Yankees release Ellsbury, DFA Bird & Cortes.

The Yankees had to set their 40-man roster before the Rule 5 draft and wanted to protect a couple of youngsters from that draft.

In order to do so, they made some moves.

The first was that they released Jacoby Ellsbury. In doing so, they are eating the $21MM he is owed for 2020 and also paying him $5MM for a 2021 buyout. They are eating $26MM and yes, that money for 2020 still will count against the cap. Ellsbury didn’t play at all for the Yankees in 2018 and 2019.

Ellsbury did play for them 2014-2017, with his best year being his first, in 2014 (.271-16-70 with 39 SB, OPS+ 111). So the Yanks got NOTHING from him for the last three years of his contract and had to buy out 2021.

The Yanks also DFA’d Greg Bird and Nestor Cortes, Jr.

Bird hit .261 with 11 HR in 46 games at the end of 2015, filling in for the injured Mark Teixeira but has had trouble with injuries since. He missed all of 2016 due to injury, hit .190 in 48 games in 2017, .199 in 82 games in 2018 and was just 6 for 35 in 10 games in 2019. His big highlight was his HR in Game 3 of the 2017 ALDS off of Andrew Miller that won the game for the Yanks 1-0 and kept them alive in the playoffs that year.

Cortes, Jr. was 5-1, 5.67 for the Yankees in 2019, ERA+ 79, in one start and 32 relief appearances.

The Yanks added Estevan Florial, Deivi Garcia, Luis Gil, Brooks Kriske, Luis Medina, Nick Nelson and Miguel Yajure to the 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 draft.

Florial: 22 on Nov. 25. OF lefty bat. .237-8-38 at High A Tampa in 2019.
Garcia: 20. 5-9, 4.28 combined A+/AA/AAA in 2019. 165 K in 111.1 IP.  21 starts, 5 relief.
Gil: 21. 5-5, 2.72 at A/A+ combined in 2019. 20 starts. 123 K in 96 IP.
Kriske: 25. 3-3, 2.08 at A+/AA combined in 2019. 12 saves. 80 K in 60.2 IP.
Medina: 20. 1-8, 5.47 at A/A+ combined in 2019. 22 starts. 127 K in 103.2 IP.
Nelson: 24 on Dec. 5. 8-3, 2.81 at A+/AA/AAA in 2019. 17 starts, 1 relief. 114 K in 89.2 IP.
Yajure: 21. 9-6, 2.14 at A+/AA in 2019. 20 starts, 4 relief. 133 K in 138.2 IP.

Minor League Report. SWB tied for first with four games left.

AAA: SWB (73-63) split a DH. With the split, they are tied for first in the International League North with four games to go. The loser between them and Syracuse (Mets) will most likely NOT make the playoffs as the wild card since they are 1 1/2 games behind that team right now.

Remember minor league DHs are seven-inning games. Both games went extras.

Reg. sched. game: Lost 9-5. Down 5-3, SWB scored once in the top of the sixth and then again in the top of the seventh to tie, but then in the bottom of the eighth, Chance Adams gave up a two-out grand slam to lose the game. A weird bottom of the eighth. It started with that rule of having a man start the inning at second. Adams then got a groundout but hit both of the next two batters to load the bases. After a strikeout, he gave up the grand slam.

LF Clint Frazier 2-run HR. 2 hits, solo HR for DH Wendell Rijo (tied game in top of the seventh).

Makeup of 8/28 postponement: SWB scored four in the top of the tenth to win 8-4 to preserve the tie on top of the division. LF Frazier 2 hits. DH Ryan McBroom 2 hits, 3 RBI, 2 HR (a 2-run and a solo shot). 2 hits, 2 RBI 3B Mandy Alvarez. J.P. Feyereisen (W, 10-2, 2.49) two scoreless IP, 5 K.

AA: Trenton (74-60) lost 8-2. LF Ben Ruta 2 hits, 2-run HR.

High A: Tampa (64-71) won 7-1. CF Estevan Florial 3 hits, 2 RBI. 3B Wilkerman Garcia 3 hits, 2 RBI. DH Alexander Palma 2 hits, RBI. 2B Kyle Gray 2 hits.

Starter Glenn Otto (W, 3-3, 3.20) 5 1/3 IP, 1 R, 5 H, 1 W, 7 K.

Low A: Charleston (70-66) won 10-6. CF Brandon Lockridge 2 hits. SS Oswald Peraza 4 hits. C Josh Breaux 2 RBI (2-run HR). DH Canaan Smith 2 RBI. 2B Eduardo Torrealba 3 hits, 3 RBI.

 

Minor League Report.

AAA: SWB (66-59) won 9-3. LF Clint Frazier 2 hits. 3B Francisco Arcia 2 hits. C Kyle Higashioka 2 hits, 2 RBI, solo HR. SS Gosuke Katoh 3 for 3, 2 walks. 2B Mandy Alvarez 3 hits, 5 RBI, a 2-run HR. 2 hits, 2 RBI CF Billy Burns.

Adonis Rosa (W, 5-0, 3.33) 7 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 0 W, 4 K.

AA:  Trenton (68-56) won 12-6 over Reading. SS Kyle Holder 2 hits, 2 RBI, a 2-run HR. 3B Brandon Wagner 3 hits, 4 RBI, Grand Slam. CF Rashad Crawford 2-run HR. DH Angel Aguilar 2-run HR.

High A: Tampa (57-66) split a DH.

Reg. Scheduled Game: Won 5-4 in 8 innings (DHs in minors are 7 inning games). CF Estevan Florial 2 hits, 2 RBI. DH Alexander Palma PH 3-run HR with two out in the top of the seventh.

Makeup of 6/19 postponement: Lost 10-2. 2B Diego Castillo 2 hits, RBI. RF Steven Sensley 2 hits.

Low A: Charleston (65-61) won 9-5. LF Canaan Smith 3 hits, 4 RBI (.313). CF Josh Stowers 3 hits, 2 RBI. C Ryan Lidge 2 hits, RBI.

Minor League Report. Late inning blues in AAA, High A, Low A. SWB continues slumping; Garcia dominant but wild.

AAA: SWB (65-59) continues to slump, blowing leads in both the 10th and 11th innings to lose 8-7. They scored in the top of the tenth only to give it back in the bottom of the inning. They then scored twice in the top of the eleventh only to give back three.

DH Clint Frazier 2 hits, RBI. 39-year-old C Erik Kratz 2 HR, 3 RBI. 1B Ryan McBroom 2-run HR in the 11th. 3B Mandy Alvarez 2 hits.

Ben Heller back off of IL. Opener. 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.  0.00 for AAA.

Deivi Garcia replaced him 5 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 5 W, 7 K.  5.01 at AAA.

Garcia’s total numbers this season (A+/AA/AAA): 5-9, 4.08 but 154 K in 102 2/3 IP (13.5 K/9). 51 walks. Get the walks down a little.  (4.47/9).

Not doing well were recently acquired David Hernandez (2/3 IP, 3 R) and Brady Lail, who recently made his MLB debut, then was DFA’d then reassigned to AAA. Lail lost the game, giving up 3 R, 2 ER, in 1/3 IP.

AA: Trenton (67-56) lost 7-1 to Reading, getting just 3 hits, 2 by RF Ben Ruta. C Brian Navaretto solo HR.

High A: Tampa (56-65) split two games.

Completion of suspended game from Friday: Won 6-1.  CF Estevan Florial 2 hits, solo HR. 2 hits, 2 RBI, 2-run HR for SS Diego Castillo. 1B Steven Sensley solo HR.  A 3-hitter with 16K.

Frank German 3 2/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 7 K.  3.78
Otto (W, 2-2, 2.31) 4 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 4 W, 7 K.
Wivinis 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 2 K.  2.91

Lost the regularly scheduled game, 5-3, giving up 2 in the bottom of the seventh (with the suspended game, the regular game is only 7 innings). CF Florial 2 hits. 3B Oswaldo Cabrera 2 hits, 3 RBI, 3-run HR.

Low A: Charleston (64-61) gave up 2 in the bottom of the ninth and lost 6-5. SS Oswald Peraza 3 hits, RBI. Solo HR. LF Canaan Smith 2 hits (.309). DH Josh Breaux 2 RBI. RF Frederick Cuevas 3 hits.

Standings:

SWB has blown a big lead. Their lead in the IL North is down to one game over Buffalo, 2 over Syracuse, 3 over Rochester and 4 1/2 over Lehigh Valley. They have lost six in a row and 10 of their last 11.

Trenton won the first half Eastern League East with 38-28 record so they are guaranteed a playoff spot. They are in second, 4 back, at 29-28, in the second half.

Tampa is 28-27, 2 games out, in the second half. They finished the first half 28-38, 13 1/2 out and in fifth place in the FSL North.

Charleston is tied for 3rd, 27-28, 5 out in the SAL South. They were 3rd, 37-33, just a 1/2 game out, in the first half.

Minor League Report.

AAA: SWB off.

AA: Trenton off.

High A: Tampa (53=64) won 5-1. LF Pablo Olivares 2 hits. CF Estevan Florial 2 hits, 3 RBI, a 3-run HR.

Otto 3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 3 W. 5 K.   2.32
Cordero (W, 1-0, 0.00) 3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 3 K.
Wivinis 2 2/3 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 3 W, 3 K.  3.03
Zurak 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K.  2.89

Low A: Charleston (62-58) scored in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game at one, then after giving up a run in the top of the tenth, came back with two of their own to win 3-2.

CF Brandon Lockridge 3 hits. RF Josh Stowers 2 hits, GW RBI. LF Frederick Cuevas 2 hits. 3B Oliver Dunn 2 hits.

Brito 7 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 1 W, 4 K.  3.27
C. Espinal (W, 1-2, 2.29) 3 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 0 W, 4 K.

 

Minor League Report.

AAA: SWB (64-50) lost 5-3 in 10 innings. LF Clint Frazier solo HR, good defense. SS Thairo Estrada 2 hits.  RF Trey Amburgey solo HR. 2B Wendell Rijo solo HR.

Deivi Garcia 4 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 2 W, 4 K. Gave up 1 HR. AAA ERA is 6.26.

He’s just 20. Don’t rush him. Probably needs a full year (more?) at AAA.

AA: Trenton (59-54) lost 4-3. 1B Chris Gittens 2-run HR. CF Rashad Crawford 2 hits.

High A: Tampa (52-59) won 7-2. CF Estevan Florial 2 hits. 2B Wilkerman Garcia 3 RBI. SS Diego Castillo 2 hits, 2 RBI. C Jason Lopez 2 hits, RBI. RF Omar Carrizales 2 hits, RBI.

Miguel Yajure (W, 7-6, 2.04) 5 1/3 relief innings, 1 R, 4 H, 1 W, 6 K. Gave up 1 HR.

Low A: Charleston (58-57) lost 4-1. CF Brandon Lockridge 2 hits. DH Josh Stowers 2 hits. RF Frederick Cuevas 2 hits.

Starter Luis Medina 5 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 2 W, 7 K.

Minor League Report.

 

AAA: SWB off.

AA: Trenton off.

High A: Tampa (51-59) won 6-0. DH Estevan Florial 2-run HR. 3B Wilkerman Garcia 2 hits.

Clarke Schmidt (W, 4-4, 2.98) 7 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 3 W, 9 K.
J. Valdez 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K.    9.61

Low A: Charleston (58-56) won 11-7.

CF Brandon Lockridge 3 hits, 4 RBI
SS Oswald Peraza 2 hits, RBI
RF Josh Stowers 2 hits, RBI
3B Oliver Dunn 2 hits, RBI
2B Eduardo Torrealba 2 hits, 2 RBI