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Yankees Release Luis Avilan, Select Jordy Mercer

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The Yankees have released left-hander Luis Avilan in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster for infielder Jordy Mercer, whose contract has been selected from the alternate training site, manager Aaron Boone told reporters at today’s media session (Twitter link via ESPN’s Marly Rivera). The club hopes to re-sign Avilan but felt the move was the best course of action amid a roster crunch.

Avilan, 31, just landed on the IL earlier this week due to inflammation in his left shoulder. He’d been quite effective for the Yanks before coughing up two runs in one-third of an inning in his final appearance prior to going on the IL. Overall, Avilan has a 4.32 ERA with nine strikeouts and five walks in 8 1/3 frames.

The addition of Mercer was necessitated in large part by injuries to both DJ LeMahieu and Gleyber Torres. Thairo Estrada and Tyler Wade are starting up the middle for the Yankees right now, but Mercer could factor into the middle-infield mix while the club’s regulars mend on the IL. LeMahieu, in particular, could return this weekend, Boone said today.

Mercer, 34, spent six seasons as the Pirates’ primary shortstop from 2013-18, hitting .257/.317/.383 in 779 games along the way. He spent the 2019 season in Detroit, and while he struggled immensely early before going on the injured list for much of the year, Mercer returned to close out the season with a torrid .312/.343/.512 slash in his final 48 games. He returned to the Tigers in 2020 but was cut loose early in the year when they opted to give younger talent a look as their rebuild progresses. Mercer latched on with New York shortly thereafter and will now head back to the big leagues to provide some infield depth for an ailing Yankees club.

Aaron Judge Headed Back To Injured List

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The Yankees are placing Aaron Judge back on the injured list with a similar low-grade calf strain to the one that shelved him earlier this month, manager Aaron Boone tells reporters (Twitter link via James Wagner of the New York Times). Judge only just came off the injured list this week, but he exited his first game back with tightness in his problematic calf muscle.

There’s little doubt that Judge is among the game’s best all-around offensive performers when he’s healthy enough to take the field. He’s batting a ridiculous .292/.343/.738 with nine homers through 18 games and 71 plate appearances so far in 2020 and owns a career .274/.392/.556 line. But injuries have continually hampered Judge since his incredible rookie season in 2017.

The fractured wrist that Judge suffered upon being hit by a pitch back in 2018 can be chalked up as a fluke, of course, and the same could perhaps be said about the cracked rib and subsequent punctured lung he sustained on a bid for a diving catch last September. However, Judge has also now had multiple IL stints for oblique and calf injuries alike. In all, he missed 50 games in 2018, 60 games in 2019 and will now be sidelined for a yet-to-be-determined period in 2020 (already having missed 15 days with the first calf injury).

As has become typical in recent years, a resilient Yankees club has found a way to weather the storm in light of injuries to Judge and several other key players (Luis Severino, James Paxton, Giancarlo Stanton, DJ LeMahieu, Gleyber Torres). Still, it’s a staggering amount of talent to be shelved simultaneously, and the Yankees are beginning to show the effects; they’ve dropped five straight games and now trail the Rays by two and a half games in the AL East. At the moment, they’re closer in the standings to the third-place Blue Jays than to Tampa Bay.

Yankees Notes: Judge, DJ, Stanton, Torres

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  • Aaron Judge’s most recent calf injury “seems like a recurrence of what he had before,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said during an interview with WFAN (hat tip to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch).  Judge re-injured his calf in his first game back from a minimum 10-day stint on the injured list, and Boone suggested that this latest issue “does seem minor in nature again, but certainly something that could turn into an IL stint again.”
  • While Judge is a question mark, the Yankees could potentially have DJ LeMahieu back for this weekend’s series against the Mets.  Boone said that LeMahieu took batting practice today at Yankee Stadium and will now report to the club’s alternate training site.  Assuming the second baseman is indeed able to return against the Mets, it would represent a slightly early return from the initial 2-to-3 week timeline projected after LeMahieu was initially placed on the injured list with a thumb sprain on August 16.  In other Yankees injury news, Boone said Giancarlo Stanton (hamstring) also took on-field batting practice today, and that Gleyber Torres (quad/hamstring) is making good progress.

Yankees Notes: Happ, Schmidt, Garcia

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  • More on the pitching-needy Yankees, who seem likely to promote right-handed prospects Clarke Schmidt and Deivi Garcia over the weekend for their major league debuts, Ken Davidoff of the New York Post suggests. Either Schmidt or Garcia could be trade bait for the club before Aug. 31, observes Davidoff; if not, they may be able to help the Yankees’ staff. The 24-year-old Schmidt and Garcia, 21, are regarded as a pair of the Yankees’ top farmhands, with MLB.com ranking the former second in their system and placing the latter at No. 3.

Aaron Judge Exits With Calf Issue

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8:17pm: Judge left after experiencing tightness in his “calf area,” manager Aaron Boone told James Wagner of the New York Times and other reporters. Asked about a potential MRI for Judge, Boone said, “We’ll see.”

8:06pm: Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge didn’t get through his entire first game in his return from the 10-day injured list Wednesday. Judge departed after five innings against the Braves, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports. It’s unclear why Judge exited, but the team replaced him with Clint Frazier while nursing a 1-0 lead.

Judge’s latest IL stint came as a result of a mild right calf strain that shelved him for the minimum period of time. Yet another notable injury for Judge would be a significant blow to an injury-battered New York club that entered Wednesday night with four straight losses and now sits a game and a half back of the Rays in the AL East. The Yankees do own a wild-card spot right now, but they’re in a weakened state with DJ LeMahieu, Giancarlo Stanton, Gleyber Torres, James Paxton and Zack Britton on the IL.

As has been the case throughout his career, Judge has been one of the driving forces behind the Yankees’ success this year. The hulking slugger has slashed .292/.343/.748 with nine home runs in 71 plate appearances a month into 2020. There’s no realistic hope of replacing that production, though Frazier, Aaron Hicks and Mike Tauchman have also provided above-average numbers from the Yankees’ outfield. On the other hand, the long-steady Brett Gardner has gotten off to a woeful start this year.

Giants Trade Rob Brantly To Yankees

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The Yankees have acquired veteran catcher Rob Brantly from the Giants in exchange for cash and assigned him to their alternate training site, per a team announcement. Brantly was designated for assignment early in the season and assigned outright to the Giants’ alternate site after clearing waivers. He’s not currently on the 40-man roster but will be added to the Yankees’ 60-man player pool.

The 31-year-old Brantly appeared in just one game with the Giants and went 0-for-3 before his DFA. He’s a well-traveled veteran that has seen action in parts of six MLB seasons, hitting at a combined .228/.292/.330 clip in 432 plate appearances. Brantly has a solid 28 percent caught-stealing rate from behind the dish but less favorable number in terms of pitch framing.

Brantly will add some catching depth to a Yankees club that has seen Gary Sanchez struggle at the plate and Chris Iannetta depart for retirement. Backup Kyle Higashioka, meanwhile, is on the injured list due to an oblique strain, which prompted the Yankees to bring up veteran Erik Kratz. New York also has catchers Josh Thole, Max McDowell and Wynston Sawyer at its alternate training site at the moment.

Latest On Yankees’ Search For Pitching Help

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8:13pm: The Yankees have called the Giants about righty Kevin Gausman, according to Martino. Gausman, whom the Giants signed to a one-year, $9MM contract last winter, has tossed 31 innings of 4.65 ERA ball (with a far shinier 3.10 FIP) and recorded 12.19 K/9 against 1.74 BB/9 this season. The 29-year-old spent 2013-18 in the Yankees’ division, the AL East, as a member of the Orioles.

8:50am: The Yankees find themselves in a familiar position with just six days until the Aug. 31 trade deadline: battling for first place in the AL East with a pitching staff that has been thinned out by injuries. Luis Severino won’t pitch this year after undergoing Tommy John surgery, and James Paxton just landed on the IL after weeks of shaky results with diminished velocity. Just as Aroldis Chapman returned for his season debut, Zack Britton went down with a hamstring strain. Tommy Kahnle had Tommy John surgery. Southpaw Luis Avilan is out with shoulder troubles. On top of the injuries, Domingo German’s suspension removes him from the depth chart for 2020.

New York still possesses a deep bullpen, even with Kahnle out for the year and Britton sidelined into September, but the rotation is much shakier. Gerrit Cole has been excellent thus far, but Masahiro Tanaka hasn’t thrown more than 71 pitches in a start. Jordan Montgomery has been shaky in his four starts, and J.A. Happ has yielded nine runs in 12 2/3 frames with more walks (10) than strikeouts (6). Cole and Jonathan Loaisiga, who has thrown a total of 5 1/3 innings, are the only Yankees pitchers who have started a game this year and currently carry an ERA under 4.60.

Unsurprisingly, the Yankees are in the market for arms — both in the ’pen and more importantly in the rotation. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the Yankees could be particularly intrigued by deals that could allow them to acquire a starter and reliever in one fell swoop. Most clubs are expected to be a bit more averse than usual to parting with prospects at this year’s deadline, given the shortened amount of time they’ll control the players in 2020 and the fact that ownership groups are less willing to take on salary. The Yankees are no exception, so doubling up in a single deal makes some sense.

SNY’s Andy Martino writes that Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has already been in touch with the Indians, who are said to be at least “open” to offers on recently demoted right-hander Mike Clevinger. The 29-year-old has been excellent dating back to 2017 (2.97 ERA, 10.2 K/9 in 464 2/3 innings) and has two years of club control remaining beyond 2020. However, he also angered his organization by violating health-and-safety protocols and taking a flight with the club before the team learned of his actions. Clevinger was limited to 21 starts last year due to a teres major strain and an ankle injury, as well.

Elsewhere, Jon Morosi of MLB.com writes that the Yankees are among the many clubs to have inquired on Mariners righty Taijuan Walker. ]Walker is among the surest bets to move between now and Monday afternoon’s deadline, so it’d be more surprising to learn that the Yankees haven’t kicked the tires, but the initial interest is still worth noting. Walker is on a one-year, $2MM deal in Seattle this season and has pitched to a flat 4.00 ERA with a 25-to-8 K/BB ratio in 27 innings. Once one of MLB’s top pitching prospects, he pitched just 14 innings from 2018-19 due to injuries but has looked healthy thus far. Walker’s most recent start saw him hold the Dodgers to three runs on four hits and a walk with eight punchouts in seven innings.

There are obviously plenty of other places for the Yankees to look, but Cleveland and Seattle represent a pair of logical trade partners. If Clevinger is to move, the Indians will assuredly want immediate Major League help. They’re in second place in the AL Central and in clear win-now mode. Affordable outfield help will be paramount on the team’s wish list, as their current group has woefully underperformed. Speculatively speaking, Clint Frazier is a former top draft pick by the Indians. If Cleveland believes Miguel Andujar can play a competent left field, perhaps he’d be of interest as well. For a pitcher of Clevinger’s caliber, even with his stock down, they’d likely seek some additional prospect value rather than a straight-up swap, though. The rebuilding Mariners, meanwhile, may not be quite as insistent on adding MLB-ready help given that they’re not in the 2020 playoff picture. However, they’re beginning to see the fruits of their rebuild emerge at the big league level, so players who could help in the next year or two still seem likely to be an area of focus.

Yankees Activate Aaron Judge, Place Luis Avilan On 10-Day IL, Recall Andujar/Kriske

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Slugger Aaron Judge will make his return to the Yankees tonight, as the club announced that Judge has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list.  Lefty Luis Avilan, however, has been placed on the 10-day IL (retroactive to August 22) due to inflammation in his throwing shoulder.  Miguel Andujar and righty Brooks Kriske have been called up from the Yankees’ alternate training site.

Judge returns after a minimum 10-day absence due to a mild calf strain — one so seemingly minor, in fact, that Judge said he’d been lobbying the team to not place him on the IL whatsoever.  Still, the Yankees showed some caution with the star right fielder, and he’ll now add his considerable pop to a lineup that is still missing Giancarlo Stanton, DJ LeMahieu, and Gleyber Torres.  Judge has been nothing less than spectacular over his 68 plate appearances this season, hitting .290/.343/.758 with nine home runs.

While Judge is returning, Avilan becomes the latest Yankee to hit the IL.  The southpaw has a 4.32 ERA, 9.7 K/9, and 1.80 K/BB rate over 8 1/3 relief innings this season, his first in the pinstripes after inking a minor league deal with New York last winter.  It stands to reason that Avilan’s shoulder issue might have been the reason for his struggles in his most recent outing, as he allowed three hits and two earned runs over just one-third of an inning against the Rays last Thursday.

This will be the third separate time that Andujar has been up with the Yankees this season, and he has only a .232 OPS over 22 plate appearances.  It will be interesting to see how Andujar will be deployed during this stint on the active roster, as while he has been learning first base and the outfield, he could conceivably return to his old position at third base.  That would allow the Yankees some flexibility in potentially moving Gio Urshela to the middle infield with Torres and LeMahieu out, as manager Aaron Boone has indicated that he would be open to using Urshela away from third base on a limited basis.

Kriske is back up with the Yankees for the second time this season.  The 26-year-old made his Major League debut this year, and has a 6.75 ERA over his first 1 1/3 innings in the Show.

Mets To Resume Play On Tuesday

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10:47am: Major League Baseball announced, via press release, that the Mets will host the Marlins for a doubleheader tomorrow, which will make up for last Thursday’s postponement. The upcoming weekend Subway Series against the Yankees will indeed include doubleheaders on Friday and Sunday, as Sherman previously reported.

8:10am: The Mets have not had any further positive Covid-19 tests since a player and coach tested positive last Thursday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports (via Twitter). The team is expected to resume play Tuesday with a three-game series against the visiting Marlins.

Last week’s series finale against the same Marlins club was postponed due to the initial tests, so it’s possible there will now be a doubleheader baked into this upcoming three-game set in order to make up for that lost contest.

This past weekend’s scheduled Subway Series against the Yankees was also wiped out, although the two sides should be able to make up those three games, assuming continued negative tests. The Mets are slated to play a three-game series in the Bronx beginning Friday. Sherman further tweets that the current plan is for the Yankees and Mets to play doubleheaders both Friday and Sunday this coming weekend, with an additional makeup game set to fall on Sept. 3, when both clubs had an off-day scheduled.

 

Why The Yankees Likely Won't Trade Miguel Andujar

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  • Tuesday could be a big day for the Braves, as their game with the Yankees could mark both the return of Ronald Acuna Jr. from the injured list and the big league debut of pitching prospect Ian Anderson.  MLB.com’s Mark Bowman was among those to report the news that Acuna took batting practice on the field tonight, a day after being cleared to take swings.  A wrist injury has sidelined Acuna since August 10, though assuming he is pain-free and feels ready to go come Tuesday, one would imagine the Braves would be eager to get the superstar oufielder back into the lineup as soon as possible.
  • While Yankees fans consistently speculate that the team could or should trade one of their younger players for a more proven talent, George A. King III of the New York Post pours some cold water on the idea of Miguel Andujar, in particular, being dealt.  An injury-plagued 2019 season and a slow start in 2020 has seen Andujar produce only an .118/.141/.118 slash line over his last 71 MLB plate appearances, and King feels the Yankees aren’t going to move such a promising slugger when his trade value is so low.  It remains to be seen where Andujar will fit into New York’s future plans given the emergence of Gio Urshela as the everyday third baseman, but that isn’t a decision the team has to make any time soon.
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