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Yankees Place Aroldis Chapman On 10-Day Injured List

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The Yankees have placed Aroldis Chapman on the 10-day injured list with left elbow inflammation, retroactive to yesterday, per the team. In a corresponding move, Nick Nelson has been recalled from Triple-A.

It hasn’t been Chapman’s best season on the whole, but he had seemed to figure some things out of late. He had posted seven consecutive scoreless outings going back to July 21st. In fact, since allowing nine earned runs across three outings at the end of June, Chapman has posted a 0.82 ERA over his last 11 innings.

Nelson, 25, has been burned for 14 earned runs across 13 1/3 innings in 10 appearances (2 starts) this season. He’s fared much better in Triple-A, however, where he owns a 3.50 ERA across 36 innings with 46 strikeouts to 18 walks.

With Chapman out, the Yankees will likely turn to Chad Green to close games. Green has three saves on the year to go with 15 holds and a 3.21 ERA/3.45 FIP in 56 innings of work. Alternatively, veteran Zack Britton has plenty of experience closing, and he does appear to be rounding himself into form with a 2.57 ERA over his past seven outings. Jonathan Loaisiga also has three saves this season with a 2.53 ERA and 13 holds.

Yankees Nearly Traded Luke Voit Before Deadline

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The Yankees came very close to trading Luke Voit before last week’s trade deadline, Andy Martino of SNY reports. The Yankees discussed three potential deals involving Voit, per the report, one of which fell apart just before the deadline when the trade partner in question backed out of the swap.

With no trade coming together, Voit’s role on the Yankees has rather surprisingly become unclear. Despite the fact that the 30-year-old slugger paced the Majors with 22 home runs last summer and has generally been a well above-average hitter from the moment he arrived on the scene in the Bronx, the 2021 campaign has been something of a nightmare. Voit has endured three IL stints thanks to a torn meniscus, a strained oblique and a bone bruise in his knee, and he’s managed a tepid .241/.328/.370 output in 122 plate appearances when healthy.

Voit’s offense looked to be coming around in the weeks between his two most recent IL stints. From June 22 through July 11, he tallied 72 plate appearances and turned in a .281/.361/.453 batting line with two homers, three doubles and a triple. However, the Yankees acquired Anthony Rizzo at the trade deadline and already have a crowded designated hitter scene now that Joey Gallo has been added to an outfield mix that also includes Aaron Judge, Brett Gardner and Giancarlo Stanton. Per Martino, the team has at least discussed the possibility of optioning Voit to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre — a notion that not long ago would’ve seemed unthinkable.

With Rizzo now entrenched at first base and Giancarlo Stanton slotting in as the designated hitter most nights, there’s suddenly no room for Voit in the lineup. The Yankees are also currently employing a short bench of just three players, making positional flexibility more important than usual. Voit’s only time away from first base was a single inning in right field in 2018.

Rizzo is a free agent at year’s end, which could potentially open the door for Voit to retake his position at first base and in the lineup next year — assuming the team doesn’t again explore the market for Voit this winter. Voit, after all, would figure to have plenty of value to other clubs this offseason if the Yankees ultimately move in another direction. He’s due a raise on this year’s $4.7MM salary, but his injuries and the ensuing lack of counting stats will suppress the total of that raise. Voit is also controlled through the 2024 season, so an interested club could look to buy low in hopes of securing a longer-term option at first base.

In the short term, Voit began a rehab assignment in Triple-A on Tuesday and work to get back into game shape after a month on the injured list. Whether he immediately returns to the Yankees after that remains to be seen.

Gary Sanchez Tests Positive For COVID-19

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Yankees catcher Gary Sánchez has tested positive for COVID-19, manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News). He woke up this morning not feeling well and a rapid test came back positive. Rob Brantly is being re-selected to the roster as his replacement.

Sánchez is yet another notable Yankees player to land on the COVID IL. Gerrit Cole and Jordan Montgomery hit the injured list earlier this week, and a few players (including star outfielder Aaron Judge) tested positive immediately after the All-Star Break. One of those players — reliever Wandy Peralta — just made his return from the IL this afternoon. Assuming follow-up testing confirms the positive result, Sánchez will miss at least ten days recuperating, leaving New York to rely upon Kyle Higashioka and Brantly behind the plate.

Brantly was selected as a COVID replacement, so he can be returned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre at a later date without being subjected to waivers. He’s already been up as a COVID replacement once this season, appearing in four games.

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/4/21

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Today’s minor moves:

  • The Yankees announced they’ve returned outfielder Greg Allen to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Because he was selected as a COVID-19 replacement, he can be removed from the active and 40-man rosters without being subject to waivers. Allen played well in fifteen games after being called up on July 16, slashing .270/.417/.432 over 48 plate appearances.

Gerrit Cole, Jordan Montgomery Test Positive For COVID-19

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AUGUST 3: Montgomery has also tested positive for the virus, general manager Brian Cashman said on WFAN Sports Radio (h/t to Erik Boland of Newsday). That’ll leave the Yankees quite shorthanded on the starting staff over the next week and a half.

AUGUST 2: Yankees ace Gerrit Cole had been scheduled to start tomorrow’s game against the Orioles but won’t take the mound after testing positive for Covid-19, manager Aaron Boone announced to reporters this evening (Twitter link via Tyler Kepner of the New York Times). Boone also revealed that third baseman Gio Urshela is headed to the 10-day injured list due to a hamstring strain.

Cole will presumably be placed on the Covid-19 injured list and, as a player who tested positive, be subject to a quarantine period of at least 10 days, as is stipulated in Major League Baseball’s health and safety protocols for the 2021 season. Boone added that “as of now,” Cole is the only new positive on the Yankees’ roster. Nestor Cortes Jr. is “likely” to get the start in Cole’s place, although the team has yet to make any firm determinations on how they’ll proceed with the rotation.

With Cole subtracted from the rotation mix for the foreseeable future, the Yankees will likely rely on a combination of Jameson Taillon, Jordan Montgomery, newly acquired Andrew Heaney and the aforementioned Cortes to start games. Domingo German recently went on the injured list due to some shoulder inflammation, and Michael King was recently moved to the 60-day IL because of a finger injury.

Meanwhile, the Yankees are still waiting on the likes of Corey Kluber, Luis Severino and Clarke Schmidt to mend from their own injuries. Severino was cleared last week to head out on a minor league rehab assignment, and Schmidt has already made one minor league rehab start. Both figure to need a couple weeks worth of rehab stints before they’re options, however.

As for Urshela, his absence will also prove costly. He’s enjoying another solid all-around year in the Bronx, batting .274/.315/.439 with 11 home runs in 330 plate appearances and his typical brand of plus defense at the hot corner. Tyler Wade and the versatile DJ LeMahieu can step in at the hot corner for now, and depending on the length of Urshela’s absence and the yet-unclear timeline of the also-injured Miguel Andujar, the it’s possible Andujar could eventually surface as another option. He’s been out since July 10 thanks to a sprained wrist, however, and it’s not yet clear just when he’ll head out on a rehab assignment.

Brewers Claim Sal Romano Off Waivers From Yankees

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The Brewers announced they’ve claimed right-hander Sal Romano off waivers from the Yankees. He’ll add some depth to a bullpen that has been hit hard by the spread of COVID-19 throughout the Milwaukee clubhouse in recent days.

Milwaukee will be Romano’s third team of the year. He opened the season in Cincinnati but was cut loose after a poor first month. He signed a minor league deal with the Yankees not long after and pitched his way back to the big leagues in late July. His stint in the Bronx proved rather brief, though, as he wound up again designated for assignment after a pair of appearances.

Between the Reds and Yankees, Romano has tossed 23 innings with a 4.70 ERA. He has punched out only 14.9% of batters faced against an average 8.9% walk rate. Romano has had better results with the Yankees’ top affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, working 23 1/3 frames of 3.47 ERA ball. He is out of minor league option years, so the Brew Crew need to keep him on the big league roster or wind up placing him on waivers themselves.

Yankees Claim Jonathan Davis Off Waivers From Blue Jays

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The Yankees announced a series of roster moves before this evening’s game against the Orioles. Most notably, outfielder Jonathan Davis has been claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays. New York also selected the contracts of right-handers Brody Koerner and Stephen Ridings. They’re replacing Gerrit Cole and Jordan Montgomery, who landed on the COVID-19 injured list after testing positive for the virus.

Davis lost his 40-man roster spot when the Jays acquired Joakim Soria before last Friday’s trade deadline. The 29-year-old appeared in the majors with the Jays in each of the past four seasons, tallying a combined 241 plate appearances of .180/.285/.263 hitting. While he hasn’t performed well at the big league level, Davis has a decent .256/.357/.421 line over parts of three seasons at Triple-A.

Koerner and Ridings are both in line to make their big league debuts. Koener, a 17th-round pick of the Yankees back in 2015, has done very well at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season. Through 61 innings, the Clemson University product has a 2.95 ERA, the seventh-lowest mark among the 49 Triple-A East pitchers with 50+ innings pitched. His 18.3% strikeout rate is below-average, but Koerner has also issued walks at a lower than typical 7.8% clip.

Ridings began his career as an 8th-round draftee of the Cubs out of Haverford College. He was a starting pitcher early in his minor league tenure (which also included some time in the Royals system).  This year, though, he’s worked exclusively in relief, splitting the campaign between Double-A Somerset and Scranton. Altogether, the 25-year-old has pitched to a sterling 1.24 ERA in 29 innings, striking out an elite 38.2% of opponents while walking just 3.6%.

Because Koerner and Ridings were selected to the roster as COVID replacements, they can be returned to the minor leagues and removed from the 40-man without being exposed to waivers upon others’ returns from the IL.

Yankees Promote Luis Gil

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The Yankees are promoting Luis Gil to start this evening’s game against the Orioles, the team told reporters (including Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News). He’ll be making his major league debut. Gerrit Cole had initially been lined up to take the ball, but he’s now out of action for at least ten days after testing positive for COVID-19. Gil was already on the 40-man roster, so no corresponding move was necessary.

Acquired from the Twins for Jake Cave in March 2018, Gil has since developed into one of the more promising young arms in the organization. Baseball America placed him fourth among Yankees farmhands in their recent midseason update, while FanGraphs slots him twelfth in the system. Both outlets rave about his fastball, which gets into the high-90’s and has enough life to generate plenty of swinging strikes. There’s some debate about which of his secondary offerings — a mid-80’s slider or a low-90’s changeup — will become his most effective offspeed pitch, but the general expectation is that Gil’s fastball will play at the big league level.

While there’s not much doubt about the efficacy of his raw stuff, there are still questions about Gil’s strike-throwing consistency. The right-hander has walked more than 10% of batters faced at every level of his minor league career. That’s continued this season, as the 23-year-old has doled out free passes to a huge 13.5% of opponents over 15 starts split between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

To his credit, Gil has managed a decent 4.13 ERA between the two levels. That’s largely thanks to the plus bat-missing ability he’s shown throughout his career. Gil has struck out a huge 33% of opposing hitters in his first crack at the high minors, actually a bit of a step up from his overall 30.1% mark as a professional. He has worked exclusively as a starting pitcher in recent years, although that combination of high-octane stuff and bouts of wildness might hint at a bullpen future down the line.

Outrighted: Tauchman, LaMarre, Weigel

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Last Friday’s trade deadline brought about a slew of DFAs as teams made room for newly acquired big leaguers. With the trades of players who’d been on Major League contracts no longer allowed post-deadline, most of these players will hit outright waivers and be made available to all 29 other clubs. (Others may simply be released.) That’s going to lead to a series of outright assignments for those who ultimately go unclaimed on waivers.

As a reminder, players with at least three but fewer than five years of service time can reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency. However, doing so requires forfeiture of any remaining guaranteed salary. Players with five or more years of MLB service time can reject an outright assignment and retain any guaranteed salary on their deals. Players with fewer than three years of service can also reject outright assignments if they’ve been previously outrighted at any point in their career. We’ll run through the latest crop of outright assignments in this post…

  • Outfielder Mike Tauchman went unclaimed on outright waivers and was assigned to Triple-A Sacramento, the Giants announced Monday night. Tauchman crossed the three-year mark in terms of Major League service time just last week, giving him the option of rejecting the assignment should he choose. The Giants made no indication that Tauchman was rejecting, though players typically have a day or two from the time of the announcement to weigh whether to accept. Tauchman, 30, has batted just .181/.284/.283 in 191 plate appearances this season. He enjoyed a big 2019 season in the Bronx, however, and carries a generally strong track record (.309/.378/.493) in parts of five Triple-A seasons. As an outrighted player with three-plus years of service, Tauchman could become a free agent at season’s end even if he does opt to remain with the organization in Triple-A.
  • The Yankees announced late last night that outfielder Ryan LaMarre went unclaimed on waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The 32-year-old LaMarre has previously been outrighted, so he’ll have the option to reject the assignment should he choose, although he’s already accepted an outright assignment from the Yankees once this summer. LaMarre went 4-for-21 with a pair of homers with the Yankees’ big league club and has batted .308/.400/.479 in 135 Triple-A plate appearances. He’s a career .232/.286/.350 hitter in the Majors and a .283/.353/.420 hitter in parts of eight Triple-A seasons. LaMarre has experience at all three outfield spots but has been deployed primarily as a left fielder with the Yankees’ Triple-A club in 2021. He can be a free agent at season’s end unless added back to the roster.
  • The Brewers announced that right-hander Patrick Weigel went unclaimed on waivers and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Nashville. Milwaukee picked Weigel up in the April trade that sent shortstop Orlando Arcia to the Braves. He’s allowed a pair of runs in four MLB frames this year but has struggle mightily in Nashville, where he’s posted a 6.84 ERA and walked a batter per inning (20.8 percent of his total opponents) through 25 frames. Weigel lacks the service time or prior outright assignment necessary to elect free agency, so he’ll remain with the Brewers organization in Triple-A.

Yankees Place Domingo German On 10-Day Injured List

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The Yankees placed right-hander Domingo German on the 10-day injured list prior to today’s game, as German is suffering from inflammation in his throwing shoulder.  Righty Albert Abreu was called up from Triple-A to fill the spot on the active roster.

German started New York’s 4-2 win over the Marlins last night, lasting four innings and 66 pitches before being removed for a pinch-hitter in the top of the fifth.  It was German’s 18th start in 21 appearances this season, with all three of those relief appearances coming since June 19.  Over German’s last nine outings, only one has lasted beyond five innings — his seven-inning, 93-pitch start against the Red Sox on July 25.

With Andrew Heaney just acquired from the Angels, the Yankees were hoping to have a full rotation in place but they’ve been again left shorthanded due to injury.  It isn’t yet known if German’s injury is fairly minor or if he’ll be out longer than the minimum 10 days, which could run him into the projected late August/early September timelines for Corey Kluber and Luis Severino.  While these recovery timelines could be altered or future injuries could further change plans, the Yankees are hoping to have a surplus of rotation options down the stretch, so German might ultimately end up in the bullpen.

German missed the entire 2020 season while serving an 81-game suspension under the MLB/MLBPA joint domestic violence policy.  The right-hander has a 4.45 ERA/4.01 SIERA over 97 innings this year, with slightly below-average strikeout and hard-hit ball rates.

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