Nunez In, Phelps Out

The Yankees finally got someone back from the DL- Eduardo Nunez was activated for Saturday's game with the Baltimore Orioles after a 60 day stay on the disabled list due to oblique strain.

No corresponding move was made, but a check of the active roster has made is appear that David Phelps is the odd man out. UPDATE - Phelps was placed on the 15-day DL with a convenient forearm strain.

Nunez had a chance to establish himself as an every day player while Derek Jeter rehabbed his bum ankle, but Nunez proved to be fragile. He has played in just 27 games this season and has been out since he left a May 5 game with Oakland early. He had a sub par .565 OPS at the time.

Injuries and ineffectiveness in the rotation gave Phelps a shot to get the ball every fifth day. He was 5-4, 4.93 as a starter and won his last start on Sunday. Ivan Nova's recent success, especially his Friday night complete game win over the Orioles, has pushed him back of Phelps on the food chain.

This Is Your Captain, I am Ready For Lift Off

Scranton, PA, the home of the Triple-A Scranton RailRiders is going to have a little extra excitment this July 4th weekend. Nope, not more fireworks, just the captain of the New York Yankees checking into town.

Derek Sanderson Jeter has gotten the go ahead from the Yankees team docs to start a rehab assignment. El Capitan is expected to play at least five innings in the field during Saturday night's game.

During prep for this season, Jeter fractured a different area of his ankle then where the break occurred that knocked him out of last season's playoffs.. I admit it seems kind of odd that someone that just started to run the bases the other day would start a rehab assignment already (or already in my estimation.), but this is very good news.

Here's to the Yankees' captain staying healthy for the rest of the season and replacing whatever .190 hitter is at shortstop in the meantime.

Cervelli Shut Down Indefinitely

Brian Cashman informed the media via a teleconference earlier today that catcher Francisco Cervelli had a "stress reaction" to his right elbow and has been shut down for at least two weeks.

Cervelli was placed on the DL after he suffered a broken hand courtesy of a Rajai Davis foul ball on April 26.  He had been making good progress and was expected to be one of the first Yankees to return from the DL.

Cashman said the source of the problem was an old stress fracture Cervelli had suffered.

The Yankees continue to get catch a break...literally.

The Amazing Independence Days of Yankee Stadium

Yankee Stadium 1.0 saw seen plenty of incredible moments in its history. Perfect World Series games, overtime NFL championship games, heavyweight title fights,  rockers and clergy, and memorials to fallen heroes.

July 4 in particular has had it's share of special, touching, and reflective moments. None more so than in 1939 when the Yankees said goodbye to their captain, Lou Gehrig. The "Iron Man" had been forced into retirement after a diagnosis of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, later known simply as "Lou Gehrig Disease". He was honored by the team and dignitaries on the 4th and delivered one of the most memorable, emotional speeches of all time.

"Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans. 

"Look at these grand men. Which of you wouldn't consider it the highlight of his career just to associate with them for even one day? Sure, I'm lucky. Who wouldn't consider it an honor to have known Jacob Ruppert? Also, the builder of baseball's greatest empire, Ed Barrow? To have spent six years with that wonderful little fellow, Miller Huggins? Then to have spent the next nine years with that outstanding leader, that smart student of psychology, the best manager in baseball today, Joe McCarthy? Sure, I'm lucky. 

"When the New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you a gift - that's something. When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies - that's something. When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you in squabbles with her own daughter - that's somethin . When you have a father and a mother who work all their lives so you can have an education and build your body - it's a blessing. When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed - that's the finest I know.

A remarkable speech  from a remarkable, courageous man. Gehrig's words have been referenced many times over the years from a number of sources (e.g. Mickey Mantle on his retirement day) and were immortalized in the film "Pride of the Yankees with Gary Cooper.

It was also the first unofficial/official Old Timers Day in Yankees history.

On July 4, 1983, George Steinbrenner celebrated his 53rd birthday and watched as the Yankees and Boston Red Sox squared off in an Independence Day matinee at the Stadium. Who could have predicted what came next?

Dave Righetti, the Yankees 26-year old starting pitcher, put nine goose eggs up on the board in a 4-0 Yankees win. The really special part though was the goose egg under the hits column on the Yankee Stadium scoreboard.

No Yankees pitcher had thrown a no-hitter since Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series. Righetti might have taken the mound that day with a chip on his shoulder. Despite a 9-3, 3.53 record, Righetti was passed over for the AL All-Star team. If he was upset, Righetti took it out on the Red Sox.

Wade Boggs was still hitting .356 after the game, but "Rags" struck him out three times, including once in the 9th inning. Boggs flailed at the game's final pitch, but it landed in catcher Butch Wynegar's mitt for the 27th and final out of the day.  Graig Nettles, who rested while Bert Campaneris played 3rd base that day, and Righetti  celebrated the no-hitter and the All-Star break with a trip to Atlantic City.

Other Notable Yankees 4th of July Games

July 4,  1925 - future Hall of Fame members Herb Pennock of the Yankees and Lefty Grove of the Philadelphia Athletics dueled for 15 scoreless innings until the Yankees won 1-0. Pennock out pitched his fellow left-hander by throwing a perfect game through six innings and topped it by being perfect for the final 21 batters.

One year after Righetti's no-no, Phil Niekro struck out Texas' Larry Parrish for the 3,000th strikeout of his career.

Kuroda Feeling Kuruddy

Just eat a lemon?

The Yankees are looking to beat the Minnesota Twins for the second straight night, but the joy is always mixed with aggravation, or more precisely, injury.

Hiroki Kuroda is apparently the latest victim of the body break down squad. According to the NY Times' David Waldstein, the Yankees most consistent starter was sent back to New York for a "possible leg issue".

Ivan Nova will fill in for Kuroda on Friday against the Baltimore Orioles.

Time For the Yankees to Sell, Starting With Granderson

Cano to Go, Don'tcha Know

The Yankees are close to the top of the AL East and the two available wild card spots. They're also close to last place in the AL East and an ignominious finish to the 2013 season. With a plot like that, how should the Yankees write the rest of the book on this season? By being sellers...and potentially smart buyers.

Injuries to Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Curtis Granderson, Eduardo Nunez, Kevin Youkilis, and Francisco Cervelli have turned the team upside down. For a while everything was okay- newbies Lyle Overbay, Vernon Wells, and Travis Hafner played like they were re-born in April. Since then they have mostly reverted to their over-the-hill status.

The Yankees pitching kept them afloat for a while too, but CC Sabathia has lost velocity and control, Andy  Pettitte has been ineffective after a good start to the season, Phil Hughes is doing his usual Jekyll and Hughes routine, and Ivan Nova and David Phelps have had their ups and downs. Only Hiroki Kuroda has been consistently good, but the lineup goes to sleep when he pitches.

The Yankees have relied on a number of players night in and night out that are not Major League hitters. It's remarkable that they have stayed above .500 for this long. With Teixeira and Youkilis gone for the season, Granderson still unable to swing a bat, and A-Rod possibly facing suspension just as his rehab assignment has started, are things going to get that much better?

It's time for the Yankees, for the first time in recent or long term memory, to be primary sellers at the trade deadline. Unfortunately, they will likely not do that, but the fan base would probably prefer the Yankees did some dealing to re-work the present team.

It should all start with Curtis Granderson.

I love Granderson, he's an even better person off the field than he is on. He had a remarkable 2011 season, before a strictly hit (43 HR) or miss (195 K) 2012 season. This season has been a complete wipe out. Hit by a pitch in the first Spring Training game, he missed the first 38 games of the year. He was only back for eight games when another baseball broke his finger. He's missed another 35 and counting.

Grandy will be 33 when next season starts and he'll be a free agent after this season. I don't see any scenario in which the Yankees give him a new deal.

The Yankees would be nuts to bring Phil Hughes, another pending free agent, back next year. Hughes' laundry list of injuries and his inconsistency over the years should push the Yankees to get a ready-for-the-Major Leagues player or players back instead of waiting for draft pick(s) when Hughes goes elsewhere. Let Michael Pineda or Vidal Nuno take the spot that opens up.

Joba? I don't even need to go in detail as to why he should be dealt. The Yankees won't get much for him, but I know I can't watch more of him coming in and extending the other team's lead.

So now we get to the most difficult one of all...Robinson Cano. I want him back next year and years to come. But not 10 years or whatever outrageous number of years that he's reported to want in a new deal. Cano will be 31 to start next year. You've already seen, for whatever the reason, the degrading of players like A-Rod, Teixeira, Albert Pujols, and Adrian Gonzalez after they signed ridiculously long deals.

Michael Kay spoke on his radio show on Tuesday about how ridiculous it is for Yankees fans to want to blow the team up. There aren't too many people, myself included, who want to blow things up. It's to deal the right players and to do it, not for the sake of just trading them, but to get good return. Otherwise you don't make those deals.

I totally agree that anything can happen once you make the playoffs. I am not from the spoiled generation of fans who think like George Steinbrenner of the pre-millenium that any no-championship season is a waste. but sometimes you need to make moves to avoid multiple seasons without playoffs.

That could definitely be the case with Hal Steinbrenner demanding a $189MM total salary by next season.

A-Rod To Start Rehab Assignment: Are We Sure?

It's not that I'm doubting the possibility of Alex Rodriguez starting a rehab assignment at Single-A Tampa on Tuesday, but yeah, I'm doubt the possibility, etc.

This time it counts to quote an annoying baseball official. Rodriguez will make the next step to either rejoining the Yankees or getting suspended by Major League Baseball.

We all thought the process was going to start last week when A-Rod tweeted he was going to begin and then got smacked down with a major F-bomb by GM Brian Cashman.

Everything was straightened out after a conference call between the two and other Yankees officials. We've also had to put up with the rumor that A-Rod will pronounce himself unfit to play,  and retire with some rotating group of blondes on his arm and the remainder of the $275MM the Steinbrenners erroneously gave him. Beats being suspended and having your employer try to negate your contract.

Let the games begin...the real ones.

Yankees Fans Need to Make Up Their Minds and Stop Whining: A Semi-Rant

We know how you feel El Capitan

The year 2008 was very memorable in the history of the New York Yankees. The team was playing its last season on the site of the original and renovated versions of Yankee Stadium. There was a new manager, Joe Girardi, for the first time since 1996. Most of all, the team stunk by the Yankees and George Steinbrenner's standards - 89-73, 3rd place in the AL East, eight games behind the division winning Tampa Bay Rays. The Boston Red Sox took the AL wild card, six games ahead of the Yankees. The fans were livid.

The battle cry was shouted from the rooftops around the metropolitan area. Sign great players!!! Bring in All-Stars!!! We have to win now!!! The Yankees did just that giving deals to CC Sabathia (7 years, $161MM), Mark Teixeira (8 years, $180MM), and A.J. Burnett (5 years, $82.5MM). They traded for Nick Swisher (originally to play 1st base before Teixeira's signing), who became integral after Xavier Nady was lost early in the season. And of course there was still Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, and Jorge Posada.

The Yankees immediately won their first World Series in nine years and Yankees fans were figuratively fat and happy heading into the winter. Then something happened over the next four years. Players got older, some retired, some skills deteriorated, some didn't heal as quickly as they once did. The 2013 version of the Yankees is the fan base's nightmare. An old, injury riddled team that is currently filled with players who don't have the bat speed or the fastball they once did, and youngsters who aren't ready to be playing regularly in the Major Leagues.

So what's being shouted out now? Why can't we be more like the Pittsburgh Pirates? Say What? You know how the Pittsburgh Pirates got the way they did? By losing and losing some more and losing even more. It's not hard to build a good squad when you are perennially in the bottom of the division and have draft picks in the first five picks every year. Throw in a couple of key free agents (e.g. Russell Martin) and have a bona fide home grown star (Andrew McCutchen) and suddenly life is grand.

Then when the Pirates stars are ready for big money, they'll get dispatched to other teams around the league. Just the same way the Tampa Bay Rays and Kansas City Royals do. Do you think for one nanosecond, any Yankees fan is going to put up with the seasons it would take to build a team of young talent like that? Not one, not a single one!

89 wins in 2008 and the first non-playoff team in 13 years proved that. Not a team that barely won 70 games, but a team that almost won 90 drove people crazy. It's hard to argue with the Yankees haters when they say the fans are spoiled, because, for the most part, it's true. The younger fans didn't go through the rotten years when there were no championships like the late 1960s and early 1970s, and most of the 1980's and the early 1990s.

You want to talk about bad teams? You did't have to watch guys like Jerry Kenny, Dooley Womack, and Horace Clarke. (Ever see a guy get over 680 at-bats with an OPS less than .600?) Please don't let me tell you about the 1982 "speed team".  The 1996-2000 squads gave many of today's fans a sense of entitlement. The championship is ours or the complete season is a waste. Really? And you claim to love baseball?

Many fans were ready to riot after the team lost in the 2012 playoffs...the American League Championship Series no less. Four wins from reaching the World Series, but the reaction sounded as though the Yankees finished in last place in the AL East.

Of course, the fans are right about some things, it just takes losing to set them straight. The Yankees front office did this to themselves. We all know that. They knew there were rumors about A-Rod's steroid use, but they went ahead and bid against themselves to re-sign him to a ridiculous 10-year, $275MM deal when he opted out of his current contract after the 2008 season. (Just like they knew Giambi in all likelihood was a user before they signed him to a large deal prior to the 2002 season.)

CC Sabathia's a much better person on and off the field than A-Rod could ever hope to be, but re-working his deal through 2017 wasn't a great idea. No, the Yankees didn't want to lose him when he opted out of his deal after the 2011 season, but perhaps they should have let the free agent market help decide the length and amount of the deal.  The big man has a lot of innings and pitches in his left arm and last year his elbow complained loudly about it. Sabathia has looked ordinary and has lost velocity this season. He's guaranteed $71MM over the next three seasons and can get $25MM in the final year of the deal if he stays healthy.

Teixeira has gotten beat up, pull happy, and still has three years and $67.5MM on his contract. Now, you can't count on bad things happening, but when players are on the other side of 30-years of age, things happen more often. Unfortunately, a lot of them occurred this year. But fans can't bash the same contracts they applauded before the last two seasons. (Many of these same fans wanted the Yankees to sign Josh Hamilton this past off-season - 28 RBI and a .665 OPS in 77 games so far for the Angels.)

The worst part about all those contracts combined with Hal Steinbrenner's quest to get the salary to $189MM? The Yankees are not going to be able to sign Robinson Cano. They might even be wise to deal him at this year's trade deadline. Rumor has it that Cano wants a 10 year deal. If the Yankees are dumb enough to give it to him (or for that matter if anyone is) you can expect more 2013's in the future. I love Cano, he's one of my favorite players to watch bat and field, but the insanity has to stop somewhere.

Fans are going to have to learn to live with whatever happens this year. There are no teams like the LA Dodgers to take all the bad contracts away like those idiots did last year with the Red Sox. (It's laughable that people give Boston credit for that move.) Not only aren't there teams like that, but somehow Bud Selig would find a way to not allow the Yankees to salary dump. (He shouldn't allow it either, just like he shouldn't have allowed Florida and Boston to do so last year.)

Most of all, all of us want a competitive, interesting team to watch. If the Yankees front office doesn't wise up, and I question if the current group can, attendance will continue to dwindle, ratings will continue to drop, and the Yankees will not make the playoffs, let alone win a championship, for a very long time.

Then you will really hear some whining.

Yankees Closer to Cellar Than Penthouse

Indeed, the decision to watch a movie last night was the correct one. The Yankees who looked foolish at times Friday night, looked foolish for the entire 11-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday's nationally televised game. Starter David Phelps was hammered and didn't make it past the 33r
d inning. It's probably time to try out Ivan Nova again tin that spot.

Suddenly the Bronx Bombers-less are 5 1/2 games out of first and just 2 games out of the AL East basement. Things have take quite a turn in the division over the last two weeks. Like the Yankees, the Boston Rex Sox and Orioles have gone through up and down periods. So much so that despite losing 7 of 10, the Yankees have dropped just two games in the standings.

Meanwhile, everybody's pre-season bandwagon pick, the Toronto Blue Jays, finally came to life. They reeled off 11 straight wins and got back into contention. They did despite the fact that the lowest ERA by a starter (R.A. Dickey) is 4.72. The team is not short on power, though, with Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Bautista, J.P. Arencibia, and Colby Rasmus contributing to the damage.

The Blue Jays are also getting healthy. Jose Reyes is back after being out since April 12 with a badly injured ankle. Though the results have been mixed, Josh Johnson is throwing the ball better after a stint on the DL. The team has also gotten an unexpected boost from Adam Lind (.938 OPS), who has bounced back and forth between the Majors and the minors  when he struggled at the plate.

The Tampa Bay Rays have stayed the course. The team has produced good to great pitching for years, though they end up dealing away the talent when the big money is due. Matt Moore started out the season like a house afire, winning his first eight decisions. Alex Cobb was having a marvelous season until he took a line drive to the head in mid-June. Last year's AL CY Young winner, David Price, will be back from the DL shortly with the hope that he'll throw better than he has all year. (1-4, 5.24 in 9 starts)

The team has called up Wil Myers to help the offense, which still doesn't produce nearly enough. Yet they are still in contention, 6 games back of Boston for the division lead, and 3 1/2 out of the wild card.

The Yankees need to get better fast or Brian Cashman best get some better fill-ins, or this team's season will done by end of July trade deadline.

Bad Pitches, Bad Players, Bad Judgment Makes Bad Games

gif courtesy of eutawstreetreport.com

It's a Netflix (Saturday) night in the household- a wise decision to avoid a night of Yankees baseball. Since the game is being broadcast on FOX, it made the decision somewhat easy.

After the once proud pinstripes looked like laughing stocks in Baltimore last night, it was time to for a baseball breather. The game pretty much summarized what the Yankees season has been all about. Poorly timed pitching, guys playing out of position, crucial errors, and a complete lack of hitting. That last one is not so shocking considering the lineup the Yankees are trotting out on a daily basis.

CC Sabathia got the start last night and was handed a 3-0 lead early. He made the most of it through five innings without a hit allowed to the Orioles. Then came the 6th inning and there went the ball game. After Nate McLouth broke up the no-no with a single, the decision to play David Adams out of position badly backfired on Joe Girardi.

Alexi Casilla hit a weak tapper to the first base side of Sabathia. It was his ball all the way, but Adams, a natural second baseman that has been learning third base, charged the ball from his position at first base. It was Adams second career appearance at first and the inexperienced showed.

With Robinson Cano unable to get over to cover the bag, Casilla easily reached with an infield single. Then things went from bad to worse. Manny Machado laced a one-out double to the gap and right-center and scored an out later from third on an Adam Jones single to tie the game at 3-3.

The Yankees picked up a quick run in the 1st inning on a Robinson Cano RBI single off of rookie T.J. McFarland, who was made his first career start. Two innings later Vernon Wells and Chris Stewart produced RBI singles for a 3-0 Yankees lead. It appeared for once the Yankees might have a fairly easy night.

Yes, I know, laughing material. The team had 11 hits, but only four after the 3rd inning. They struck out 11 times, including a hat trick by Alberto Gonzalez, just another in a long line of hit-less wonders that filled out the 25-man roster this season.

As for Sabathia, his velocity was pretty good for a change- 93 mph most of the night and 95 at one point - but he made some bad pitches, one in particular, just as he did against the Rays in his last start. The Yankees got Sabathia off the hook after he allowed Wil Myers' grand slam in the Rays game, but there was no rescue job after Sabathia surrendered a game winning home run to the left-handed hitting McLouth in the 7th.

Sabathia expressed the frustration felt by himself, the team, the front office, and all of the fans when he threw his glove and hat in a fit of rage in the dugout. I felt like throwing the remote (Which I hadn't done since Game 5 of the 1994 NHL playoff series between the Rangers and Devils, but that's a story for another time.)

Girardi and GM Brian Cashman get mixed reviews from the Yankees fan base and from me as well. I think they have their strong points and some glaring weaknesses. I'm not happy with Girardi's in-game decisions (The binder reliance) and his need to mix and match/counter the opponents every late inning move.

I'm sure Lyle Overbay needed a rest, but was there not a better option at first base than Adams? The answer is actually not really, which gets thrown back to Cashman for not mixing and matching his players. Girardi could have gone with Gonzalez, who has only seven games of experience at first base, but has 419 games of Major League experience and probably would have handled it better. Adams would have then just been back at third base.

The bottom line is the decision time is nearing.  With the trade deadline looming on the horizon, the Yankees entered Saturday's night play 5 1/2 games behind Boston. Eduardo Nunez should be back next week, meaning Adams or Gonzalez will be gone. Francisco Cervelli should be back shortly thereafter, with Austin Romine ticketed for a return to Scranton. But then what?

Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez aren't close to returning. Curtis Granderson? Who knows. Cashman needs to bring in reinforcements (People please stop bring up Justin Morneau, have you bothered to look at his numbers this year and his injury track record?) or this season will be done when the calendar turns to August.

Buy or sell Yankees, either way make a decision.

Time For a Shake Up Part II: Yankees Need to Cut Hughes and Joba Loose

(I began this about 2 weeks ago and nothing has changed for the better. Chamberlain's performance in Wednesday's game pushed me to finish it.)

Potential and promise are two of the worst words in the human language when paired together. Much worse than any word that George Carlin could produce in his "7 dirty words" routine. Potential and promise may be the worst words of all time when they are associated with athletes.

Phil Hughes has been linked to the twin "P"s since the Yankees drafted him out of Foothill High School with the 23rd overall pick in the 2004 Major League Baseball amateur draft. Of course, Hughes was probably labeled with every positive long before he left Santa Ana, CA for the Gulf Cost League in Florida.

Joba Chamberlain had a big arm and a big arsenal of pitches when he strode the mound for the University of Nebraska. The Yankees snatched him up with the 41st overall pick of the 2006 MLB draft. Another first round selection with plenty of potential and promise. Even more so after Chamberlain was unexpectedly called up to the Majors on August 7, 2007. He was just 21-years old, but his 19 game stint brought excitement from a rookie that had not been seen since Shane Spencer grand slammed his way through the end of the 1998 season.

Things have changed drastically for both players since those early days. Injuries, loss of velocity, inconsistency, and inefficiency have all trumped the words that start with the letter "p". Hughes appeared to get on track in 2010 when he started the season 11-2, 3.65 and averaged better than eight strikeouts per nine innings pitched. His ERA in the second half was nearly 5.00 and he walked the same amount of batters (29) that he did in the first half, but in 26 less innings. The number of home runs allowed also increased, a major problem that has persisted since then.

A year later back issues and dropped velocity limited Hughes to 17 games. 2012 epitomized Hughes inability to produce a solid start on a consistent basis. His overall numbers - 16-13, 4.23 - weren't bad, and were bolstered by a stronger second half. His penchant for serving up gopher balls (35) continued to hurt his game. The positives gave the team something to look forward to in 2013, but a bulging disc slowed Hughes in Spring Training and he was the same inconsistent, home run served on a silver platter pitcher once the season started. He enters Thursday's start 3-6, 5.09 with 1.5 home runs and 10.2 hits allowed per nine innings.

Chamberlain has never recaptured the amazing dominance he showed in 2007. And it was not all his fault- the Yankees messed him up with their ridiculous "Joba Rules", they jerked him back and forth from the rotation and pen, and limitied his innings. And it all backfired because he ended up with Tommy John surgery anyway.

Wednesday night's game with Texas was typical of Joba's performances these days. Either allow the other team to increase their lead in the game as the Rangers did, or have the Yankees lead quickly become less. Chamberlain may have a big repertoire of pitches, but they're just about all flat and hittable. He's also as immature as his first day in the Major Leagues.

What it all means is that it is time to get rid of both- Joba through a trade by the deadline (Don't expect much in return.) and Hughes by letting him walk when he becomes a free agent after the end of the 2013 season. (Chamberlain is also set to become a free agent, but why hold on to him that long.)

There would be an opening in the bullpen with Chamberlain jettisoned out of town, an opening that would be filled by Hughes for the remainder of the season. (It's likely the Yankees wouldn't get much through a trade so why not get draft pick(s) instead when he signs somewhere else?) It's a shame to give up on Hughes, I held out as long as I could, but his trouble with locating his fastball, his drop in velocity, and his propensity for getting hurt and serving up gopher balls has pushed me past the point of no return.

For now Hughes could be quite serviceable in the pen though where he appeared in 44 of 51 games in 2009.
Given one or two innings of work, I believe Hughes could be an asset to the club. He won't like it, but too bad.

What about Hughes' spot in the rotation you ask? One Michael Pineda, hopefully, coming right up. The righty pitched well for the Trenton Thunder Tuesday night as he continues his comeback from shoulder surgery. If not Pineda, then turns the reins over to Ivan Nova to see if he can get his career back on track. (In another scenario Pineda and Nova could replace Hughes and David Phelps.)

With CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte both showing some chinks in their armor, the team can't afford to carry dead weight. It doesn't get much deader than Phil Hughes starting and Joba Chamberlain coming in from the pen.

Teixeira and His Wrist Are Finished

Mark Teixeira will join Kevin Youkilis on the sideline.

The bad news everyone has been expecting for the last few days has come down from the front offices of the New York Yankees. First baseman Mark Teixeira will undergo season ending surgery to fix the injured sheath tendon in his right wrist.

Teixeira missed the first 53 games of the regular season after he injured his wrist working out with Team USA in preparation for the World Baseball Classic.

After he had just one hit in nine at-bats, Teixeira homered in three of four games, but was in a 3-31 tailspin when he was pulled from a contest with the Los Angeles Angels on June 15. He was sent back to New York ahead of the team to have the hand evaluated. An MRI showed inflammation, but no additional damage and Teixeira was administered a cortisone shot.

A week passed and Teixeira's wrist showed no improvement since he received the shot. A contrast MRI also showed that the wrist had not healed adequately.

The surgery will take place as soon as possible with a six month recovery expected. (Toronto's Jose Bautista went through the same procedure last season.) Teixeira has three years and $67.5MM left on his contract.

Pineda To Take the Ball For Trenton

Michael Pineda takes another step towards his first regular season appearance for the Yankees when he starts for the Double-A Trenton Thunder.

This will be Pineda's third official minor league start of the season, with prior two coming as a member of the Florida St. League's ('A+') Tampa Yankees. Pineda has also thrown simulated and extended Spring Training.

Pineda, acquired from Seattle with Jose Campos in a controversial deal for Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi prior to last season, was shut down during Spring Training of 2012 and underwent shoulder surgery that threatened his career.

Reports have been good during Pineda's comeback with his fastball reportedly topping out at 95 mph. He could eventually take the place of Phil Hughes or David Phelps in the Yankees rotation.

A-Rod's Clearance Not So Clear

Alex Rodriguez has been cleared to start rehab games next week. No, no he hasn't. That was the day in the life of Alex Rodriguez Monday. Or a day in the life of following the course of A-Rod's rehab.

Reports circuled that the lightning rod would start getting into rehab games after he was cleared by doctors. Only one little problem. Brian Cashman said the team doctors have not cleared him.

Maybe it was just A-Rod's dentist.

Meanwhile fans keep calling into radio stations with ridiculous trade ideas. Justin Morneau - 3 home runs this year. Chase Headley, who had a career, breakout year last season - .681 OPS this year.