Tanaka Tosses, Thornton Tossed

Every time you hear the name Masahiro Tanaka, you are at once hopeful and also want to curl up in a fetal position. The expensive Japanese import was having a phenomenal first season in Major League Baseball when he felt something wrong in his very valuable right elbow. If you listen closely you can still hear the cries of "Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" echoing throughout the country after his last start on July 8.

Tanaka had been taking it easy since then, but threw 25 baseballs (correction - previously reported as 50) in a light and easy game of catch on Monday. Today, Tuesday, he followed up with another 50 throws. Hopefully he'll feel as good as he did yesterday when he wakes up tomorrow morning after back-to-back efforts.

GM Brian Cashman's nails must be bitten down to the cuticle as he sees one of his starting pitchers after another fall to the wayside. David Phelps was the latest injury victim when he was diagnosed with elbow inflammation after his short start this past Sunday. He was placed on the 15-day DL forcing the Yankees to once again maneuver things around to put someone in the rotation to take his place.

Chase Whitley should not be that choice. We've seen how that experiment went downhill after a great start. Michael Pineda should not be rushed back either. He's just beginning to ramp up his throwing rehab. David Huff could be moved into that spot or Cashman might find someone on the waiver wire.

There has been a shift in the bullpen as well. Matt Thornton got one out in Monday night's game and was headed to Washington, D.C. on Tuesday. The Yankees placed Thornton on waivers and the Washington Nationals scooped him and the $4MM he'll paid next season. Veteran Rich Hill will take his place for now, while Cashman looks for a more viable replacement. Either way, the Yankees have some extra cash to play with.

There's already been talk by members of the media that the Yankees will promote their first pick (2nd round) in June's amateur draft, Jacob Lindgren, to fill the void. The Mississippi State University product was promoted to Double-A Trenton on Tuesday after one game in the Gulf Coast League, four games at Single-A Charleston, and six games at Advanced-A Tampa.

One look at the 5'11" southpaw's stats and it's easy to see why the Yankees and the media are thinking the 21-year old could join the team this year. What stands out the most are 30 strikeouts in 13.1 innings pitched. While he's averaged over 20 K's per nine innings, Lindgren has walked just four batters, meaning that not to many opponents have put the bat on the ball and put it in fair play when they did make contact. But before declaring Lindgren as a star as making, remember that he's not facing David Ortiz or a young Justin Morneau. Hopefully the Yankees keep that in mind when it comes to deciding if Lindgren should be fast-tracked.

D-Rob to the DL

Sunday afternoon in Toronto, David Robertson pitched for the third time in four days. It was then that he felt something uncomfortable in his groin.

The Yankees' new closer was placed on the 15-Day disabled list Monday afternoon with a grade-1 groin strain. Even if he had been healthy, Robertson would not have been available for the Yankees home opener Monday with Baltimore. Shawn Kelley closed out the Yankees' 4-2 win over the Orioles.

Robertson has been fragile throughout his Yankees career. He's been more effective pitching less than an inning per game and doesn't fare as well when he works too many times in a short period. Two years ago, he had a chance to close when Mariano Rivera tore his ACL, but strained an oblique muscle and landed on the disabled list. Rafael Soriano took advantage of his opportunity and saved 42 games.

Because of Robertson's career to date, the Yankees may eventually look elsewhere this season for a more durable player for the 9th inning. Of course, it would also be a boost to the Yankees set-up portion of the game if Robertson returned to his prior role.

In the meantime, manager Joe Girardi will likely rely on Kelley and Matt Thornton, who had some closer experience with the Chicago White Sox, to finish games out.

Yankees Add Their Thorn(ton) to Their Flowers

Don't mix up your Thorntons!

At Jacoby Ellsbury's intro press conference last week, manager Joe Girardi said that Ellsbury would "no longer be a thorn in our sides, but a flower in our clubhouse." It was funny and extremely weird.

Tuesday afternoon the Yankees got some thorn back in the the person of left-handed reliever Matt Thorton. The 37-year old lefty agreed to a two-year, $7MM deal to replace Boone Logan in the bullpen.

Originally drafted by the Seattle Mariners, Thornton was acquired by the White Sox in a steal of a deal in March of '06 for outfielder Joe Borchard.

Borchard had once been a highly ranked prospect, but his Major League at-bats never matched his minor league output or his scouting reports. Thornton, meanwhile, became a steady reliever in the White Sox bullpen. He was especially outstanding for three seasons from 2008-2010 as a set up man who would get an occasional save opportunity when the team's closer was unavailable.

Thornton has appeared in 60 or more games in eight straight seasons, including this past year when the White Sox dealt him to Boston in mid-July for minor leaguer Brandon Jacobs. (Coincidentally, Jacobs was part of the three team deal that sent Mark Trumbo to Arizona. Jacobs joined him as the player to be named later in the deal.)

Command is key for Thornton to be successful. During the aforementioned three year period, Thornton struck out 10.3, 10.8, and 12 batters per 9 innings pitched. During that time period he walked less than three batters per nine innings. Since then, Thornton's K's have dropped while his base on balls have risen as have his hits per inning. His 6.2 strikeouts/9 IP last year was the lowest of his career.

With left-handed relievers hard to come by, the Yankees made a decent move to replace Logan. He did very well against left-handed hitters last season, but don't expect an All-Star performance.