Familiar Faces in Different Places

The New York Yankees did not add a single major league free agent to their team this offseason and much of the reason why was the fact that New York did not have much coming off the books in terms of players and dollars. While the Yankees did add Aroldis Chapman and Starlin Castro is separate trades the team remained virtually the same from 2015 in many key areas. The Yankees lost three free agents this season in Chris Young, Stephen Drew and Chris Capuano while the team also lost Jose Pirela, Adam Warren, Brendan Ryan, Rookie Davis, Eric Jagielo and others in the Castro and Chapman deals. We've seen the new faces don Yankees pinstripes on Yankees photo day and today we look at those familiar faces who are sporting uniforms in different places. As painful as it may be please try to enjoy.

Adam Warren - Cubs

Justin Wilson - Tigers

John Ryan Murphy - Twins

Jose Pirela - Padres

Brendan Ryan - Reds

Chris Young - Red Sox

Chris Capuano - Brewers

Chase Whitley - Rays

Rookie Davis - Reds

Stephen Drew - Nationals

Jake Cave - Reds

Recapping Chase Whitley’s Short Tenure w/ NY

Chase Whitley learned on Friday that he was claimed on waivers by the Tampa Bay Rays and would be switching his home. Despite staying in the AL East Whitley will throw his home games in front of the crowd in Tropicana Field rather than in the Bronx inside Yankee Stadium so I thought now would be as good of a time as any to recap the quick, yet eventful, Yankees tenure that Whitley had with the team.

Whitley was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 15^th round of the 2010 MLB First Year Players Draft out of Troy University and immediately began his professional career with the Staten Island Yankees. Whitley, then, was a closer for the club and made the All-Star Game for the New York-Penn League. Whitley earned the promotion to High-A Tampa in 2011, skipping Charleston all-together, and finished the season in Double-A with the Trenton Thunder. By 2012 Whitley was out of the closer’s role and into middle relief for the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders, a minor league affiliate stop that he would stay at for the 2013 season as well. At the end of the 2013 season though the team decided to transition Whitley into being a starting pitcher instead of a relief pitcher and Whitley continued working on the transition into the 2014 season.

Whitley wasn’t long for the minor leagues after switching to a starting pitcher and made his Major League debut on May 15, 2014 against the cross-town rival New York Mets inside Citi Field. Whitley lasted just 4.2 innings in that start but allowed just two hits and two walks while striking out four. Whitley also collected his first career hit in the game when Whitley roped a single off Mets starter Jacob deGrom. deGrom also recorded his first hit and was making his Major League debut in the same game. Whitley took the no decision in a game that the Yankees went on to win 1-0 which propelled him to a 4-3 record and a 5.23 ERA in 12 starts. Whitley was on the Yankees radar.

Whitley was back in Triple-A to start the 2015 season but was called up on April, 27. Whitley started the next day and experience elbow pain that he attempted to pitch through to help the club. Whitley lasted until May 14 before being removed from a start and being diagnosed with a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament. Whitley had Tommy John surgery that essentially ended his 2015 season and will keep him out for much of the 2016 season. That 2016 season will have to come with the Tampa Bay Rays, not the New York Yankees, after the Yankees tried to sneak him off their 40 man roster.

Good luck in Tampa Chase and thank you for the memories.

Tampa Bay Rays Claim Chase Whitley off Waivers

The New York Yankees attempted to sneak Chase Whitley through waivers before the Rule 5 Draft decision deadline and failed. Whitley, despite undergoing Tommy John surgery last season, was claimed and awarded to the Tampa Bay Rays thus ending his tenure in New York. Whitley is unlikely to pitch before July or August of 2016, if at all, so this is not an immediate loss for the Yankees but it may be one in the long term.

Either way good luck in Tampa Chase.

Yankees Protect Gamel, Davis & Barbato

Today is the day that the final 40 man roster and Rule 5 Draft pick decisions have to be made and before the deadline passed the Yankees added three men to their 40 man roster keeping them safe from the draft. Those three men are RHP Rookie Davis, outfielder and Minor League Player of the Year in 2015 Ben Gamel and RHP Johnny Barbato.

Before the deadline the Yankees had just two open spots on their 40 man roster leading the team to try and sneak Chase Whitley through waivers. Whitley did not pass through waivers and was claimed and awarded to the Tampa Bay Rays.

Barbato was acquired from the San Diego Padres for Shawn Kelley and posted a 3.19 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A in 2015. Davis has yet to pitch above Double-A during his career but posted an impressive 3.86 ERA in 130.2 innings this season between High-A Tampa and Trenton. Gamel won the Minor League Player of the Year Award leading off for the Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders while posting a .300/.358/.472 with 52 extra base hits.

The Yankees 40 Man Roster Crunch and Possible DFA Candidates

The New York Yankees are a team right now in transition, whether it appears to be that way or not. To the naked eye it seems that the team, under the plan of Brian Cashman, is trying to get younger and cheaper at any and every position they can with the aging veterans and their hefty contracts coming off the books after the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Soon enough we’ll all be writing and reading about the exits of Carlos Beltran, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez and CC Sabathia and talking about the arrivals of Aaron Judge, Ronald Herrera and Domingo Acevedo. The way these plans are executed is by building from the bottom to the top and building from within. That sounds easy enough until you run into a continuous problem for the Yankees, a 40 man roster crunch.

The Yankees began positioning their 40 man roster at the end of last season when they designated Tyler Austin for assignment and the club has continued jockeying for positions with the outrights of Diego Moreno, Andrew Bailey and Sergio Santos. Cashman even stated that the reasoning behind the Jose Pirela trade was to clear a 40 man roster space without essentially losing Pirela for nothing, much like you would if you designate a player for assignment. Thankfully, for lack of a better word here, New York has a few DFA candidates that can help Cashman in his never-ending struggle to juggle the 40 man roster.

Austin Romine - The Yankees will sell the whole spring training competition for the backup catcher line this March but we all know, as things stand today, the job is going to Gary Sanchez. Sanchez tore up Double-A, then proceeded to tear up Triple-A before tearing up the Arizona Fall League. He’s ready and the job is his to lose…. Finally.

Brendan Ryan – For the first time in what seems like forever the Yankees have a ton of middle infield depth. One thing the team is lacking though is shortstop depth and that is Ryan’s one saving grace for the team. This doesn’t mean that Cashman couldn’t get creative and DFA Ryan and eat his meager $1 million in salary for a more versatile player that can play shortstop plus first base or the outfield for example. Ryan is safe for now but that can change in an instant if Cashman sees an upgrade elsewhere.

Domingo German/Chase Whitley – These two fit into the same category. Both had Tommy John surgery in 2014 and neither will be ready for the beginning of the 2016 season, Whitley may not be ready at all in 2016. Both could be DFA’d and snuck through waivers with other teams knowing this and added later on in the season or in 2017. 

Yankees Roster Shuffling Continues

Let's get caught up.

Vicente (Jose) Campos was added to the team's 40 man roster before he hit minor league free agency. He was on the Yankees 40 man roster once before but the team removed him as he was rehabbing and attempting a return from Tommy john surgery.

Domingo German, Jacob Lindgren, Chase Whitley and Mason Williams were activated off the 60 day disabled list and added to the Yankees 40 man roster. These were expected and merely procedural. Whitley will likely head back to at least the 15 day DL when Opening Day rosters are finalized.

Chris Martin was released officially after we released it on Monday night. Martin will sign a contract with the Nippon Ham Fighters in the Japanese League. Andrew Bailey is also hitting free agency after refusing an outright off the 40 man roster despite being under Yankees team control for 2016.

Most Popular Article of the Week: Pitchers Hiding Injuries Falls Back on Joe Girardi

This season already for the New York Yankees we have heard stories of three pitchers, Chase Whitley, Chris Martin and now Jacob Lindgren, who have hidden injuries and tried to pitch through them rather than speaking up and getting the issue fixed right away. The pitchers themselves has used the excuse that they thought they could pitch through it and they were just trying to help the team win but I call bull on that, in my opinion these pitchers hid the injuries because of Joe Girardi, his bullpen management and his lack of trust in the younger players on the team.


Girardi took a terrible Joe Torre led bullpen from 2007 and turned the team’s biggest weakness into their biggest strength with essentially the same cast of characters. Ever since then and ever since a 2009 World Series championship and a deep run into the ALCS in 2012 Girardi has done a complete 180 reverting back to the old days. Girardi no longer wants to or shows trusts in his rookies and his younger pitchers, with obvious exceptions like Dellin Betances, and would rather rely on the likes of Esmil Rogers, Chris Capuano, Matt Thornton and others.


The Yankees once had now closer Mark Melancon in their bullpen and flat out refused to use him more than once a week leaving him rusty and ineffective. Melancon was later traded and thrived with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Houston Astros while the Yankees had Lance Berkman for two months of a disappointing season. The Yankees also once had David Robertson in their bullpen and it took three promotions to the major leagues before he stuck around long enough to work his way into the “Circle of Trust” and eventually into the Yankees closer’s role replacing Mariano Rivera. The list of players the Yankees once had, refused to use and over-groomed is extensive and I could sit here all day listing them off but if you’re a Yankees fan and you watch the games then you know the names and I don’t have to.



Now you have the likes of Whitley, Martin and Lindgren hiding injuries and trying to pitch through them. Every once in a while you have a pitcher that simply wants to help the team and tries to pitch through a little nagging injury but when you have three pitchers in less than three months you have developed a pattern. This pattern was caused, again in my opinion, because they didn’t think or know if they would ever get another shot in pinstripes under the Girardi regime. If this is the case, and that’s a big if, the Yankees management needs to start looking at their own when they find themselves scratching their head this October as they watch the St. Louis Cardinals or the San Francisco Giants in the World Series again while the Yankees have gone playoff-less for three seasons now.

Pitchers Hiding Injuries Falls Back on Joe Girardi

This season already for the New York Yankees we have heard stories of three pitchers, Chase Whitley, Chris Martin and now Jacob Lindgren, who have hidden injuries and tried to pitch through them rather than speaking up and getting the issue fixed right away. The pitchers themselves has used the excuse that they thought they could pitch through it and they were just trying to help the team win but I call bull on that, in my opinion these pitchers hid the injuries because of Joe Girardi, his bullpen management and his lack of trust in the younger players on the team.

Girardi took a terrible Joe Torre led bullpen from 2007 and turned the team’s biggest weakness into their biggest strength with essentially the same cast of characters. Ever since then and ever since a 2009 World Series championship and a deep run into the ALCS in 2012 Girardi has done a complete 180 reverting back to the old days. Girardi no longer wants to or shows trusts in his rookies and his younger pitchers, with obvious exceptions like Dellin Betances, and would rather rely on the likes of Esmil Rogers, Chris Capuano, Matt Thornton and others.

The Yankees once had now closer Mark Melancon in their bullpen and flat out refused to use him more than once a week leaving him rusty and ineffective. Melancon was later traded and thrived with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Houston Astros while the Yankees had Lance Berkman for two months of a disappointing season. The Yankees also once had David Robertson in their bullpen and it took three promotions to the major leagues before he stuck around long enough to work his way into the “Circle of Trust” and eventually into the Yankees closer’s role replacing Mariano Rivera. The list of players the Yankees once had, refused to use and over-groomed is extensive and I could sit here all day listing them off but if you’re a Yankees fan and you watch the games then you know the names and I don’t have to.

Now you have the likes of Whitley, Martin and Lindgren hiding injuries and trying to pitch through them. Every once in a while you have a pitcher that simply wants to help the team and tries to pitch through a little nagging injury but when you have three pitchers in less than three months you have developed a pattern. This pattern was caused, again in my opinion, because they didn’t think or know if they would ever get another shot in pinstripes under the Girardi regime. If this is the case, and that’s a big if, the Yankees management needs to start looking at their own when they find themselves scratching their head this October as they watch the St. Louis Cardinals or the San Francisco Giants in the World Series again while the Yankees have gone playoff-less for three seasons now. 

The Yankees Pitching Depth in 2016 Will Almost Be Unfair

If you ask any perennial winner in Major League Baseball in the last 10-15 years what was the key to their success I bet more times than not they will mention in some capacity the depth of the club. Over the grind that is a 162 game schedule injuries will happen, players will need days off, players will go through hot and cold streaks and sometimes the team is going to lose more than they win. That’s baseball, but the good teams always have a Plan B and a Plan C and so on to protect against these sorts of happenings and the Yankees may have more plans than they know what to do with after the 2015 season.

Under contract for the pitching staff in 2016 is Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda, Nathan Eovaldi, CC Sabathia, Ivan Nova and Adam Warren in the rotation while Andrew Miller, Dellin Betances, Justin Wilson, Chasen Shreve and Jacob Lindgren will all presumably be on the team and in the bullpen next season. Theoretically that is 11 roster spots locked up for next season with only 12 available spots leaving a spot for either a starting pitcher to move Warren back to the bullpen, a long man in the bullpen or another relief pitcher if Warren is kept in the rotation. That’s already a ton of, for lack of a better word, certainty for the 2016 Yankees when we sit here on a Saturday morning in June of 2015 isn’t it?

With all these players already on the active roster you will have a plethora of free agent signings and/or prospects vying for a limited number of spots on the team. Chase Whitley will return from Tommy John surgery sometime in the season if all goes well while Luis Severino, who was recently promoted to Triple-A, will likely be ready to crack the Yankees rotation if there’s room. Bryan Mitchell looks ready in the Scranton starting rotation and is already on the team’s 40 man roster while players like Branden Pinder and Jose Ramirez have made their debuts in the Yankees bullpen in recent seasons. The list goes on and on with less “sexy” names like Nick Goody, Joel De La Cruz,  Nick Rumbelow, Marl Montgomery, Brady Lail, Miguel Sulbaran and many others that are currently in Double-A or Triple-A currently. That’s a ton of arms capable of a ton of innings and a ton of victories that would generally get left on the field if one of the Yankees regulars went down and over 162 games that’s extremely important.

All this and we haven’t even gotten to the 2015 MLB First Year Player’s Draft yet…. Scary. 

The 2013 Yankees, the 2014 Team in New York, the 2015 Edition and Déjà vu

When the Yankees woke up this morning they were in a familiar place this early in the season, first place. The Yankees have reached first place in each of the last two seasons before the injury bug, the Father Time bug and the general sample size bug struck the team and left them out of the playoffs. If you asked me this a week ago my answer would be 100% different but if you’re asking me today I may have to admit that I see more than a few differences between the 2013 Yankees, the 2014 Yankees and this year’s edition of the New York Yankees.

Each of the team started rather slow before making early run before the calendar turned to June including a stop in first place. Each team also reached first place right around the time the injury bug began to hit the team. Already the team has lost Masahiro Tanaka, Chris Capuano, Ivan Nova, Chase Whitley, Brendan Ryan, Gregorio Petit, Jose Pirela and others for various lengths of time due to various injuries and we’re barely halfway through May. Whether Tanaka’s elbow holds up or Michael Pineda’s shoulder is healthy or CC Sabathia’s rubber band that is holding his knee together will hold up all season long remains to be seen but if these players cannot stay healthy all season long the Yankees will not go far, bottom line.

Father time also began to creep up to the Yankees aging players as the likes of Carlos Beltran continue to struggle like Alfonso Soriano in 2014 and Vernon Wells before him. Players like Brian McCann continue to hit far less then what their baseball cards show while the shift continues to eat up Mark Teixeira for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Instead of Robinson Cano in 2013 the team dealt with Brian Roberts struggling in 2014 and Stephen Drew from July 31^st, 2014 to present who is starting a campaign to change the Mendoza Line of .200 to the Drew Line at .165.

The common denominator here, besides the fact that the team is aging, struggling to hit with runners in scoring position and susceptible to injury is the fact that the team almost exclusively refuses to rely on prospects in any major position or situation. The team could have had nine young options at second base this offseason and still would have signed Drew while Capuano continues to block the ways of Bryan Mitchell, Luis Severino and others. If the team does not learn from their past they are doomed to repeat it in their future and their future may include another missed postseason in 2015. 

Chase Whitley To Have Tommy John Surgery... Masahiro Tanaka Could Return Soon

As soon as we heard that Chase Whitley had injured his Ulnar Collateral Ligament Yankees fans braced for the words "Tommy John Surgery" to come next. And today it became official.

Whitley will undergo TJS tomorrow, which means his season is over with, and his rehab could last into next season.

Unlike the UCL tear that Masahiro Tanaka suffered last season, Chase's tear is too large for simple rehab.

Speaking of Masahiro...

Shortly before I learned that Chase Whitley would be having Tommy John Surgery, I found out that Masahiro Tanaka got through his latest bullpen session without any problems.

Tanaka threw 29 pitches at Nationals Park during today's off-day, and from what Joe Girardi said it sounds like the next step for Masahiro will be a rehab start as soon as Thursday.

Both Scranton and Trenton will be playing at home on Thursday, which means that if the Thursday rehab start holds true then Tanaka wil likely be pitching for one of them. After that he may rejoin the Yankees or make one more rehab start before returning.

“I think you have to see where he’s at and how many pitches he gets to (in the first start). The one thing you don’t want is to have to be in a situation where he can only give you three or four innings,” said Girardi.

Most Popular Article of the Week: Dear Chase And Jorge, The Yankees Come First

By: Bryan Van Dusen



First it was Jorge Posada, lashing out against Joe Girardi about his playing time and spot in the lineup. I was going to write about how ridiculous his comments were, and how angry it made me that he actually refused to play because he didn't like the fact he was penciled into the 9-hole in the lineup, but Andrew Mearns at Pinstripe Alley did an excellent job on that already.

And then comes Chase Whitley. While I'd never get upset with a player because he got injured, I will most definitely get mad at them for hiding an injury. Doing so hurt the team two ways...

1. That injury certainly contributed to him giving up 8 runs over his past 7.1 innings pitched, both of which ended up with losses for the Yankees. We don't know if the player that would have started those games instead would do any better, but I'd bet on a healthy pitcher over somebody with an injury to his throwing elbow.
2. The Yanks not only have to figure out what to do with his rotation spot (thankfully, that's not difficult), but they could be without Whitley's services for longer than if they were able to address his elbow earlier. It's never a good idea to let an injury linger without treatment. 

Does anybody think about the team first? Athletes always say something like "I'm here to help the team win", but then you hear about a player that refuses to accept that he's no longer the player he used to be, and then we hear about another player that hid an injury from his team so that he could keep pitching. It's selfish, and as a Yankees fan, it ticks me off.

I love that the Yankees don't have player names on their jerseys, as that is the greatest symbol that the team is the most important thing. The Yankees are not about Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Babe Ruth, Don Mattingly, or Derek Jeter. The Yankees are about them all. The Yankees are about pride and pinstripes. The players, the championships, the stadium, the iconic "NY" logo, THE FANS... that is what the Yankees are about. The Yankees are not about Jorge Posada's ego, and the Yankees are not about Chase Whitley's elbow.

If you're not here for the team... for the fans... then you don't belong here. And if you attack one of us, you attack all of us.

People Are Actually Mad at Chase Whitley?

I touched on this a little bit in the comments section the site on an article written by my friend and co-owner (in that order) Bryan Van Dusen but I wanted to elaborate a little more in detail, also known as ramble a bit, here in an official post so all can see. It really blows my mind that people are legitimately angry with Chase Whitley right now because he hid an injury and tried to stay on the field to help the Yankees win. Was it a bone head move? Absolutely, but in today’s game and in today’s era and with today’s team the way it is structured it’s hard to be mad at the guy for what he did. Keep reading and I’ll explain it to you.

First and foremost in an era where players just simply ask for days off just because, because they want to ensure they will be healthy and productive because they are 130 games away from free agency, because they have the batting title lead and want to win the award, etc. etc. etc. you’re going to knock on a guy and question his intelligence and even go as far as to compare him to Carl Pavano because he wanted to stay in the game and pitch through it? More importantly Whitley thought he could pitch through it and stay on the field the more the games went on and the more the weather outside heated up and frankly he had a lot of positives to base that line of thinking off of, again keep reading.

Whitley was bombed at the beginning of his last start as the Baltimore Orioles went all Bronx Bombers on the young right hander early and often in the contest. In the first four innings Whitley allowed four runs on a trio of home runs from Jimmy Paredes, Chris Davis and Alejandra De Aza of the Orioles before settling down. We can only presume at this time that the injury caused his bad showing in the Bronx last week but if you look at the box score inning by inning you may see a shocking revelation. Whitley got better, sharper and more dominant as the game went on. Whitley finished with 5.2 innings pitched on that afternoon and really saved the bullpen as much as he could on that specific afternoon. If Whitley had left the contest after all the home runs and not looked more like himself for parts of four innings then yes, he’s an idiot. He’s not only putting himself in danger but he is a detriment to the team but that’s not how it went down.

Whitley put the team first and while it may have cost him a chunk of his season, or hell even his career, I am hardly mad at him for making the decision. It’s his elbow and it’s his career and again if he thought he could pitch through it and still be effective then my hat is tipped to him for trying to gut it out. It wasn’t the smartest decision in the world but the great Mariano Rivera did the same exact thing at the end of his final season and never said a word until after he was retired. The difference between it being a good decision and “showing heart” and “being a true Yankee” and being an idiot is if the risky decision pays off in the end.

Whitley is Down, What Now?

Chase Whitley has been pitching through some elbow pain for “a while” now and finally left the game against the Rays on Thursday night in the second inning of the contest. The news is bad on Whitley and he will not be relied on for quite some time in the Yankees rotation after the injury begging the question what will the Yankees do now? The good news for the Yankees is if an injury is going to occur, which you hope it never does, it couldn’t have happened at a better time during the season. The cavalry is coming and once again the Yankees may be able to survive this with the depth and insurance that Brian Cashman has stockpiled this offseason.

Chris Capuano is fully stretched out and has made a start in Triple-A Scranton with the RailRiders meaning he could be activated and take Whitley’s spot while he is placed on the 15 day DL. Masahiro Tanaka is back and has thrown multiple bullpen sessions since being shut down with his forearm strain and wrist tendinitis and may only be a week or two away at most while the Yankees still have the likes of Bryan Mitchell sitting down in the minor leagues waiting for the call. Capuano has been confirmed as the starter on Sunday already in place of Whitley giving everyone else in the rotation an extra day of rest.

It’s unfortunate that the Yankees lost another starting and one with so much promise in Whitley but as cold as it sounds the show must go on, especially in New York. With Tanaka close, Capuano ready and Mitchell waiting in the wings the Yankees may not have the starting pitching depth they had this time last week but they have enough to get them by and keep them in first place and that may have to be enough.

TGP Daily Poll: Adam Warren & His Rotation Stay

With the injury to Chase Whitley the Yankees will likely turn to Chris Capuano in the starting rotation at least until Masahiro Tanaka gets back. With Capuano in the rotation Warren will remain in the rotation at least until Tanaka is healthy, which will be about two more weeks.

Vote in our prediction poll on Knoda.com

BREAKING: Jose Ramirez Called Up, Whitley has Sprain

UPDATE II: Whitley's MRI revealed a tear and Tommy John surgery is now likely although he will seek a second opinion, probably Dr. James Andrews.

UPDATE: Chase Whitley has been diagnosed with a sprain, not a strain, in his elbow and will be placed on the 15 day DL. For now, no Tommy John surgery so yay! for that. Jose Ramirez has been called up to take his place on the roster but that is presumably just to stopgap until his next start when Chris Capuano is expected to be activated and thrown to the wolves.

Chase Whitley has left the game tonight between the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees in the second inning with an apparent injury. Whitley did not look especially sharp in the contest causing Joe Girardi and Steve Donahue to come out to the mound and remove the right hander. No word on what the injury is, we didn't see him wince in pain or complain of any problems or injuries so you will have to stay tuned.

Dear Chase And Jorge, The Yankees Come First

First it was Jorge Posada, lashing out against Joe Girardi about his playing time and spot in the lineup. I was going to write about how ridiculous his comments were, and how angry it made me that he actually refused to play because he didn't like the fact he was penciled into the 9-hole in the lineup, but Andrew Mearns at Pinstripe Alley did an excellent job on that already.

And then comes Chase Whitley. While I'd never get upset with a player because he got injured, I will most definitely get mad at them for hiding an injury. Doing so hurt the team two ways...

1. That injury certainly contribued to him giving up 8 runs over his past 7.1 innings pitched, both of which ended up with losses for the Yankees. We don't know if the player that would have started those games instead would do any better, but I'd bet on a healthy pitcher over somebody with an injury to his throwing elbow.
2. The Yanks not only have to figure out what to do with his rotation spot (thankfully, that's not difficult), but they could be without Whitley's services for longer than if they were able to address his elbow earlier. It's never a good idea to let an injury linger without treatment. 

Does anybody think about the team first? Athletes always say something like "I'm here to help the team win", but then you hear about a player that refuses to accept that he's no longer the player he used to be, and then we hear about another player that hid an injury from his team so that he could keep pitching. It's selfish, and as a Yankees fan, it ticks me off.

I love that the Yankees don't have player names on their jerseys, as that is the greatest symbol that the team is the most important thing. The Yankees are not about Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Babe Ruth, Don Mattingly, or Derek Jeter. The Yankees are about them all. The Yankees are about pride and pinstripes. The players, the championships, the stadium, the iconic "NY" logo, THE FANS... that is what the Yankees are about. The Yankees are not about Jorge Posada's ego, and the Yankees are not about Chase Whitley's elbow.

If you're not here for the team... for the fans... then you don't belong here. And if you attack one of us, you attack all of us.

Recap: Rays 6, Yankees 1

Chase Whitley left with an apparent injury and the Yankees dropped their third consecutive to the Rays, 6-1, on Thursday night at Tropicana Field.

Whitley Goes Down: The youngster surrendered a run and two walks through 1 2/3 innings, putting runners on the corners before exiting with discomfort in his elbow. Whitley is scheduled to have an MRI on Friday, and will be replaced by Chris Capuano in the rotation for the time being.

Rogers Struggles Again: Looking to escape trouble following Whitley's removal, the Yankees called upon Esmil Rogers to face Rene Rivera -- a matchup that seemed to favor the Yanks considering Rivera's sub-.150 batting average. The Rays catcher drilled the first pitch he saw over the center-field wall, however, extending the hosts' advantage to 4-0 and essentially dooming New York on the evening.

Feels Like April: The Yankees' offense got a single from Jacoby Ellsbury in the first, but when the team needed them most in the contest's middle stages, they simply failed to deliver. Indeed, not one Yankee logged a hit from innings 2-5 -- the club's only run coming on an Alex Rodriguez solo shot in the ninth.

Pirela Having Issues: Jose Pirela went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts, raising his K total to four in the series. He's still solidly hitting .294 overall, but the infielder has certainly floundered this week.

What's Happening?: The Yankees had won 17 of their last 23 prior to this set, going 5-1 against the Rays during that stretch. They last three of four in this trip to St. Petersburg, though, shortening their lead for first in the AL East to just one game.

Next Up: The Yankees will try to bounce back from this disappointment on Friday when they visit the Royals in Kansas City, beginning at 8:10 p.m. ET and airing live on PIX 11. Michael Pineda (5-0, 2.72 ERA) will take the mound for the Pinstripes hoping for a third straight quality start, opposing breakout Royals right-hander Chris Young (2-0, 0.78 ERA).

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays 5/14

For the final time this week it is game time between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays. Tonight these two teams play the fourth game of their four game series this week at Tropicana Field with Chase Whitley taking the mound for the Yankees to face off with Erasmo Ramirez for the Rays. The game will be played at 7:10 pm ET and can be seen on MLB Network, WPIX Channel 11 and MLB TV.

The Yankees are taking the next step in their journey home back to the Bronx tonight so as they prepare to return home to Yankee Stadium we as the fans need to prepare for their arrival by purchasing some Yankees tickets. By clicking the Yankees Tickets link on the top of the blog you can get your tickets in hand for cheap before the team returns home to play host to the Texas Rangers. If you can’t make it out to the game live then live tweet with us on Twitter (@GreedyStripes) or in our comments section of the site every single night.

Frankly I hate playing inside Tropicana Field because it’s generally empty, quiet and not so pretty on the eyes so let’s get this one out of the way as quickly as possible. I smell a Rob Manfred special coming on. Mr. Whitley it’s time to get to work. Go Yankees!

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays 5/14

For the final time this week, and hopefully for a while, the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays face off head to head inside Tropicana Field. The Yankees have pitched well this series and have hit the ball well for the most part and will look for yet another victory tonight before continuing their road trip in Kansas City tomorrow night. The team does have a getaway game tonight of sorts though that will showcase Chase Whitley on the mound for the Yankees and Erasmo Ramirez for the Rays. The game will be played at 7:10 pm ET and can be seen on MLB Network, WPIX Channel 11 and of course MLB TV.

• Whitley is facing the Rays for the second time already this season after making his season debut against them on April 28 in the Bronx. Whitley went five innings allowing just one run and six hits in that game picking up his first victory of the season, something that hopefully repeats itself tonight inside Tropicana Field.

• Ramirez is stepping out of the Rays bullpen and into the Rays rotation once again with the injury to Drew Smyly and will once again face off with the New York Yankees. In relief Ramirez allowed just two runs in his last five appearances, a two-run home run by Mark Teixeira on Monday, and has allowed 10 runs, nine earned, in 7.1 IP as a starter this season.

I’m not sure I am a fan of seeing your division rivals so many times during the first month or two of the regular season. I want these games in September so you can have exciting pennant chases and less scoreboard watching. I hate watching two or three games at one time you know what I mean? Anyway it’s not a big deal I guess as long as the Yankees keep winning the games the end result ends up being the same. Go Yankees!