red flags are plentiful: 13.1 percent strikeout rate, 91 percent strand rate, .213 BABIP, 45 percent opponents’ hard-hit rate.
  16. Paolo Espino, RHP, Nationals: The Nats quietly re-signed the now 34-year-old Espino before the calendar even flipped to November last year. So far, it’s been a worthwhile reunion, as he’s held opponents to four runs on nine hits and a walk with eight strikeouts in 14 innings (2.57 ERA). Espino won’t keep this up if he can’t miss some more bats and/or induce far more grounders, however. He’s currently benefiting from a .175 BABIP and an 83.3 percent strand rate, while his 26.6 percent grounder rate will make it to limit home runs. Still, the Nats have 14 innings of decent results to show for the deal.

As with the position players, some of these strong starts will fade. There are a few at the back of the list that look particularly difficult to sustain, but there also look to be some genuine bargains unearthed among this group. Some will likely result in trades (Kennedy), but it’d make for a fun story to follow should any of the controllable arms (e.g. Bender, Crismatt) ultimately emerge as long-term pieces for the clubs who gave them their best career opportunities to date.

Yankees Sign Sal Romano To Minor League Deal

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The Yankees have signed right-hander Sal Romano to a minor league deal and assigned him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, per an announcement from the RailRiders (Twitter link). He became a free agent earlier this week after being outrighted by the Reds.

Romano had pitched in fourteen games for Cincinnati this year, his most extensive MLB work since 2018. Over 20 2/3 relief innings, Romano pitched to a 5.23 ERA with a poor 13.2% strikeout rate and an average 9.9% walk percentage. The 27-year-old has never missed many bats, and he’s bottomed out in that regard this year; Romano’s 5.1% swinging strike rate is tied for 240th among 244 relievers with at least ten innings pitched. He also didn’t come out of the gates with his typical velocity; Romano has averaged 93.3 MPH on his sinker this season, down about two ticks from his previous levels.

Tough start aside, there’s little harm for the Yankees in bringing Romano in as a non-roster depth option. He has a solid 3.94 ERA in 118 2/3 career innings at Triple-A, where he’s struck out a more impressive 21.1% of opposing hitters. The Yankee bullpen has been among the league’s best, but New York remains without Zack Britton and Darren O’Day due to injury.

Aaron Hicks To Undergo Wrist Surgery

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Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks will undergo surgery to repair a torn tendon sheath in his left wrist, manager Aaron Boone announced to reporters Friday (Twitter link via Pete Caldera of the Bergen Record). There’s no exact timeline for his recovery, but Boone indicates that it’ll be a “months-long” process, which puts the remainder of the season in question for Hicks.

It’s yet another setback for the talented-but-oft-injured Hicks, who hasn’t looked right at the plate all season. Hicks batted just .194/.294/.333 before the discomfort in his wrist became too great and he went on the injured list last week. He underwent an MRI to determine the source of the pain, which led to the diagnosis of the tear. Given that he’s likely been playing through the issue for some time, the poor showing at the plate isn’t surprising.

Hicks appeared in 54 of the Yankees’ 60 games last summer, batting .225/.379/.414 with six homers, 10 doubles and a pair of triples. He tacked on a .308/.424/.423 showing in the team’s seven postseason games. From 2017-19, the switch-hitting Hicks gave the Yankees a .247/.362/.452 performance, but he tallied just over 1400 plate appearances during that time due to various injuries.

Hicks missed time with a hamstring strain in 2016, a pair of oblique strains in 2017 (one on his right side, one on his left) and an intercostal strain in 2018. He had a brief IL stint for back troubles in 2019 before a flexor strain put an end to his season. It was eventually revealed that Hicks would require Tommy John surgery to address the issue.

The mounting durability concerns are particularly problematic, given that in 2019, Hicks signed a seven-year, $70MM extension that runs through the 2025 campaign. He’d have been a free agent at season’s end were it not for that deal, but the Yankees are now on the hook for a $10.5MM salary from 2021-23, a $9.5MM salary in 2024-25 and a $1MM buyout on an option for the 2026 season.

Hicks’ prolonged absence now puts the struggling Brett Gardner in line to serve as the everyday center fielder. The Yankees traded Mike Tauchman to the Giants in exchange for reliever Wandy Peralta last month, and neither Aaron Judge nor Clint Frazier can be expected to handle center field on a regular basis. The Yankees have former top prospect Estevan Florial on the 40-man roster and in Triple-A, but he’s only just now getting his first experience above A-ball. It’s certainly possible they’ll still give him a look before long, but they could also be on the lookout for some outfield options outside the organization.

Yankees, Rangers Discussing Delino DeShields Jr. Trade

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12:14PM: DeShields can opt out of his minors deal with the Rangers if he isn’t on the active roster by June 1, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link).

7:21AM: The Yankees have shown interest in trading for Rangers outfielder Delino DeShields Jr., according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (Twitter link).  DeShields signed a minor league contract with Texas during the offseason, and has yet to see any Major League action in 2021.

Considering the Yankees’ injury woes in the outfield, DeShields would likely have a much easier path to big league playing time in the Bronx than he will in Arlington.  Aaron Hicks and Ryan LaMarre (himself an offseason minors signing for New York) are both on the injured list, while Rosenthal notes that Clint Frazier is dealing with a sore neck.  Giancarlo Stanton hasn’t played in the outfield since 2019, but he is also on the IL if the Yankees were considering him as an emergency option, leaving the team with Aaron Judge, Brett Gardner, Miguel Andujar, and the struggling Frazier as their top options for outfield duty.

Greg Allen and Socrates Brito are available at Triple-A, but the Yankees could prefer a bit of remaining upside in the 28-year-old DeShields.  While DeShields has hit only .246/.326/.340 over 2056 career PA in the majors, he does offer plus baserunning and a solid outfield glove capable of above-average defense in center field.

It’s safe to assume the Yankees wouldn’t need to surrender much if they did trade for DeShields, who returned to Texas after being non-tendered by the Indians in December.  The Rangers sent DeShields to Cleveland as part of the Corey Kluber trade in December 2019, but DeShields fared poorly in his lone season with the Tribe, first testing positive for COVID-19 in July and then hitting a modest .252/.310/318 in 120 plate appearances.

Yankees Reinstate Gleyber Torres From Injured List

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Before this evening’s game against the Rangers, the Yankees announced they reinstated shortstop Gleyber Torres from the injured list. Torres is in the starting lineup tonight, hitting fifth. To create active roster space, fellow infielder Rougned Odor was placed on the paternity list.

Torres has been out of action since May 11 after testing positive for COVID-19. The 24-year-old had previously been fully vaccinated and was fortunately said to be asymptomatic. He’ll now look to turn around his season line, which currently sits at .240/.331/.304 across 142 plate appearances. It’s the second consecutive year in which Torres has reached base a fair amount but not hit for power, a surprising development after he slugged .535 and popped 38 homers during his age-22 season in 2019.

Odor had just returned from an IL stint himself- in his case, due to a left knee sprain. The 27-year-old has just a .182/.280/.379 line over his first 75 plate appearances in the Bronx. Nevertheless, the Yankees have been intrigued enough by Odor to give him 19 starts at second base, and he figures to get some more work at the position when he returns. Players on the paternity list can miss between one and three games.

Yankees Place Giancarlo Stanton On 10-Day Injured List

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The Yankees announced that slugger Giancarlo Stanton has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a left quad strain.  Stanton’s placement is retroactive to May 14.  Right-hander Albert Abreu has been called up to take Stanton’s spot on the active roster.

The specter of Stanton hitting the IL is an ominous one for the Yankees and their fans, given how the 31-year-old has so often been sidelined by injuries throughout his career as a whole, and particularly his tenure in the Bronx.  A variety of leg injuries (and a biceps strain) limited Stanton to only 18 games in 2019 and 23 games in 2020, which led the Yankees to make Stanton into a full-time designated hitter prior to last season.

While New York’s lineup as a whole hasn’t lived up to its usual standard, Stanton has been a major bright spot, hitting .282/.347/.534 with nine home runs over 144 plate appearances.  Despite all the injuries, Stanton has always been a very dangerous bat when he has been able to play, which naturally only adds to the concern over this MVP-level hitter seemingly being unable to stay on the field.

The severity of Stanton’s quad strain isn’t yet known.  Given his track record, it’s probably safe to predict that the Yankees will hold Stanton out beyond the 10-day minimum just to be completely sure that this injury won’t linger (and result in another extended absence).

There is no way to really replace Stanton’s offensive contributions, of course, but the Yankees could now rotate a few players through the DH spot.  Rougned Odor is expected back from the injured list relatively soon, to add to the position player mix.  Speculatively, the absence of Stanton (not to mention Aaron Hicks and Gleyber Torres) could open up some playing time for Miguel Andujar, as the former Rookie Of The Year candidate has been lacking in consistent playing time since his own injury-ruined season in 2019.

Rougned Odor Close To Return

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  • The Yankees are hoping that Rougned Odor will be back from the injured list in time to face off with his old Rangers teammates, as per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com (via Twitter).  New York begins a four-game set against Texas beginning today.  Odor was placed on the 10-day IL on May 5 due to a left knee sprain.  Though Odor has hit just .164/.271/.361 in pinstripes, the Yankees are in need of middle infield reinforcements due to Tyler Wade’s similarly underwhelming offense and Gleyber Torres’ COVID list absence.
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