Yankees' DJ LeMahieu: Unlikely to return next week
Rotowire
LeMahieu (foot) could come off the injured list during the Yankees' West Coast road trip that begins May 24, though manager Aaron Boone stated Friday that the veteran infielder is unlikely to be activated at the beginning of that nine-game stretch, per MLB.com.
LeMahieu restarted a minor-league rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset on Friday, going 1-for-2 with a single while playing three innings at third base. Boone stated earlier in the day that "it's possible" LeMahieu will be activated during New York's road swing against the Padres, Angels and Giants that starts May 24, but the skipper added that he doesn't expect that to happen at the start of the trip. LeMahieu is expected to get the day off Saturday before participating in his second rehab game Sunday, and Boone suggested that the organization plans to be cautious with the 34-year-old's rehab, explaining, "Part of the reason it has taken a long time is because he and us are going to be absolutely committed to this thing not being an issue when he goes to play."
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Tommy Kahnle: Could return early next week
Rotowire
Kahnle (shoulder) may be activated from the IL during the Yankees' series against Seattle that begins Monday, per MLB.com.
Kahnle kicked off a minor-league rehab assignment May 8 and has been dominant through four outings, posting a 9:0 K:BB while tossing four perfect frames. The veteran reliever is slated to make another rehab appearance Saturday, after which he'll be re-evaluated. If Kahnle is cleared at that point, he could make his season debut for the big-league Yankees as soon as Monday.
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Caleb Ferguson: Comes to rescue in relief
Rotowire
Ferguson earned a hold against the White Sox on Friday, striking out one batter in two-thirds of an inning.
Fellow reliever Ian Hamilton began the eighth frame for the Yankees but got himself into hot water, allowing three hits to the four batters he faced to yield a run and put the tying runs in scoring position. Ferguson was called upon to put out the fire and did just that, striking out Andrew Benintendi and getting Corey Julks to line out to keep New York's advantage at two runs. Though his ERA still sits at an unappealing 5.74 on the campaign, Ferguson has been one of the Yankees' highest-leverage relievers of late, nailing down four holds over his past 10 appearances. He's posted a 10:3 K:BB across seven innings during that span, and all four of his earned runs during that stretch came in a single outing (May 12 versus Tampa Bay).
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Ian Hamilton: Records sixth hold
Rotowire
Hamilton earned a hold against the White Sox on Friday despite allowing one run on three hits while striking out one batter over one-third of an inning.
This wasn't Hamilton's finest performance, as he gave up a double followed by a run-scoring single prior to recording his only out. The right-hander then yielded another double to put the tying runs in scoring position, but Caleb Ferguson came to the rescue in relief of Hamilton to prevent any more runs from scoring. Despite the poor outing, Hamilton was credited with his first hold since May 1. The 28-year-old has taken a bit of a step back in comparison to last season, but he's still been relatively effective this year with a 3.18 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 19:9 K:BB through 22.2 innings.
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Aaron Judge: Homers, draws three walks Friday
Rotowire
Judge went 1-for-1 with a solo home run, an additional run and three walks in Friday's 4-2 win against the White Sox.
Judge belted a 433-solo shot to left field in the first inning to plate the first run of the game. Chicago pitchers didn't bother with him thereafter, walking the slugger in each of his remaining three plate appearances, with one of the free passes being intentional. After a subpar start to the season, Judge has turned things around of late, slashing .475/.604/1.150 with six homers, nine doubles, 12 RBI, 14 runs and a 12:7 BB:K over his past 12 contests.
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton: Mashes homer No. 10
Rotowire
Stanton went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Friday's 4-2 win over the White Sox.
He crushed a Tanner Banks fastball down the left-field line on the first pitch he saw to lead off the sixth inning. Stanton has stayed healthy so far this season and is already at 10 long balls through 39 games, giving him a shot at his first 40-homer campaign since 2017 if he can avoid length injury absences. His .250/.297/.500 and 33.5 percent strikeout rate -- which would be the worst mark of his career if it doesn't come down -- indicate how one-dimensional the 34-year-old has become at this stage of his career, however.
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Clay Holmes: Notches 13th save
Rotowire
Holmes walked one and struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his 13th save of the season in a 4-2 win over the White Sox.
The right-hander is back in a four-way tie for the league lead in saves with Emmanuel Clase, Kyle Finnegan and Ryan Helsley, but Holmes is the only one of the quartet who still sports a 0.00 ERA. The Yankees closer's luck on that front will run out eventually, but his 0.98 WHIP and 23:4 K:BB through 19.1 innings highlight how dominant he's been.
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Oswaldo Cabrera: Idle Saturday
Rotowire
Cabrera isn't in the Yankees' lineup for Saturday's game against the White Sox.
Cabrera will sit down Saturday after going 0-for-3 with a strikeout during New York's win over the Sox on Friday. His absence will give Jon Berti a chance to start at the hot corner while batting ninth.
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Nestor Cortes: Sharp in second win
Rotowire
Cortes (2-4) picked up the win in Friday's 4-2 victory over the White Sox, allowing one unearned run on five hits and a walk over seven innings. He struck out six.
An error by Oswaldo Cabrera in the third inning led to the only damage off Cortes, who tossed 63 of 93 pitches for strikes in his fifth quality start of the season. The southpaw has been effective when he's been able to keep the ball in the park, but he's served up multiple homers in three of his last seven outings, stumbling to a 6.06 ERA in those starts but not giving up an earned run in the other four. Cortes will take an overall 3.56 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 57:12 K:BB through 60.2 innings into his next trip to the mound, which is scheduled to come at home next week against the Mariners.
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Austin Wells: Sits down Saturday
Rotowire
Wells isn't in the Yankees' lineup Saturday against the White Sox.
Wells dropped to 5-for-25 (.200) since the start of May after going 0-for-3 during Friday's series opener. He'll get a breather Saturday and give way to Jose Trevino, who will bat eighth.
Torres went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored during Thursday's 5-0 win over the Twins.
After enduring a 5-for-36 (.138) slump from Apr. 29 to May 11, Torres has gone 6-for-16 (.375) and has scored four runs during his last four games. On Thursday, he clubbed a pair of doubles off Joe Ryan to bring his season total to six through 187 plate appearances.
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Anthony Volpe: Keeps raking with homer
Rotowire
Volpe went 2-for-5 with a solo home run during Thursday's 5-0 win over the Twins.
Volpe extended his hit streak to nine games with a first-inning solo home run off Joe Ryan. During that stretch, Volpe has gone yard three times with 10 total RBI while logging multiple hits in four contests. After an up-and-down rookie campaign, Volpe owns a .273/.348/.432 slash line with six homers and nine stolen bases through 199 plate appearances in 2024.
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Clarke Schmidt: Twirls eight scoreless
Rotowire
Schmidt (5-1) earned the win Thursday against Minnesota, allowing three hits and no walks across eight scoreless innings. He struck out eight.
Schmidt hasn't allowed a run in 15.2 consecutive innings dating back to his May 4 start against Detroit. The 28-year-old was utterly dominant Thursday, setting a season high in punchouts while tying his season low in hits allowed. Schmidt is well on his way to a career year -- he owns a 2.49 ERA in 50.2 innings -- as a back-end starter in one of baseball's best rotations. He'll look to extend his scoreless streak early next week in Seattle.
... See More... See Less
Yankees' DJ LeMahieu: Rehab assignment on tap Friday
Rotowire
LeMahieu (foot) is in line to begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset on Friday, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.
LeMahieu has already joined Somerset, but he will first go through a full workout Thursday and, assuming that goes off without a hitch, will begin playing in games Friday. The veteran infielder had to have his initial rehab assignment last month halted after just one inning due to ongoing issues with his right foot, but he's now ready to try again. Since he's missed so much time, the expectation is that LeMahieu will probably need at least a handful of rehab games before rejoining the Yankees' active roster.
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Oswaldo Cabrera: Heading to bench Thursday
Rotowire
Cabrera is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Twins.
Cabrera has been the Yankees' preferred option at third base all season, but he's started to cede more work of late to Jon Berti, who will occupy the hot corner for the fourth time in six games Thursday. Given that he holds a 129-point advantage in OPS over Berti for the season, Cabrera should still be the favored option more often than not, but both will see their opportunities take a hit once DJ LeMahieu (foot) eventually returns from the injured list to make his 2024 debut.
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton: Hitting bench in series finale
Rotowire
Stanton is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Twins.
Stanton will get a breather for the day game after a night game, ceding his spot in the lineup to Trent Grisham, who will man center field while Aaron Judge slots into Stanton's usual role at designated hitter. After making 33 starts in the corner outfield in 2023, Stanton has been deployed exclusively at DH through the first quarter of the 2024 season. Given Stanton's lengthy injury history, the Yankees will likely look to keep him in a non-defensive role so long as the likes of Judge, Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo all maintain health.
