Yankees' Minor-Leaguer Aceves Suspended 50 Games for Positive "Drug of Abuse" Test

Yankees Minor League Pitcher Alfredo Aceves has been suspended 50 games for a second positive "drug of abuse" test, CBS Sports Baseball Writer Matt Snyder reports.

Aceves, who was on the Yanks' main roster from May 4 to June 4, went 1-2 with a 6.52 ERA in 19 1/3 innings this season, the reason why he is currently with the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders. 

There, unlike in the majors, all players are required to undergo non-PED drug exams, where it's determined whether they are taking illegal substances such as marijuana, cocaine, and heroin.

Aceves, 31, last pitched for the Bombers back on June 2, when he surrendered a pair of two-run home runs in a 10-2 loss to the Mariners.

Prior to that bad outing, though, the veteran did have a few scoreless appearances against the solid-hitting Rays (5 1/3 frames on May 4) and Cardinals (2 on May 26), possibly making this occurrence something to get worried about, as it probably kills any chance Aceves had of a 2014 comeback. 

Whether you agree with that glass-half-full observation or not, this suspension will definitely come without pay for #91, whose contract this season was originally worth $1.2 million.

Alfredo Aceves Outright To Triple-A Scranton

Alfredo Aceves was designated for assignment last week when the New York Yankees acquired and claimed Wade LeBlanc off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and has been outrighted to Triple-A Scranton after clearing waivers. For all those that thought we were finally rid of the Mexican Gangster this is bad news for you as we still have the minor league depth in the system. It would not surprise me to see him back with the club before the season is over, just a hunch.

Claiborne Down, Ramirez Up, Saying Goodbye To Aceves

The New York Yankees announced a flurry of roster moves today including calling up Jose A. Ramirez from Triple-A, sending down Preston Claiborne to take Ramirez's spot in Scranton, and designating the Mexican Gangster Alfredo Aceves for assignment. Wade LeBlanc has been called up to take Aceves' spot on the 25 man roster.

LeBlanc as you remember was claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels yesterday. Aceves has been terrible and has some real attitude problems so even if LeBlanc wets the bet this is still addition by subtraction and I like it.

Whitley Solid, Bullpen Lights Out in 12-inning win over Cardinals

When the pitching matchup of Michael Wacha vs. Chase Whitley was revealed for this contest, things didn't look too promising for the Yankees.

Wacha, 3-3 with a 2.54 ERA this season, is arguably the Cardinals' best starter, so it was only logical to assume his team would emerge victorious.

That didn't happen today though, as the Yanks' offense was able to score three times off Wacha on way to a 12-inning, 6-4 win, their third consecutive.

It wasn't always pretty, as the Bombers did blow multiple leads throughout, but in the end, it was good enough, largely thanks to a three-run top of the twelfth that broke a longstanding tie.  

In that frame, the Pinstripes took the lead thanks to a duo of RBI Singles from Brian Roberts and Brendan Ryan and a PH Sac Fly from Alfonso Soriano, setting up David Robertson's unearned run-including save, his 11th in 12 chances this season.

All of that in the wake of Whitley's first five-inning start, in which the Cardinals scored three times on eight hits. 

Going into the bottom of the sixth, Whitley actually had a 3-1 lead, before loading the bases with nobody out, eventually leading to a tie game.

Still, Whitley was overall solid in the outing, making a couple of run-scoring singles from Jacoby Ellsbury and Kelly Johnson and a Sac Fly from Brett Gardner stand up.

He didn't dominate by any means, but overall, he did keep the team in the game, allowing the bullpen, led by Preston Claiborne, Dellin Betances, and Alfredo Aceves, who threw 1.1, 2, and 2 scorless innings respectively (Aceves getting the win, improving his record to 1-2), to pave the way to victory, the third time he's done so already this month.

Early runs prove costly for Yankees in 3-2 loss to White Sox

One bad inning.

Coming off yesterday's thriller at Wrigley, the Yankees offense looked to be carrying some momentum.

That wasn't the case tonight though, as the Yanks' bats picked up just 1 hit over 6 innings against White Sox starter Chris Sale, causing them to fall by a score of 3-2.

The Bombers hurler in this one, David Phelps, did exactly what was needed of him, surrendering just 2 earned runs over 7 frames of his own.

However, due to a two-out rally in the bottom of the second in which the Sox scored those two runs, Phelps and the Pinstripes fell in frustrating fashion, something that could end up knocking them out of first place.

They still competed eventually, scoring twice in the ninth thanks to a two-run single from Mark Teixeira, but due to Alfonso Soriano striking out on a questionable 3-2 pitch afterwards that rally proved unsuccessful.

It still should've been enough, as the Yanks did trail just 2-0 for the majority of this contest, but since Alfredo Aceves gave up another trip around the bases in the bottom of the eighth it wasn't. 

In other words, the Bombers seemingly weren't meant to win this contest. That'd make sense, as they didn't even get a runner on base until two outs in the top of the sixth, but still, it's rough. You'd like to be able to start these long road series with wins.

Kelley suffers setback; will now miss more than 15 days

Yankees Set-Up Man Shawn Kelley suffered a setback Tuesday and will now miss more than the originally scheduled 2 weeks, The Star Ledger's Jorge Castillo reports. 

Kelley, who hadn't appeared in a game since May 5's loss in Anaheim, was scheduled to play catch yesterday, before throwing a bullpen session tomorrow and a simulated game on Saturday.

However, back soreness Tuesday morning put that whole schedule on hold, causing #27 to be temporarily shut down and making his return date a mystery. 

The 30-year-old, 1-2 with a 3.52 ERA in 15.1 frames of work so far this season, usually pitches eighth innings for the Bombers when healthy, so his being gone is definitely not a welcome sign. Currently, sophomore Adam Warren has acted as the team's top/bottom of the eighth guy, although doing so leaves the club vulnerable in the still-important seventh, where recent signee Alfredo Aceves has struggled mightily. 

And considering that the alternative option there is minor-leaguer Matt Daley, this news really is terrible. The Pinstripes are already pretty beat up now, so hearing that they won't get Kelley back for this weekend's White Sox series has got to be frustrating for the coaching staff.

Quick Hit: Exit Alfredo Aceves, Enter Pat Venditte

The New York Yankees were built on depth and versatility this season so why is switch pitcher Pat Venditte still in Triple-A? The Yankees were built to win so why is Alfredo Aceves still on the roster giving up home runs to guys who will hit one more the entire season and Venditte is still in Triple-A? If the Yankees want versatility, a second lefty in the bullpen, and a fresh arm or two in the pen then it may be time to bring up Venditte.

Venditte is not the side show that everyone thought he was, although he may be old as far as prospects go though, but he has definitely earned the spot. It's worth mentioning that Venditte has faced five batters since being called up to Triple-A and has a 0.00 ERA and has five strikeouts.

New York Yankees Leaders Through 43 Games

The New York Yankees played two games with the Pittsburgh Pirates yesterday and are enjoying a much needed day off before taking on the Chicago Cubs tomorrow. The Yankees have now played 43 games so here is a look at the leaders in the major categories. 

Games Played:

Three Yankees have played in 41 games, Jacoby Ellsbury, Alfonso Soriano, and Brett Gardner. 

At Bats:

Alfonso Soriano leads the team with 153 at bats.

Runs Scored:

Brett Gardner has scored 26 times. 

Hits:

Brett Gardner  leads the way with 44 hits 

Doubles:

Jacoby Ellsbury leads the team with 12 doubles

Home Runs:

I have received nine Teix messages from Mark Teixeira this season.

RBI's:

Yangervis Solarte leads the team with 24 RBI's.

AVG:

Yangervis Solarte leads the way for the Yankees regulars with a .313 average. No one is going to beat Chase Whitley's 1.000 average though, just a gut feeling. 

Wins:

Masahiro Tanaka is 6-0 and leads the staff in victories. 

Losses:

CC Sabathia, the ace of the staff, leads the way with four losses.

ERA:

Alfredo Aceves is someone I really went hard for the Yankees to bring up and has made me look bad with the worst Yankees ERA of any regular with a 6.35. The best ERA goes to Adam Warren with his 1.44 ERA. 

K's:

Masahrio Tanaka has a staggering 66 K's to start his major league career

Yankees fail to complete sweep; drop finale to Pirates, 5-3

A sweep would've been nice. 

Despite getting a solid 6 inning, three-run start from Vidal Nuno and a long home run from Yangervis Solarte, the Yankees failed to complete a sweep of the Pirates this afternoon at Yankee Stadium, falling 5-3.

In today's bottom of the second, the Bombers, after commiting two errors in the top half of the frame that led to an RBI Single from ex-Yank Chris Stewart (who also had a run-scoring sac fly in the game), scratched across a pair to take an early lead, as Solarte scored from first on an outfield error and Brendan Ryan bunt-singled home John Ryan Murphy.

At that point, the Pinstripes were ahead 2-1, and appeared to be on their to way another W. 

They weren't, however, as the Pirates would take the lead in the sixth thanks to a two-run shot from Starling Marte. 

After Solarte's homer tied the game in the bottom of the frame, Pittsburgh would again take the lead in the seventh, when Josh Harrison put an Alfredo Aceves pitch into the left field stands.

That play pretty much ended this contest, and the veteran Aceves went on to take the loss, his second already this season.

Nuno loses control early as Mets beat Yankees again, 12-7

At least McCann played well. 

Coming off last Wednesday's dominant performance in Anaheim, Vidal Nuno looked destined for a repeat performance tonight.

The young right-hander, going into this one with a 1-0 record in three starts, instead struggled from start to finish, surrendering 5 earned runs in just 4.1 innings as the Yankees were beaten by the Mets, 12-7.

The first hitter Nuno faced this evening, Chris Young, was hit by a pitch, beginning a four-run top of the first highlighted by a three-run home run from Curtis Granderson. 

At that point, the Yanks looked to be in for a long night, but an RBI Single from Mark Teixeira and a 2-run shot to right field from Brian McCann quickly brought the Pinstripes to within one. 

Their momentum, unfortunately, would stop there, as struggling reliever Alfredo Aceves surrendered four trips around the bases in his 1.2 frames of relief.

Around that time Aceves was getting roughed up, the Bombers did cross home a few more times, as Brett Gardner and Alfonso Soriano hit run-scoring singles in the fifth and sixth respectively.

The Yanks, interestingly, also scored meaningless runs in this game's eighth and ninth, when Yangervis Solarte hit his first Yankee Stadium home run of the season and McCann lined another base hit to right.

With this loss, the Pinstripes have now lost a dissapointing four consecutive games, dropping their record to a now .500 19-19.

Breaking: Chase Whitley Gets The Start Thursday

As others have said, #Yankees recalling RHP Chase Whitley @chasewhitley to start Thursday.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) May 13, 2014

Breaking news out of Yankee land as Chase Whitley will get the start for the New York Yankees on Thursday in the finale of the Subway Series in place of CC Sabathia. Originally Joe Girardi wanted Alfredo Aceves to pitch the game but the need for him out of the bullpen eliminated those plans last night in New York. Whitley is not not he 40 man roster so a corresponding move will have to be made.

If I were a betting man this either means bad news for Ichiro Suzuki's back, Carlos Beltran's elbow, or Bruce Billings who somehow still have a 40 man roster spot. The Yankees could designate Billings for assignment and either DL one of the outfielders, send down Zoilo Almonte, or send down a Preston Claiborne.

Stay tuned.

Quick Hit: The State of The Starting Rotation

The Yankees are in trouble, no? Three fifths of the Yankees starting rotation is on the disabled list now with CC Sabathia missing at least 15 days with fluid in his knee, Michael Pineda rehabbing a teres major muscle in his back, and Ivan Nova done for the year with Tommy John surgery. In their place is Alfredo Aceves, David Phelps, and Vidal Nuno. Surely the Yankees aren't comfortable with this, are they?

While it's a little early to acquire any impact starting pitching, and I think New York will since Nova is out for the entire 2014 and likely half of 2015, I think the Yankees should start looking. Nuno has been wildly inconsistent, Phelps has pitched well but was skipped due to the rain out in Seattle, and Aceves has pitched well in the minor leagues and in the bullpen this season.

Can the Yankees really compete for a playoff spot in Derek Jeter's final season with a "pretty good #3" in Masahiro Tanaka, an aging and uncomfortable with the shift Hiroki Kuroda, and three pieces out of their bullpen? I hope so, and so far they have, but that doesn't mean it makes me feel good.

CC Sabathia Placed On DL w/ Fluid In Knee

CC Sabathia has been placed on the 15 day DL with fluid build up in his right knee. Matt Daley has been called up to take his place on the 25 man roster. CC had an MRI on the knee after last nights loss and fluid was seen but no tear was present thankfully. Alfredo Aceves seems headed to the mound to take his spot in the rotation, although obviously all of this is subject to change.

Things are subject to change because soon after CC's news was announced Scranton Wilkes Barre's Chase Whitley had his start scratched for an unknown reason. Whitley is not on the 40 man roster so a roster move would need to be made and also one of Daley, Preston Claiborne, etc will have to head back down to AAA.

I don't think fluid in the knee explains his disastrous up and down season but let's hope the rest and rehab can help right the ship.

Sabathia, Aceves fold under pressure in 5-4 loss to Brewers

CC Sabathia gave up three home runs in 5.1 innings and Alfredo Aceves surrendered the go-ahead trip around the bases in the bottom of the seventh tonight as the Yankees frustratingly fell to the Brewers in the middle game of this weekend series, 5-4. Technically, Sabathia wasn't too terrible in this one, as just one of those runs was earned due to a Brendan Ryan error, but since he still was overall responsible for the other three I guess criticizing him here is justifiable. 

Anyway, the Bombers offense was okay this evening, scoring twice in the third when Brett Gardner tripled home Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran singled home Gardner. After those plays, the Yanks' bats would go on break until the top of the sixth, when Mark Teixeira hit a solo home run followed by a pinch-hit Alfonso Soriano single in the seventh. 

Besides those guys, Dellin Betances and the before-mentioned Ryan also played pretty well in this loss, striking out the only two hitters he faced and going 2-for-2 respectively. Those two knocks, as always, were fun, but since that bobble on a routine grounder did extend Milwaukee's big third inning we, unfortunately, do have to acknowledge #17's contribution to the team's losing. 

Sabathia struggles early as Rays take rubber game, 5-1

CC Sabathia gave up 5 earned runs in 3.2 innings and the offense scratched across just one earned run against Tampa Bay Starter Erik Bedard today as the Yankees surprisingly dropped the rubber game of this three-game series to the Rays, 5-1. In this start, Sabathia just could never get anyone out, giving up a 3-run inside-the-park home run to Mitch Meyer in the top of the third that pretty much ended this one's competitiveness. 

Anyway, as a I just said, the Yanks offense was awful this afternoon, scoring just once all game in the second when Yangervis Solarte drove in Mark Teixeira on a Sac Fly. Prior to that happening, the Bombers actually had runners on second and third with no outs, but as always, they weren't able to capitalize as much as they should have thanks to Kelly Johnson popping out and Brett Gardner striking out.

Still, I guess the Pinstripes did have one thing go right for them in this loss, as recently called-up veteran Alfredo Aceves tossed 5.1 innings of scoreless relief. In those frames, the former Red Sock, wearing his old #91, gave up just 3 hits, making me wonder, could he be someone capable from starting? I mean, it's possible, isn't it?

Quick Hit: Please End The Nuno Experiment Now

Before we get too involved here I want to make it very clear that I like Vidal Nuno and I want him on the team but it is becoming painfully obvious that he may not be ready to be in the starting rotation. Please end this experiment right now and put him back into the bullpen and call it a day.

Whether you are a fan of Nuno or not it makes sense to keep him around in the bullpen rather than send him down to Triple-A. Nuno could be the second lefty in the bullpen that the Yankees so covet and could be the long reliever that we have needed far too often this season. You already have the "Mexican Gangster" Alfredo Aceves up on the roster and stretched out as a starter so the replacement is already in house.

Aceves would become of the best fifth starters in the league if he pitches anything like he did in the minor leagues or anything like his first time in the Bronx and the Yankees solidify a bullpen. It makes sense and it needs to happen, but it wont.

Leroux Designated For Assignment, Aceves Up

Excuse me for one second as I do my happy dance.....

Thanks guys for your patience and understanding. Chris Leroux has been designated for assignment and the Mexican Gangster Alfredo Aceves has been called up to take his place. I was going to cut grass today during the Yankee game this afternoon but it can wait, I want to see Aceves back in the Bronx.

Quick Hit: Vidal Nuno Is Your Ivan Nova Replacement

Vidal Nuno has been named the replacement in the starting rotation for the New York Yankees, at least for now. Nuno is expected to make the start this Saturday against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim taking over for the injured Ivan Nova. I have to say I am a tad disappointed, not because Nuno is not deserving because lord knows he is, but because I think a David Phelps or Alfredo Aceves makes more sense for this team right now.

The Yankees are with only one left handed pitcher in their bullpen in a Boston Red Sox series that usually tends to be very situational where every pitch and at bat seems to matter. With Matt Thornton the only lefty you can only pitch to David Ortiz with a same side pitcher once a game instead of twice, something that is probably more important than we think. 

Maybe I have just grown spoiled over the years, except for last year obviously, with having two or more left handed relief pitchers in the bullpen. It would have been nice to see an old face in Aceves in the fifth spot and Nuno back in the pen in a bigger role but I admit this is what's probably best for the tea, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. 

Ivan Nova Has Tear In His UCL, Now What?

Ivan Nova left Saturday nights game with elbow soreness and an MRI showed a partial tear of his ulnar collateral ligament. This is terrible news for the Yankees and for Nova as even if Nova was able to avoid Tommy John surgery and rehabbed the injury, something that Adam Wainwright did for years before having the surgery, he will still be out for a long time. Now what?

The problem, besides the obvious 40 man roster ramifications, is that any obvious addition to the starting rotation takes away from the bullpen that is starting to show holes. Adam Warren and David Phelps have shown the ability to pitch as long relievers and late inning relief pitchers so moving one of them hurts the bridge to David Robertson, something that New York does not need. Vidal Nuno could become the 5th starter and may be the best option for the job but that leaves the Yankees bullpen with one left handed relief pitcher, a LOOGY at that. No worries, I have the solution.

Alfredo "The Mexican Gangster" Aceves. Aceves has done it before in New York and has a ton of innings left on that arm. Ace is only 31 years old and could be the perfect stereotypical fifth starter in the Yankees rotation. You 60 day DL Ivan Nova and send down Preston Claiborne, who has struggled in spring training and put a TON of guys on base in AAA this season, and plug Aceves into the fifth spot. Season saved, at least until June and July when we could make a trade if necessary.

Brian Cashman, you're welcome.

Yankees Sign Alfredo Aceves

The Yankees have signed Alfredo Aceves to a minor league contract. Aceves will reportedly be able to opt-out of the deal on June 1st.

It was learned earlier today that Alfredo had opted out of his contract with the Baltimore Orioles, and the Yankees swept in and nabbed him for some starting pitching depth to stash in AAA.

Aceves had some rough seasons last year and the year before, so I wouldn't expect much out of the guy. I'm guessing the Yankees wanted him around just in case, as they don't have many days off to start the year. With Tanaka working more often than he's used to (in Japan they pitch just once a week, not every five days), and Pineda returning from two years off, the move makes sense.