Yoendrys Gomez 3 1/3 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 1 W, 6 K. 2.92 #18 prospect. Phil Bickford 1 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 4 K. 1 balk. 4.50 Oddanier Mosqueda (H, 3) 2 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 0 W, 4 K. Gave up 1 HR. 2.13 Yerry De Los Santos (L, 1-1) (BS, 3) 1 2/3 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 0 W, 1 K. 5.59
AA: Somerset (7-9) lost 10-4. D.J. LeMahieu, in his first rehab game, struck out leading off the game, played the bottom of the first, then had to be removed from the game.
24 games played so far this season. 10 of them decided by one run. In those 10 games, the Yankees (16-8) are 8-2.
Tonight, the offense did just enough. They got four straight hits in the bottom of the first inning to put up four runs. After that, they only managed one hit the rest of the game, but it was enough for a 4-3 win over Oakland.
Marcus Stroman got the first two batters out in the top of the first, but then gave up a walk. A liner to right appeared to be a single, but it got past Juan Soto, who attempted a diving catch, and went for a run-scoring double. A’s up 1-0.
With one out in the bottom of the first, Soto singled, and Aaron Judge doubled him to third. Giancarlo Stanton doubled both runners home to give the Yanks a 2-1 lead, then Anthony Rizzo followed with a 2-run HR (2) to make it 4-1.
With two out in the top of the second, Stroman gave up a HR that made it 4-2, and he gave up a leadoff HR in the top of the fourth that cut the Yanks’ lead to 4-3 but that was it for the scoring.
Bad news on the rehab front. At AA, D.J. LeMahieu struck out in his only at bat, played the field, and had to leave his first rehab game after only one inning. It looks as if that foot that was fractured was bothering him and is not healed. We will wait for more news on that.
Stanton 2 RBI Rizzo 2 RBI. 2-run HR (2)
Stroman (W, 2-1) 5 1/3 IP, 3 R, 7 H, 1 W, 9 K. 1 WP. Gave up 2 HR. 2.93 Marinaccio (H, 1) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 1 K. 1 Balk. 1.80 Ferguson (H, 4) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 5.59 Good to see. He needed a good outing. D. Santana (H, 1) 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K. 5.06 Holmes (S, 9) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K. 0.00 24 games in and he has 9 saves. All those close games.
Marcus Stroman pitched great but instead of shutting out Houston, the Astros got three unearned runs, but the Yanks (3-0) came back with three homeruns to defeat Houston for the third straight game, 5-3.
An error by Oswaldo Cabrera led to the Astros getting two unearned runs in the bottom of the second inning.
In the top of the third, with one out, Juan Soto and Aaron Judge got back-to-back singles, then Anthony Rizzo reached on an error, Soto scoring and Judge going to second. So, Houston, with an error, gave one of those runs right back.
In the bottom of the fifth, with one out and men on first and second, Stroman got a grounder to first. Rizzo threw to second for the force, but Anthony Volpe, in trying for the inning-ending DP, made a throwing error that put Houston up 3-1. Stroman also made an error on the play, but his error didn’t cost a run. So, the Yanks had made three errors in the game, two of them by Gold Glove winners.
Stroman couldn’t atone for his errors with the bat, but Cabrera and Volpe could, and they would.
Austin Wells led off the top of the seventh with a walk, and Cabrera followed by tying the game at three with his second HR of the young season. Trent Grisham walked, but Gleyber Torres flied out. Grisham then made a bad mistake by getting picked off first with Juan Soto at bat. Soto then homered (1) to put the Yanks up 4-3.
In the top of the eighth, Volpe atoned for his error with his first HR of the season to give the Yanks an insurance run, putting them up 5-3, which wound up the final score.
In their house of horrors, the Yanks have beaten Houston three straight to open the season. Here is hoping we can get the brooms out for the sweep tomorrow.
Soto 2 hits, RBI. Solo HR (1) First HR as a NYY. Volpe 2 hits, solo HR (1). Wells 1 for 2, 2 walks. Cabrera 2 RBI. 2-run HR (2).
Stroman (W, 1-0) 6 IP, 3 R, 0 ER, 4 H, 2 W, 4 K. 1 HBP 0.00 1st win as NYY Hamilton (H, 2) 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K. 0.00 Holmes (S, 2) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K. 1 HBP 0.00
Moves before the game: #14 prospect Clayton Beeter sent down. Tanner Tully called up. Nick Ramirez DFA’d. I don’t get the moves, especially since Beeter only threw 3 pitches in his MLB debut.
D.J. LeMahieu has a non-displaced fracture of that right foot.
The Yankees (14-17-2 in spring training) concluded the Florida part of their spring training with a 3-0 win over the Mets Monday afternoon.
There still is a contingent of Yankees in Mexico, concluding a two-game exhibition series there with a game tonight. That will be the last game of the exhibition season. There are no games tomorrow (Tuesday) or Wednesday. The regular season begins Thursday in Houston.
It was announced today that Nick Burdi and Clayton Beeter have made the team, barring a last-minute deal. Dennis Santana, out of options, will make the team also. D.J. LeMahieu will open the season on the IL.
I haven’t heard anything about Ben Rortvedt, who is out of options but expected not to make the team. DFA? Waivers? Trade? Waiting on word.
As for the game today, Clarke Schmidt was sharp, pitching five shutout innings in his final tune-up of the spring. He had a great spring with an ERA of 3.18.
#2 prospect Spencer Jones won the J.P. Dawson Award as the best rookie in camp. He hit .444 in S.T.
#3 prospect Roderick Arias was 2 for 3. Arias, 19, is a switch-hitting SS who will probably start at Low A Tampa. Should Anthony Volpe not pan out, Arias could be a SS of the future. He didn’t play in too many spring training games, but when he played, he hit .750. (6 for 8). He did make two errors in this game, though.
Benjamin Cowles had 2 hits and drove in 2 runs.
One concern (about as big as a grain of salt): Aaron Judge finished S.T. at .208 with no HR. If on April 20 he’s still real cold, then I’ll be really worried. Let’s see what happens over the first 20 games of the regular season.
The Yankees (10-14-1) beat the Phillies 4-3 on Monday, and for the Yankees, and one player in particular, the day couldn’t have gone better.
With Gerrit Cole out for two months, the Yankees will need someone to step up and be an ace. Today, Carlos Rodon looked the part. He looked like the guy the Yankees paid a six year, $162MM contract to be. The guy of 2021 and 2022 with the White Sox and Giants and not the 2023 bust with the Yankees.
Rodon pitched 5 2/3 scoreless, no-hit innings today, striking out five, and if this is the Rodon we are going to get this year, the Rodon of 2021 and 2022 we thought we were getting for 2023 when he signed his big contract, then the loss of Cole for two months won’t sting as much.
Another person who needed a big day and got one today was Oswaldo Cabrera who was having a bad spring. And I am sure that he was hearing the whispers that he may not be making the team and that the Yanks might be shopping around for a utility infielder. Those whispers have been getting louder because there is a good chance that D.J. LeMahieu may not be ready for Opening Day after fouling a pitch off his right foot a few days ago. X-rays are negative but the foot is badly bruised. It is the same foot that he fractured in 2022 that caused a lot of problems. Maybe the Yanks still get someone. But Cabrera went 2 for 3 today, with a double and solo HR, and he needed that kind of day. It’s the kind of day that maybe could put him in the running to start at 3B if DJ isn’t ready to go. Of course, the Yanks will still be looking at other options.
Today’s highlights. Hitting:
Gleyber Torres 1 for 3. Double. Having a solid spring training. Free agent after the season. Alex Verdugo 2 hits, RBI. Oswaldo Cabrera 2 for 3. Double and Solo HR.
Pitching:
Carlos Rodon (W, 2-1) 5 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 5 K. 2.93 Ian Hamilton (H, 3) 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 0.00 Having a great spring. Jonathan Loaisiga 1 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 0 W, 1 K. Gave up 1 HR 6.75 Cody Poteet (S, 1) 2 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 0 W, 0 K. 2.35
I don’t know if this is true or not. It comes from a nationally known reporter who I don’t trust very much. But anyway, with the Astros having some injury issues with their starters, there are rumors that they have been looking into Blake Snell, who is still a free agent. According to this reporter, Snell told them that he’d accept nothing less than a 2-year deal worth $66MM with an opt-out after the first year.
So let’s look at this from the Yankees’ perspective. Apparently the Yankees offered him two deals, but Snell turned both of them down. One was in the vicinity of 5 years and $150MM. Snell should be kicking himself for turning it down.
Now, let’s say he came back and offered the Yankees what he is rumored to have said to the Astros. 2 years, $66MM, with an opt-out after the first year.
So with the luxury tax, the Yanks would pay him $33MM (and how ready would Snell be after missing this much of spring training? When would he be ready to go? Mid-April? End of April?). On top of that $33MM, they would have to pay an extra $36MM in luxury tax penalty. That is $69MM. Then they lose their second and fifth round draft choices. And also $1MM in international bonus money. THEN Snell wants to have the right to opt out after the season? ARE YOU ******* KIDDING ME?
So let me repeat. After coughing up $69MM, losing two draft picks and another $1MM in international pool money, he wants the right to opt out after the season?
There was only one thing I really was concerned about with today’s Yankees/Blue Jays game. It was not so much who won or lost. It was the performance of one person.
With Gerrit Cole out for what looks like the first third of the season, the Yankees will have to find a replacement for him in the rotation. There is talk of signing someone. Of course, Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery would be pricy. Probably too pricy. Trading for Dylan Cease is not a possibility anymore after he was traded to the Padres. Maybe a trade is possible for a Shane Bieber. A trade for one of the Marlins’ young arms is looking less likely now that Eury Perez is now experiencing some issues. As for cheaper free agents, Mike Clevenger and Michael Lorenzen are out there, but neither are exciting options.
Maybe the answer is in house. No, I’m not talking about prospects like #4 prospect Chase Hampton, #8 prospect Will Warren or #14 prospect Clayton Beeter, all who may need more time at AAA or AA. Nor am I talking about guys at even lower levels, like #9 prospect Henry Lalane or #11 prospect Brock Selvidge.
Instead, I am talking about Luis Gil. In 2021, the Yanks brought him up, and he started his MLB career by tossing 15+ scoreless innings. In six games, all starts, he went 1-1 with a 3.07 ERA.
Then in 2022, he only pitched in one MLB game, giving up four runs in four innings, then missed most of the year, and all of 2023 due to Tommy John surgery.
Heading into today’s game, Gil had pitched 8 1/3 innings this spring, striking out 14. In his last outing, he faced the top guys in the Phillies lineup. All-Stars. 3 2/3 innings. 8 strikeouts. Blew them away.
Today he didn’t disappoint. 3 1/3 innings. No runs. 4 strikeouts, including Bo Bichette twice. In 11 2/3 innings this spring training, he has an ERA of 2.31 and has struck out 18.
I don’t know if the Yanks want to baby him after his coming off of the TJ surgery or not. But he was hitting 99 on the fastball today. He appears all the way back.
As far as I am concerned, maybe the Yanks don’t need to sign someone or trade for someone. Maybe they have the replacement they need for Cole right here. The #5 man in the rotation on Opening Day should be Gil. And who knows. When Cole comes back, if Gil is still pitching like he is right now, maybe he stays in the rotation. After all, someone else could be hurt, or performing poorly.
You never know when you luck into a diamond in the rough. Sometimes the best moves are the ones you don’t make.
As for the game, the Yankees (9-13-1 in spring training) opened up an 8-1 lead, blew it, and came back to win 10-9.
HItting:
The good:
Anthony Volpe 4 for 4 Benjamin Cowles 1 for 1 J(uan). C. Escarra 2-run PH GW HR. Giancarlo Stanton 2 hits, 2-run HR. Oscar Gonzalez 2 hits, RBI See below Greg Allen 2-run triple
Regarding Oscar Gonzalez, barring injury, I don’t see a spot on the team for him, but I see him going to AAA, and I think he would be the first callup, even above Everson Pereira, in case of an injury.
Jahmal Jones 1 for 3, .263 in trying to land a backup infielder job.
A concern:
D.J. LeMahieu 1 for 3 but still only .222 this spring. Juan Soto slumping after a torrid start. 0 for 4 today but still .300 for this spring. Coming back to earth after being up around .500 for a time. Aaron Judge still out. No timetable when back in a spring training game.
Pitching: I wrote in depth about Gil above.
Luis Gil 3 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 4 K. 2.31 Clay Holmes (H, 3) 2/3 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 0 W, 1 K. 2.25 Victor Gonzalez (H, 2) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 5.40 Dennis Santana 1 IP, 2 R, 3 H, 0 W, 0 K. Gave up 1 HR 3.12 Nick Ramirez 1 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 0 W, 1 K. 6.14 Caleb Ferguson 0 IP, 3 R, 2 H, 1 W, 0 K. 16.88 SEE BELOW Clayton Andrews (W, 1-0; BS, 1) 1 2/3 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 1 W, 1 K. Gave up 1 HR. 11.57 Luis Velasquez (S, 1) 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K 0.00
The Yanks had an 8-1 lead, blew it, and the HR by Escarra won it. It’s disturbing that Santana and Ramirez let the Blue Jays back in the game, but both are borderline candidates to make the team in the bullpen. Andrews, a minor leaguer, gave up the lead with the gopher ball. Most disturbing was the outing by Ferguson, the lefty the Yanks got from the Dodgers in a trade who is supposed to be the replacement for the departed Wandy Peralta. Ferguson hasn’t had a good spring. That is what concerns me about the pitching line for today.
Jose Trevino finally made his spring training debut after being sidelined by a calf injury, and he made it a great one, going 2 for 2, with a solo HR, a sac fly, 2 RBI and he also threw out a baserunner trying to steal in leading the Yankees (6-9-1 in spring training) to a 9-8 slugfest win over Atlanta on Sunday afternoon.
As you may guess by the score, there were a lot of positives hitting wise in the game, as a lot of guys whose bats were previously silent had those bats wake up. On the downside, some pitching worries as some pitchers, notably Clarke Schmidt, had off days.
Juan Soto is sizzling.
D.J. LeMahieu 2 RBI. Juan Soto 2 hits, 3 RBI. 3-run HR. 447 feet. Oscar Gonzalez 2 hits, RBI. Gleyber Torres 2 for 2. Giancarlo Stanton 2 hits. Alex Verdugo 1 for 2, RBI. Jose Trevino 2 for 2, SF, Solo HR. 2 RBI. Oswaldo Cabrera 3 for 3. He needed that. He came into the game 1 for 23 in spring training.
One area of concern for me. Aaron Judge so far in spring training is hitting .143. He was 0 for 2 today, striking out both times. He hasn’t homered yet this spring. I hope he is Ok, nothing wrong. Especially nothing lingering with that toe. Hopefully he gets hot, maybe starting next week and carries it right into Opening day.
The pitching line:
Clarke Schmidt 2 2/3 IP, 4 R, 4 H, 2 W, 5 K. 1 WP 5.19 Joey Gerber 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K. 33.75 Victor Gonzalez (W, 1-0) 1 IP, 2 R, 3 H, 0 W, 0 K. Gave up 1 HR. 9.00 Caleb Ferguson (H, 1) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K. 6.75 Ron Marinaccio (H, 1) 2 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 W, 2 K. Gave up 1 HR. 9.53 Tanner Tully (S, 1) 2 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 0 W, 0 K. 1.50
Some concerns pitching wise. I think the last game that saw some really dominating pitching was the one where Stroman (4 innings) and Holmes (1 inning) threw five no-hit innings in the 2-1 loss a few days ago. Rough outing for Schmidt today, following rough outings by Cortes and Rodon recently. That concerns me. I want (need?) to see some solid innings from those three.
This is one of those spring training losses that you don’t mind too much. Why? Because the guy who lost the game, you probably weren’t counting on to make the team anyway. Meanwhile, two guys you are counting on big time this year both had very solid performances.
Marcus Stroman and Clay Holmes no-hit the Blue Jays for five innings before Yerry De Los Santos gave up two runs in the sixth inning of the Yankees’ (5-8-1 in spring training) 2-1 loss to Toronto today (Friday).
You do wish the Yanks would have hit more, but while they only had five hits in the game, Toronto only had three, so… Chris Bassitt for Toronto had a good day, himself, as did Toronto’s pitchers.
D.J. LeMahieu 2 for 2, RBI double. Also, a walk. Juan Soto 0 for 3, 2 strikeouts. He’s been raking, so he was due for an off day. Aaron Judge 0 for 3. Only at .167 so far. I just want to see him get locked in about 1 week before the season starts and carry it into Opening Day. Anthony Rizzo 1 for 3. Gleyber Torres 0 for 3, 2 strikeouts. Trent Grisham 1 for 2 with a walk.
Marcus Stroman 4 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 2 K. 1.74 Has looked really good this spring. Clay Holmes 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 0.00 Yerry De Los Santos (L, 0-2, BS, 1) 2/3 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 1 W, 1 K. 33.75 Geoffrey Gilbert 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K. 0.00 Cody Poteet 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K. 0.00
As of now, Stroman is pitching like the #2 man in the rotation, Schmidt and Cortes more like 3 and 4 (choose them whichever way you want) and the guy with the 6 yr/$162MM contract, Rodon, like the #5 man. Let’s hope Rodon turns things around.
The Yankees (5-6-1) lost this afternoon (Wednesday) to Tampa Bay in their spring training game, and with three weeks of spring training to go, there is no need to panic, but there are a few things that I am concerned about which I will address after today’s recap of the game. I’ve gone over a few things in various game recaps before.
Juan Soto 1 for 3, hitting .583 in spring training. Carlos Narvaez solo HR. Anthony Rizzo 2 hits. .500 in spring training. He and Soto are looking good. T.J. Rumfield 1 for 1. See below. Gleyber Torres 2 for 3, solo HR. Luis Torrens 1 for 2. See below.
Carlos Rodon (L, 1-1) 3+ IP, 3 R, 5 H, 1 W, 1 K. Gave up 2 HR. 6.35 Luis Velasquez 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 1 HBP. 0.00 Luis Gil 2 2/3 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 0 W, 3 K. Gave 1 HR 5.79. Nick Ramirez 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 5.06 Nick Burdi 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K. 3.00
With Tommy Kahnle behind schedule and not going to be ready for Opening Day, there is a good chance Burdi may make the Opening Day roster.
Rodon gave up a HR on his very first pitch. A shaky outing that didn’t alleviate any concerns. You still wonder if we will see the Rodon that was 27-13, 2.67 with a 12.2 K per 9 ratio over 2021 and 2022 for the White Sox and Giants. Where is that guy that was signed by the Yanks? Our concerns about Rodon are still there. Today did nothing to make those go away.
For all the talk from Manager Aaron Boone about D.J. LeMahieu looking good coming into spring training, he’s only hitting .083 so far. Giancarlo Stanton lost a lot of bulk, but is only at .077 after that horrible .191 season he had last year. Alex Verdugo went 0 for 3 today with 3 strikeouts. He is at .091. Panic? No. Concerning? Yes. Hopefully in the next three weeks, by the end of spring training, we see these guys start to rake and Rodon dealing. Also, Oswald Peraza is still looking for his first spring training hit.
As for Luis Torrens, remember that Ben Rortvedt is out of options. Rortvedt could be dealt, or DFA’d if he doesn’t make the team, and as of now, it appears as if the Yanks would go with Wells and Trevino on the team. Torrens could wind up at AAA as a 3rd string catcher/emergency callup. If the Yanks decide that Wells needs more time at AAA, they still might decide that Torrens wins the job as backup catcher over Rortvedt. Just saying to keep an eye on Torrens, here.
Before the game, Tanner Tully was sent back down to minor league camp. After the game, J.C. Escarra and T.J. Rumfield were reassigned to minor league camp.
Jose Trevino (calf strain) will play in his first spring training game on Sunday.
The Sommer Frieze 
