Yankees Minor League Shuffling Has Begun

The World Series ended about 48 hours ago and the Yankees are already shuffling their minor league systems and rosters around. That's not uncommon for the minor league decisions to be made relatively early and more are to come as the winter gets colder and the days get shorter.

Kyle Roller has been released.

Eddy Rodriguez has re-signed to presumably backup Gary Sanchez in Triple-A in 2016.

Gregorio Petit and Kyle Davies have elected free agency.

Brander Pinder Up, Bryan Mitchell Down

Branden Pinder has been called up to the major league bullpen while Bryan Mitchell was sent back to Scranton with the RailRiders. Presumably this allows Mitchell to get some work in as a starter in the minor leagues while Pinder fills the need for a right handed pitcher in the Bronx.

By the way, as we failed to post this yesterday, Brendan Ryan was activated before last night's game while Gregorio Petit was sent down to Triple-A Scranton.

My Plan for the Return of Brendan Ryan & Carlos Beltran

The New York Yankees, as we saw this morning in the TGP Daily Poll, face a bit of a roster crunch and a few roster decisions before Friday night’s game with the Seattle Mariners. Before the Yankees travel home to the Bronx to play host to Nelson Cruz and Robinson Cano the team will have to make a pair of roster moves to accommodate the returning Carlos Beltran and Brendan Ryan from injury. I kind of gave away who I would send down in the poll, Gregorio Petit and Bryan Mitchell, but I didn’t get to explain why. Knoda.com has a character limit much like Twitter and I am far too long-winded for that so here is where I lay out my plan for the return of Beltran and more specifically the return of Brendan Ryan.

The Yankees currently have seven infielders on the 25 man roster including Garrett Jones who bounces around from first base to the outfield while the team only has Chris Young, Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury as their regular outfielders right now meaning that one of the infielders will have to go to accommodate Beltran’s return. The obvious choice would be Gregorio Petit simply because he’s the weakest link and has seen his biggest asset, his ability to play the shortstop position, become less valuable with essentially having Stephen Drew available off the bench. If I were a betting man Petit getting sent back down to Scranton is one of the roster moves the Yankees will employ before Friday.

That move was easy but the other move will not be so simply to navigate. With the Yankees “source” that leaked the information that Robert Refsnyder will remain with the team after the All-Star Break fresh in our minds the team is left with a few viable options to accommodate the return of Ryan. The team could always designate Garrett Jones for assignment and allow Ryan to backup first base with Chase Headley and Brian McCann, the team could designate Drew for assignment although his value, power and defense off the bench at both the shortstop and second base position could make him too valuable to simply cut free, or the team could send down a relief pitcher and go with a short bullpen and a five man bench. That seems like a likely scenario here, the likeliest of them all, meaning that the end could be near for Bryan Mitchell, at least temporarily.

I think the end game here is to designate Ryan for assignment but the problem is he has to have a roster spot to accommodate him before that can happen. To DFA a player you must activate him first meaning the team could option Mitchell, activate and immediately DFA Ryan and then call up Branden Pinder to replace Mitchell for 10 days. If the Yankees decide they want to keep Ryan they could also make this work with an option of Mitchell as the team will come off the break well rested in both the starting rotation and the bullpen. The team plays a weekend series inside Yankee Stadium before an off day on Monday leaving the Yankees with a plethora of options on how they want to play this. The team could always skip one of their starters and allow them to pitch in long relief if needed or the team could simply go to Adam Warren, Chasen Shreve and Chris Capuano for multiple innings each if the need arose knowing they had an off day to rest on Monday.

The Yankees have a ton of options here to keep Refsnyder on the active roster and either keep Ryan or let him hit free agency, I just wish it was a little more clear as to what path the Yankees were leaning towards going down. Either way the end result keeps Refsnyder in the Bronx, assuming you believe the Yankees “source’ who asked to remain anonymous, and that alone makes me happy. 

TGP Daily Poll: Bryan Mitchell Heading Down to AAA

The Yankees face a roster decision regarding Robert Refsnyder, Carlos Beltran and Brendan Ryan after the All-Star Break. It seems obvious that Gregorio Petit will go down but the final move will be Bryan Mitchell heading back to Triple-A.

Vote in our prediction poll on Knoda.com

The End of Brendan Ryan

The All-Star Break is a bit of a Catch 22 for the New York Yankees this season because while the rest can do a body good the rest can also do a body good, let me explain. The Yankees bullpen is overworked, anyone who watches the games can see that, and could use the four or five days off depending on their usage before and after the break but in the same token some of those injured Yankees players are also taking advantage of the rest. While Alex Rodriguez and others are recharging the batteries players like Brendan Ryan and Carlos Beltran are rehabbing injuries and will be able to come off the disabled list after the break. The Yankees aren’t going to rid themselves of Beltran and eat that hefty contract for 2015 and 2016 but if the team has any inkling of a brain inside their collective heads this will be the end of Brendan Ryan.

How many weak hitting defensive minded middle infielders do the Yankees really need? Take Ryan out of the equation and fill him in with Gregorio Petit or Cole Figueroa and you receive comparable defense with equivalent offensive outputs for half the cost or more. Instead it seems likely that the team will send Robert Refsnyder, who made the biggest mistake of his life collecting two hits including a game winning home run in the first half finale inside Fenway Park, back down to Triple-A to accommodate Ryan. Ryan has been injured for much of his Yankees tenure, his defense hasn’t been bad but has been far from as advertised and he’s more of a black hole in the lineup than Stephen Drew is which speaks a lot for that aspect of Ryan’s game.

The Yankees can easily eat Ryan’s remaining contract and not bat an eyelash so the money factor is off the table, it should come down to the need in the infield. Ryan’s biggest strength is his ability to play the shortstop position but with Refsnyder at second platooning with Drew you have a legitimate backup shortstop option with Mr. .170.  Ryan can also back up at second and third base in a pinch, so can Drew, while the Yankees have used him at first base on occasion, they have used Garrett Jones, a healthy Mark Teixeira, Brian McCann and Chase Headley there too though.

Ryan has no real spot on this team and he really only hurts the team’s makeup and chemistry by being added back into the rotation. Cut your losses, announce the designation for assignment and let’s watch this team go win an American League East Division title and make a deep October playoff run. The team has eaten the contracts of Vernon Wells, Brian Roberts and Alfonso Soriano in consecutive seasons so the Ryan contract should be no skin off Hal’s nose…. The problem is just convincing Brian Cashman that it’s a good idea.

Source: Yankees Will Keep Rob Refsnyder Past All-Star Break

The New York Yankees have finally called up their top middle infield prospect Robert Refsnyder and while many believed it would just be for the two games before the All-Star Break a "source" inside the Yankees organization has announced that this line of thinking won't be the case. According to this source, take that with a grain of salty obviously, the Yankees will keep Refsnyder on the big league club through the All-Star Break and will have him on the team when they return home to Yankee Stadium to play host to the Seattle Mariners.

How will the Yankees accommodate this, the return of Carlos Beltran and the return of Brendan Ryan? Well that was not mentioned specifically but the team could always activate and then designate Brendan Ryan to finally cut ties with the shortstop, the team could send down Gregorio Petit and force Refsnyder into a bit of a platoon job, the team could designate Garrett Jones for assignment or the team could take advantage of their off-day on the Monday after the break to send down Bryan Mitchell temporarily.

Yankees Announce Second Half Order, Other News

The New York Yankees have announced their starting rotation order for the second half of the 2015 season and it starts with Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda, CC Sabathia, Ivan Nova and Nathan Eovaldi. No surprises there, everyone gets about eight or nine days off and Sabathia faces that plethora of left handed hitters in Seattle. The Yankees have an off day that Monday after the break so theoretically they could skip Eovaldi or one of their starters there but for now, this is the plan.

Brendan Ryan is likely back after the All-Star break and so is Carlos Beltran barring an injury or a setback which could mean the end of Gregorio Petit and Robert Refsnyder. One of those two are almost guaranteed to go down. The Yankees could go with a short bullpen for a while and send down Bryan Mitchell but that seems unlikely at this point.

Recap: Yankees 6, A's 2

Masahiro Tanaka tossed 7 2/3 innings of two-run ball and the Yankees cruised past the A's, 6-2, in a Thursday matinee at Yankee Stadium.

Just Like the Old Days: Tanaka logged arguably his best outing of the season in this one, holding Oakland to just one earned run and two hits while walking one and striking out six. He ran into some trouble in the second -- the A's scored twice on RBI doubles by Billy Butler and Mark Canha -- but it ultimately proved to be nothing as the veteran recorded the win.

His Knee Must Be Healed: Batting with two men in scoring position and one out in the fourth, Jacoby Ellsbury delivered probably the biggest hit of the game -- a clutch two-run single off Jesse Chavez to break a 2-2 tie. Ellsbury, activated off the DL on Wednesday, was able to lace one just fair down the right-field line to give the Yankees the lead -- the ball barely clipping the corner of first base as it flew by in mid-air. 

An All-Star Selection and a Home Run: If his first-inning home run and two subsequent singles didn't already make him happy, Brett Gardner can at least take solace knowing he's now on the 2015 AL All-Star team -- an announcement made on the stadium jumbotron between the fourth and fifth. Gardner will fill the spot previously occupied by the Royals' Alex Gordon, who will miss the event due to a recent injury.

Staying Hot: Mark Teixeira continued his great week with an RBI single in the third, a liner on a 2-2 sinker that plated the aforementioned Ellsbury. It was Teixeira's eighth ribbie of the homestand and third of the series, bringing his total on the year to 62.

A Good First Impression: Making his major league debut following a few months with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Cole Figueroa went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles -- the latter of which likely would've driven in a run had it not bounced into the stands. Figueroa is expected to be one of the Yankees' backup infielders for the time being, joining Gregorio Petit as a defender capable of playing second, short and third.

Next Up: The Yankees will look to keep their momentum going on Friday when they visit the Red Sox for a weekend at Fenway -- beginning at 7:10 p.m. ET and airing live on MLB Network. Michael Pineda (8-5, 3.79 ERA) will get the nod for the Yankees hoping for a third straight quality start, facing surging Sox right-hander Clay Buchholz (7-6, 3.27 ERA).

Gregorio Petit Sent Down, Esmil Rogers Called Up, Slade Heathcott Placed on 60-Day DL

Nobody is going to be upset to see Gregorio Petit sent down to the minors, but unfortunately his replacement on the active roster is our buddy Esmil Rogers.

Out of 27 pitchers to have appeared in a MLB game for the Yankees this season, Esmil is tied with a couple others for the 3rd worst fWAR at -0.1. For comparison, Nick Rumbelow has only gotten two outs for the Yankees this season, but his fWAR is actually better at 0.0.

Hopefully Esmil only pitches in games that are way out of hand.

On a side note, I've heard many people say that the Yankees should cut their losses and put Sabathia in the bullpen, and call up Luis Severino to take his place in the rotation. While Luis has done great in six starts for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, throwing to a 1.73 ERA and 0.936 WHIP, I have no problem with him throwing a little more there. In fact, I'm perfectly fine with him starting in AAA for the rest of their season, and then getting in a few relief appearances in MLB before the end of the season.

Although, CC in the bullpen sounds good.

Slade Heathcott was placed on the disabled list on May 29th with a quadricep injury. He had a grade 2 strain, and Joe Girardi believed his stay on the DL would last longer than 15 days. Well, here we are about a month later, and now Heathcott has been moved to the 60-Day DL.

It's been really sad to see what's happened with Slade, as he has plenty of promise but can not stay healthy. He's still only 24, though, so there's time. However, it's getting to a point where we may never see a healthy season out of him.

Finding Ways To Keep Scoring

The Yankees current losing streak made me take another look at the stats. And while I was originally looking to see why the Yankees seem to be so streaky, in both a good and bad way, things unsurprisingly went a different direction.

"Hey, look at that!"

I've done this before, too. I'll start to see some of the things that have gone good or bad recently, which may explain why things are going the way they are, but inevitably I drop that subject because it's pointless. Not because what I found is right or wrong, but because I'm falling into the small sample size trap.

I can say "the Yankees offense stinks recently because they aren't making as much contact as they should." Which is all well and good, but I'm talking about maybe a sample size of eight to ten games, and that sample size is hardly something to get worked up over. Whether we're talking about the worst hitters or the best hitters, each of them can get hot or cold for a week or two. So what's the point?

Then why do I keep falling into the same trap? Simple... because eventually I stumble across something that makes me say "a-ha!"

What I found this time is what the Yankees' offense needs to do to improve.

While the pitching isn't always stellar, I'm not worried about them. At least I'm not worried about what Yankee pitching can do when healthy, and since it's nearly impossible to predict injuries I see no point in wasting my time worrying about it.

"No, I don't want to talk about that elbow."

However, scoring runs has been a concern for the Yankees long before the season actually began. And sure, it seems to be okay, seeing as how the team is 3rd in Major League Baseball in runs scored. but I think that hides the fact that it could still be the thing that spells doom to their season.

The Yankees have scored the bulk of their runs thanks to power. While the team is ranked 4th in both Slugging Percentage and Isolated Power, they are 17th in Batting Average and 12th in On Base Percentage.

EDIT: When copying and pasting parts of this article, this bit got lost...

The team leaders in home runs are Mark Teixeira (17), Alex Rodriguez (12), Brian McCann (9), and Stephen Drew (9). That means Teixeira is on pace for over 40 home runs, ARod is on pace for around 30, McCann could hit around 25, and Drew could end the season with over 20. Out of all those things, the only one I'd bet anything on happening would be McCann reaching 25. So counting on the team being able to score like they have been would not be smart.

Another thing to consider when thinking about the Yankees offense is their swing percentage, which is 27th in the league. Whether it's pitches in the strike zone, or pitches outside the strike zone, this team doesn't like to swing a lot. And while some may say that they simply have to swing at more pitches, allow me to point out that their contact percentages when they do swing are among the league's worst too. So I don't think we want them to swing more.

The Yankees are not going to raise their batting average enough to make their offense a threat. Mark Teixeira is not going to hit much higher than he is now. Nor will Brian McCann, Alex Rodriguez, and just about everybody else in the lineup.

What the team needs to do is get on base more often, and be able to steal bases or take the extra base at every opportunity.

That's the biggest reason why Carlos Beltran is such a detriment to this team. Because not only does he have the second worst OBP out of the regular players, but he's also a station-to-station runner when he does get on (only takes the extra base 25% of the time, and doesn't steal). Combine that with horrible range on defense, and you have a guy that should rarely step foot on the field.

Another problem player, which should come as no surprise to anybody that's been watching Yankee baseball this season, is Stephen Drew. Not only is the guy doing next to nothing at the plate (lowest batting average, on-base percentage, and OPS+ among the regulars), but he only takes an extra base 8% of the time.

So besides something drastic, like cutting those two and dealing for somebody else, here's what the Yankees should do...

First of all, keep Didi Gregorius at shortstop. His offense and defense have improved lately, and he's no slouch on the basepaths. He'll take an extra base 54% of the time. So as long as he gets on base the chances of him scoring a pretty good.

Secondly, Gregorio Petit should start at second base over Stephen Drew. He might not hit much better than Drew, especially in the home run department, but Petit is a great runner. He actually leads the team in taking the extra base, as he does so 60% of the time, which is so much higher than Drew that the team is bound to score more with Gregorio.

On that note, with the right match-up, I can see starting Drew since he can pop a homer every now and then. But most of the time Petit should be the man.

Finally, Joe Girardi should put Slade Heathcott back into the lineup for Carlos Beltran as soon as possible. Not only has Slade out-hit Beltran in every way conceivable since being promoted, but he's also a far superior runner, having taken an extra base 50% of the time.

"Oh, yeah... and his defense is a touch better than Beltran's too."

By putting Heathcott, Gregorius, and Petit at the bottom of the order, there's a very good chance that somebody that can run well will be on base for the team's best hitters... Brett Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury (hopefully he'll return soon), and the heart of the order. Which should lead to more runs, and most importantly more wins.

Yankees Injury Update for 6-1

Chris Martin started a rehab assignment with the Triple-A affiliate Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Saturday night and not a day too soon when you look at the current situation inside the Yankees bullpen. Joe Girardi trusts Martin and before the injury he pitched especially well so he will be welcomed back with open arms off the disabled list.

Masahiro Tanaka will come off the disabled list Wednesday to start the finale in the Seattle Mariners series. Tanaka was rehabbing a forearm strain and wrist tendinitis that cost him almost a month of his 2015 season.

Gregorio Petit is taking batting practice but not much more than that after taking a HBP to his hand over a month ago.

Brendan Ryan is back to rehabbing his back injury in extended spring training but there is no timetable for his return to the Yankees big league team.

Jacoby Ellsbury is doing pool work, but not baseball work yet, back in New York. Hey, it's something.

Weekly Check In: Robert Refsnyder

The worst possible news that Robert Refsnyder could have heard this week was that Jose Pirela was finally healthy right around the time that Gregorio Petit went on the disabled list with a bone contusion in his hand. This kid cannot catch a break and his timing is terrible, or impeccable depending on how sarcastically you want to look at it, this season as it seems like every time he gets close to getting a real shot with the big league club something, or someone, happens. Refsnyder’s bat is ready and while he started out slow defensively this season he has really turned it around and looked much improved over the past two or three weeks giving many hope for his future with the team.

I know I don’t tend to include his defensive numbers when I do these posts, and maybe I will with Refsnyder going forward, but it’s just so hard to ignore offensive numbers like these:

Year	Lev	G	PA	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2015	AAA	24	105	7	27	6	0	0	10	6	15	.276	.317	.337	.654

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Year	Lev		G	Ch	PO	A	E	DP	Fld%	RF/G
2015	AAA	2B	22	122	49	66	7	9	.943	5.23

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Jose Pirela In, Gregorio Petit Out

As expected Jose Pirela has been activated off the concussion DL in time for tonight's game with the Toronto Blue Jays. Gregorio Petit has been placed on the 15 day DL with a hand contusion and will give up his roster spot for Pirela tonight. Whether Petit really needed a DL stint after being hit by a pitch on the hand last night or not remains to be seen but the injury definitely made the decision easy for Joe Girardi and company.

Time to Drop A Rod Back Down in Lineup?

When the 2015 season started nobody knew what to expect from this Yankees offense and especially from Alex Rodriguez. We know the stories about missing the entire 2014 due to a steroid suspension and most of the 2013 season with a hip injury and various lower body injuries but Alex came out of the gates on fire despite all the negative attention around him. At one point Rodriguez was flirting with .300 and was in full attack mode on Willie Mays and the all-time home run list in Major League Baseball. That was then, this is now and it may be time to drop Rodriguez back down in the lineup.

This is not going to be a “pile on A Rod” type post because nobody expected or expects Rodriguez to hit anywhere near .300 this season in a large sample size and they would be foolish to think so. It may be time to drop Rodriguez in the lineup because it may be the best thing for the team. With Chris Young hitting well this season and Carlos Beltran finally starting to come around the need for Rodriguez’s home run power is no longer a must have in the third and fourth spots in the Yankees lineup. Also with the black hole that is Stephen Drew, Didi Gregorius, Gregorio Petit and others at the bottom of the lineup they may get a push having Rodriguez’s power at the bottom of the lineup splitting up all the lefties.

I could sit here and bore you with a plethora of stats showing his batting average in this spot of the lineup against the average in that spot of the lineup and I could also show you how that directly correlates with the Yankees record, but why? The team has played 27 games this season and for all we know Rodriguez could go 0-for-the rest of the season, so why bother? It doesn’t take a binder to tell you that his average is going to be low, his strikeouts are going to be high and as long as there is another, and a better, alternative in the middle of the lineup then Alex shouldn’t be there.

What do I know, I’m not a binder.

Recap: Yankees 6, Blue Jays 3

Michael Pineda logged his best start of the young season, shutting out the Blue Jays over eight five-hit innings to lead the Yankees past their AL East rival, 6-3, on Tuesday night at Rogers Centre.

Pineda Dominant: Pineda struggled somewhat through this one's first three frames -- allowing three hits and a walk while throwing 45 pitches -- but was otherwise great in his fourth win of the year. He let just one runner reach third and struck out six, retiring seven consecutive to end the outing. 

A-Rod's Clutch Hit: The Yankees put two men in scoring position immediately in the top of the first, and were hoping for a big go-ahead hit with Marco Estrada laboring. They got just that in the form of a two-run double by Alex Rodriguez, a line-drive to left on a changeup up in the zone.

He Only Hits Home Runs: Batting with a runner on in the Yankees' half of the fifth, Mark Teixeira drilled a two-run shot to force Estrada's removal -- crushing a first-pitch fastball high into the right-field stands to break the game open. It was Teixeira's tenth four-bagger of 2015, extending the Yanks' advantage to 5-0.

Another Late Scare: On the mound with the Yankees up 6-0 in the ninth, David Carpenter surrendered a three spot to give the Blue Jays some momentum -- yielding three hits and a Russell Martin homer to suddenly make things close. Indeed, Carpenter's rough two-out appearance added stress to the Yankees' victory, though Andrew Miller was still able to convert the save shortly afterwards.

Ellsbury Stays Hot: Two days removed from a four-hit evening in Boston, Jacoby Ellsbury continued his recent hot-streak with a 3-for-5 performance -- singling all three times to improve his average to .358. He drove in the Yankees' third run with a knock in the second, plating Gregorio Petit with a sharp grounder to left.

Next Up: The Yankees will try to take this series on Wednesday when they battle the Blue Jays in the finale north of the border -- beginning at 7:07 p.m. ET and airing live on the YES Network. CC Sabathia (0-4, 5.40 ERA) will get the ball for the Yankees looking to record his first W, facing veteran Jays lefty Mark Buehrle (3-2, 6.75 ERA).

Twitter: To Jose Pirela or Not to Jose Pirela

To Jose Pirela or not to Jose Pirela, that is the question I asked our Twitter followers yesterday morning after the Yankees second baseman had 10 hits over the weekend while on a rehab assignment with the Scranton RailRiders. I’m not quite sure, and I am exaggerating but honestly not by much, if Gregorio Petit has even had 10 hits period in his major league career begging the question once again, to Jose Pirela or not to Jose Pirela? Will Pirela be activated and called up for New York with Petit sent down to Triple-A? I think so, what say you?

@GreedyStripes Its time for my Buddy the Black Eagle Pirela to be in the Big Show

— PeterCapote (@PeterDjSazon) May 4, 2015

@GreedyStripes absolutely

— Matt Dender (@MattDender) May 4, 2015

@GreedyStripes They should, and I hope they do. Would much rather see Pirela play than Petit

— Jessica (@FinnGirlJess) May 4, 2015

@GreedyStripes Young blood with spirit and maybe more fire to keep this team going.

— Niral Patel ॐ (@npatel114) May 4, 2015

@GreedyStripes #Yankees are winning now. No sense shaking up the clubhouse on a 1st place team yet. More defensive reps 4 Pirela cant hurt

— AspiringCultLeader (@newkingofmedia) May 4, 2015

@GreedyStripes I wasnt sure, but isnt Pirela an OF? or is he a utility man? either way i would still like to see him up.

— Emmanuel L (@elunique1982) May 4, 2015

I know that Petit’s sole purpose on the team is to provide some insurance at the shortstop position but without looking it up I’d feel safe in saying that Gregorio has played much more second base than shortstop this season. The Yankees have Stephen Drew at second base who could slide into the shortstop position while Pirela could play his natural, and best, position at second. In case of an injury or emergency you could always bring Petit back up anyway making this a bit of a no-brainer for New York. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the Yankees will call up Pirela but they definitely should.

To be involved in our next Twitter poll be sure to give @GreedyStripes a follow and be on the lookout for a post. I will always inform you guys and girls that I may use your responses in an upcoming blog post. 

Alex Rodriguez Coaching, Whitley Coming Up, Petit Going Down

A-Rod working with Didi at SS pic.twitter.com/40wSvBuEkr
— Marly~ESPN Deportes (@MarlyRiveraESPN) April 28, 2015

Just a quick catch me up before the game tonight as Didi Gregorius is working with Alex Rodriguez at shortstop. The two went through some defensive drills this afternoon as A Rod looks to at least settle down Gregorius in the field.

It's also worth noting that Chase Whitley has been called up to start tonight while Gregorio Petit has been optioned to Triple-A. It looks more and more likely that after the start Jose Pirela will come up and join the big league club.

Jose Pirela Sent on a Rehab Assignment

Jose Pirela finally seems close to returning to baseball this season as the Yankees utility player has been sent on a rehab assignment with the Tampa Yankees. Pirela looked well on his way to making the Yankees roster out of spring training before running into the center field wall and suffering a concussion. Pirela has taken a lot longer than expected to recover from the injury and you have to wonder if there will be any long term effects due to the concussion. Either way Pirela seems well on his way to coming back to baseball this season, whether that's taking Gregorio Petit's spot on the roster in the Bronx or starting the season in Scranton and Triple-A, and that's great news either way.

Recap: Yankees 13, Tigers 4

David Price surrendered eight earned runs in just 2 1/3 innings and the Yankees blew out the Tigers, 13-4, on Wednesday night at Comerica Park.

A Good Start: The Yankees' bats arrived ready to play in this one's top of the first -- plating six runs off the usually-dominant Price to put the Tigers in an early hole. Brian McCann and Chase Headley got the rally started with a couple of RBI singles, followed shortly by a three-run double from Gregorio Petit and another run-scoring single from Jacoby Ellsbury.

Warren Struggles, But Rebounds: Adam Warren had himself a rough bottom of the first despite his 6-0 cushion, walking four and allowing four runs to give the Tigers some momentum. From there, though, Warren was solid on the evening -- ultimately finishing with 5 2/3 innings and three strikeouts under his belt. 

Helping Out Your Pitcher: Having had their advantage cut to two going to the second, the Yankees immediately answered with a two spot off Price to repair some of the damage -- scoring both runs with two outs when Headley and Carlos Beltran connected on back-to-back RBI triples. Crossing home on Beltran's knock was the aforementioned McCann, who is now 9-for-16 in his career against Price after recording two more hits. 

Insurance: Didi Gregorius drove in two with a double in the fourth to make it 10-4 -- the second time the Yankees have scored 10+ runs this season. It was Gregorius' first extra-base hit with the Yankees, coming in his thirteenth game. 

It's Gone: Mark Teixeira then continued his productive week with a three-run home run to right-center in the seventh, Teixeira's team-leading fifth four-bagger already this year. The long ball carried slowly over the wall before landing in an area similar to Teixeira's shot on Monday, when he also went deep in a 2-1 Yankees loss. 

Next Up: The Yankees will look to take 3/4 in this series Thursday when they battle the Tigers in the final contest of the road trip -- beginning at 1:08 p.m. ET and airing live on MLB Network. Masahiro Tanaka will start for the Yankees in his first outing since Saturday's seven-inning shutout, facing off with struggling Detroit right-hander Anibal Sanchez. 

Sunday Morning Yankees Injury Update: 4/19

The New York Yankees have had their fair share of injuries already this season so it will probably become a weekly thing that we check in on our injured players. Brett Gardner made his return to the Yankees lineup last night against the Tampa Bay Rays after taking a pitch to his wrist that caused a deep bone bruise. How are the rest of the wounded Yankees doing? Let's check in:

Ivan Nova threw threw his second live batting practice session since his Tommy John surgery this week throwing 20 pitches to Yankees minor leaguers. Nova is expected to throw two more batting practice sessions this week before getting into rehab games. May 1st may be Nova's first rehab start so that likely puts him back at a June return to the club.

Chris Capuano also threw live batting practice this week as he attempts to return from a strained quad in his leg. Capuano is expected to throw batting practice again today and is expected to be back a week or two at least before Nova.

Jose Pirela was added to the 15 day DL when he was transferred from the 7 day concussion DL because the healing process is taking a little longer then expected. Pirela actually hit against Capuano on Thursday and will play in an extended spring training game on Monday. No word on whether Pirela will go to Triple-A when he is deemed healthy or if that spells the end of Gregorio Petit.