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Minor MLB Transactions: 9/26/20

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Rounding up the latest minor moves:

  • The Yankees announced last night that left-hander Tyler Lyons has been outrighted to the alternate training site. Rookie right-hander Miguel Yajure was recalled in his place. New York just selected Lyons to its roster earlier this week. The veteran got into one game, allowing four runs (all earned) on three hits and a walk in 1.2 innings against the Blue Jays on Wednesday. That marked an eighth straight season of MLB action for Lyons, who has a career 4.30 ERA/4.06 FIP in 162 appearances. Because Lyons was sent to the alternate site, he is eligible to return to the Yankees this season.

Giancarlo Stanton Won’t Opt Out Of Contract

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Yankees designated hitter/outfielder Giancarlo Stanton won’t opt out of his contract at the end of the season, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets. This is the only opt-out opportunity for Stanton, who still has another seven years and $215MM left on the 13-year, $325MM extension he signed with the Marlins before the 2015 season. Considering how much guaranteed money is left on Stanton’s pact, it’s hardly a surprise that he’ll stay put.

Even after signing his mega-deal, Stanton continued to star with the Marlins, as he won the NL MVP in 2017 with a 59-home run season. But the cost-cutting Marlins then moved on from Stanton, sending him and most of the money left on his contract to the Yankees in advance of the 2018 campaign.

Stanton wasn’t an MVP-caliber producer in his first season with the Yankees, but he still slashed .266/.343/.509 with 38 home runs in 705 plate appearances and 158 games. Since then, though, various injuries have slowed the 30-year-old Stanton, who missed 144 games in 2019 and has only appeared in 22 of the Yankees’ 58 contests this season. To his credit, Stanton has continued to pose a serious threat when healthy, as he has batted .273/.397/.508 with seven HRs in 157 trips to the plate since ’19, but the Yankees certainly didn’t expect him to miss so much time when they acquired him.

Yankees Select Tyler Lyons

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The Yankees have selected left-hander Tyler Lyons, placed right-hander Ben Heller on the 60-day injured list with a biceps nerve issue and optioned righty Michael King, Brendan Kuty of NJ.com tweets.

Lyons has been a member of the New York organization since August 2019, but he only threw 8 2/3 innings as a Yankee a year ago and hasn’t pitched for them this season. That said, the 32-year-old – a former Cardinal and Pirate – has been a fairly successful reliever in the majors, where he has logged a 4.20 ERA/4.04 FIP with 9.26 K/9 and 2.85 BB/9 in 281 innings. He could now factor into a Yankees bullpen that has a pair of higher-profile southpaws in Aroldis Chapman and Zack Britton.

Heller, meanwhile, has been a Yankee since they acquired him from the Indians as part of a trade for southpaw Andrew Miller in 2016. Heller hasn’t seen much action in the majors since then (31 1/3 innings), but he did throw six frames of two-run ball this year before his season came to an end.

Domingo German Won’t Pitch In 2020

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Yankees right-hander Domingo German, who’s serving the remainder of an 81-game suspension Major League Baseball handed him in January, may have been able to help the club during the postseason this fall. However, manager Aaron Boone said Monday that German won’t have enough time to ramp up for the playoffs, meaning he won’t pitch in 2020, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. The Yankees expect German to return for spring training next year.

German was a key part of the Yankees’ rotation last year, during which he notched a 4.03 ERA/4.72 FIP with 9.63 K/9 and 2.45 BB/9 in 143 innings, but he hasn’t pitched in just over 12 months (Sept. 18, 2019) on account of a violation of Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy. The 28-year-old German then seemed to hint at retirement in July before walking those comments back.

Aside from Gerrit Cole, the Yankees appear to lack shoo-ins for the 2021 rotation, so German could re-enter the unit – especially with Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton and J.A. Happ on the brink of free agency. But the Yankees are at least on track to welcome back Luis Severino, who missed all of this season because of Tommy John surgery, while Deivi Garcia and Jordan Montgomery are among those who could compete with German for spots.

Brett Gardner Hopes To Play In 2021

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Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner debuted in the majors in 2008, but it’s possible this will be the 37-year-old’s final season in the bigs. If it’s up to Gardner, though, that won’t be the case. He said Friday (via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com) that he would “love to” play in 2021.

The Yankees, with whom Gardner has spent his entire career and racked up 37.3 fWAR, have a $10MM option over him for 2021, but it’s quite possible they’ll decline it in favor of a $2.5MM buyout. The club re-signed Gardner for a guaranteed $12.5MM after last season, in which he slashed .251/.325/.503 with a career-high 28 home runs and 10 stolen bases across 550 plate appearances, but he has since posted a .198/.333/.387 line with five homers and three steals over 135 PA.

While Gardner has started more games in left than any other Yankee this year, they’ll continue to have Mike Tauchman and Clint Frazier in the fold as corner choices in a year. Either of those two or Giancarlo Stanton could be their No. 1 option at the position next season if Aaron Judge is able to man right on a regular basis. So, although he’s the longest-tenured Yankee, one of their heart-and-soul players and someone who has been rather productive throughout his career, Gardner could end up on the outs in the wake of a down season. However, even if the Yankees decline Gardner’s option, they could choose to bring him back on a more team-friendly deal.

Yankees Transfer James Paxton To 45-Day IL, Select Wynston Sawyer

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The Yankees have moved left-hander James Paxton to the 45-day injured list and selected catcher Wynston Sawyer, per a team announcement. Sawyer will join the Yankees’ alternate site.

This ends the regular season for Paxton, who has been on the 10-day injured list with a flexor strain since Aug. 20. While the Yankees appear likely to make the playoffs, Paxton won’t be available then from the outset.

Paxton turned in another effective (albeit injury-shortened) campaign in 2019, the former Mariner’s first in New York, and the Yankees were counting on more solid production from him this season. Instead, the 31-year-old totaled 20 1/3 innings of 6.64 ERA ball and saw his average fastball velocity drop from around 95 mph to 92.1. Even if the 31-year-old Paxton pitches again during the fall, he figures to head into free agency in an unfavorable position in a couple months.

Sawyer, previously with the Orioles, Dodgers and Twins organizations, signed a minor league contract with the Yankees in February. He topped out in Triple-A ball from 2018-19, during which he amassed 254 plate appearances and batted .277/.370/.405.

Yankees Activate Aaron Judge

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The Yankees announced Wednesday that right fielder Aaron Judge has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list. His activation from the IL comes just one day after Giancarlo Stanton and Gio Urshela also returned from injury.

Calf injuries have limited the 28-year-old Judge to just 18 games in 2020, although he’s been as dangerous as ever when healthy enough to take the field. Through 71 plate appearances, the 2017 Rookie of the Year has slashed a Herculean .292/.343/.738 with nine homers and a pair of doubles. Unfortunately for Judge and for the Yankees, he’s now in his third straight season that has been considerably shortened by injuries. Judge went down with a calf injury in early August and returned about two weeks later. However, he aggravated that calf issue in his first game back and landed right back on the injured list.

Judge joins the Yankees amid a six-game winning streak that has all but eliminated any possibility of the team missing the playoffs. At 27-21, the Yankees are a virtual lock for a postseason berth — it’s now just a matter of which seed they’ll land in this year’s expanded format. They’re four games back from the Rays at the moment, which makes it unlikely that they’ll take the top seed in their division. But New York is also just a half game up over their current opponent, the Blue Jays. There are two remaining games in that series, which will prove pivotal as the two clubs jostle for the better postseason standing.

The Yankees will follow that series up with three games in Boston before traveling to Buffalo for four more games against the Blue Jays at their makeshift 2020 home site. They’ll close out the year hosting the Marlins for three games. The Blue Jays, meanwhile, play four against the Phillies this weekend, four against the Yankees next week and finish the season by hosting the Orioles for three.

Yankees Reinstate Giancarlo Stanton, Gio Urshela, Jonathan Loaisiga From Injured List

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The Yankees announced that outfielder Giancarlo Stanton, infielder Gio Urshela and right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga have all been reinstated from the 10-day injured list.  Miguel Andujar and Mike Ford were optioned to the alternate training site in corresponding moves, and the Yankees already had an open roster space since right-hander Clarke Schmidt was optioned after Sunday’s game.

Stanton hit the IL with a left hamstring strain back on August 9, and the Yankees and their fans are hoping that the slugger can finally enjoy a sustained run of healthy play after almost two full seasons of inactivity due to various leg injuries.  Stanton played in only 18 games in 2019 and appeared in 14 games this season before going on the injured list, with this year’s absence being particularly disappointing since Stanton was off to a huge start (hitting .293/.453/.585 with three homers in 54 PA).

However, Stanton’s return gives him time to get ramped up prior to the postseason, as the Yankees are starting to get healthy at perhaps just the right time.  Urshela will back to action after a minimal 10-day placement due to a bone spur in his right elbow, and the third baseman has followed up his breakout 2019 campaign with a strong .272/.358/.515 slash line and six homers in 120 PA this season.  Aaron Judge is also expected to soon return from a calf injury.

Loaisiga’s return is also welcome news for the Yankees, especially considering the rather unusual nature of his IL placement.  On September 4, the Yankees said Loaisiga was suffering from “a medical condition that prevents him from playing and necessitates placement on the injured list,” with manager Aaron Boone later specifying that the right-hander’s absence was not due to COVID-19.  Regardless, it is good to see Loaisiga back in relatively quick fashion.  The 25-year-old has a 3.18 ERA, 5.00 K/BB rate, and 10.6 K/9 over 17 innings this season.

Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton Likely To Return This Week

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The Yankees seem set to get a pair of important reinforcements back, as manager Aaron Boone told Jon Morosi of MLB Network Radio on Monday that sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are likely to return from the injured list this week. Judge resumed swinging Monday, while Stanton did so on Sunday.

The Yankees have gone almost the entire past month-plus without Judge, who has been on the IL twice since Aug. 11 because of calf issues. He returned from his first stint Aug. 26, but Judge didn’t last the full game and went back on the IL after that. The injury problems cut off what was an excellent opening to 2020 for Judge, who has slashed an elite-level .292/.343/.739 with nine home runs in 71 plate appearances. The Yankees have primarily turned right field over to Clint Frazier, who’s having a terrific year at the plate in his own right, in Judge’s absence.

Stanton, meanwhile, hasn’t played since Aug. 8 on account of a left hamstring strain. Like Judge, Stanton got off to a great start this year with a .293/.453/.585 mark and three home in 54 trips to the plate. A corner outfielder for most of his career, Stanton saw all of his action at designated hitter this year before winding up on the shelf. New York has used various players at DH as subs for Stanton.

In spite of prolonged absences for Judge and Stanton, the Yankees have put up above-average offensive numbers this year, as they rank ninth in wRC+ (107) and 12th in runs (223). They were supposed to boast a stacked offense, though, and the fact that they haven’t has led to a relatively disappointing 26-21 start and a four-game deficit in the American League East. But if Judge and Stanton are their usual selves when they return, they could help the Yankees lock down a playoff spot and perhaps make a serious World Series run in the postseason.

Boone Provides Updates On Judge, Stanton, Paxton

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The Yankees’ season has again been punctuated by injuries for high-profile players, but manager Aaron Boone tells reporters that both Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton could get at-bats at the alternate training site this weekend and return “shortly after that” if all goes well (Twitter link, with video, via SNY). On a less-optimistic note, MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch tweets that Boone also acknowledged it will be “challenging” for lefty James Paxton to return this season.

Judge missed nearly two weeks early last month due to a calf injury and returned for just one game before heading back to the IL with further troubles in that same calf. Stanton, meanwhile, has played only 14 games in 2020 due to a hamstring strain that has sidelined him for more than a month now.

It’s the second consecutive injury marred season for the pair of former 50-homer sluggers. Both have been excellent when on the field — Judge is hitting .292/.343/.738 and Stanton .293/.453/.585 — but they’ve combined for only 125 trips to the plate. The timing of their return next week is pivotal. The Yankees are set to host the Blue Jays for three games beginning Tuesday, and they’ll travel to face them in a four-game set the following week. The Jays recently leapfrogged the Yankees in the standings and now hold a two-game lead over Boone’s club, which is clinging to the No. 8 seed after dropping seven of its past ten contests.

The news on Paxton isn’t good but also isn’t unexpected after last night’s update that he’d be shut down from throwing for a few days following soreness in his most recent throwing session. Paxton, who also underwent back surgery in February, has been limited to five ineffective starts for the Yankees so far in 2020 and has been out since Aug. 21 due to a Grade 1 flexor strain.

Boone didn’t completely rule out a return in 2020, and a lengthy postseason run for the Yankees would obviously improve his odds of healing up enough to make it back to the mound. However, the uncertainty surrounding his return date also creates the possibility that Paxton, a free agent this winter, has thrown his final pitch for the Yankees.

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