The Yankees will indeed wear a jersey patch to honor John Sterling the rest of the season. It will debut on Monday, May 18th, which is the start of the next homestand. They’ll continue with the “JS” on the back of their caps until then. The patch is well done, I think:
Gary Phillips hears no decision is imminent about a Sterling plaque in Monument Park, which I think he deserves. Mel Allen has a plaque. Sterling should as well. Suzyn Waldman too, for that matter. She’s a pioneer for women in broadcasting. Sterling and Waldman together on one plaque would be sweet and appropriate, but if the Yankees decide to do separate plaques, that’s cool too. Here now is today’s post as DJ LeMahieu is named manager of the Royal Oak Leprechauns.
1. Weekday thoughts. It feels like the Yankees stole two games from the Rangers. Down 3-0 in the first inning with a rookie starting against Jacob deGrom? A quasi-bullpen game with a Grade-C prospect set to serve as the bulk innings guy? Not sure how often you’ll come out a winner in those games, but the Yankees did both times. They won those games by the combined score of 16-6 too.
“The positivity in the clubhouse right now is just super crazy,” Chisholm told Bryan Hoch after Tuesday’s win. “Everybody is on a real high horse right now. We just want to ride it out as long as we can.”
Trent Grisham’s extremely cool go-ahead three-run double Thursday (video) was his sixth double of the season and his fifth of the homestand, which is notable because Grisham had nine (!) doubles all last season. Part of that is hitting so many dingers and part of that was Trent playing through that hamstring issue, but still. I’m glad his actual results are starting to align with the under-the-hood numbers.
Exactly two weeks ago I complained (mildly) that the Yankees weren’t tacking on enough runs and were letting the other team hang around too often. At the time, the Yankees were hitting .205/.326/.349 when they had the lead. The two weeks since: .319/.406/.626 when leading. That’ll work, gentlemen. The Yankees are now 16-1 in their last 17 games against Not Nate Eovaldi. Here are a few thoughts on the Texas series.
Domínguez hurt, Jones coming up
The good news: Jasson Domínguez made a great catch at the wall to steal extra bases away from Brandon Nimmo to open Thursday’s game (video). The bad news: Domínguez slammed into the unpadded wall and had to leave the game. Concussion tests came back negative but an MRI on his left shoulder revealed a low grade AC joint sprain. Even though it’s low grade, Domínguez will miss several weeks. What a bummer.
“The concussion testing so far is negative, so that’s good. We’ll obviously continue to monitor that,” Aaron Boone explained (video). “He’s got a low grade – minor – AC sprain of his left shoulder. That’ll put him on the IL and that could be a few weeks. That’s what we’re dealing with right now.”
The Yankees haven't made anything official yet, but all the reporters in the know say Spencer Jones will come up to replace Domínguez. That makes sense. The Yankees don't need another infielder (Anthony Volpe) or another utility guy (Oswaldo Cabrera). Domínguez has been in the lineup for his bat, not his glove, and the Yankees need a bat to replace him. Jones is that bat.
Overall, Jones is hitting .258/.366/.592 (143 wRC+) with 11 homers and a 32.4 K% that has been trending down the last few weeks. He's also in the middle of a hot streak (12-for-34 with six homers in his last eight games) and the Yankees are tentatively scheduled to see six righty starters in the next eight games. The stars were aligned for a call up.
The Yankees are not calling up Jones to ride the bench. He's going to play and play a lot. If he sits against a tough lefty, that's fine, but he should be in the lineup against every righty. I have to think Jones is only up until Giancarlo Stanton returns. Hit a couple balls 450 feet though, and he might force the team's hand. You have to squint, but there's a pathway to staying up.
What I expect from Jones: Lots of whiffs, several nukes, and speed and defense that probably that is closer to average. Jones has slowed down the last few years and might already be past his speed/defense peak. That isn't to say he's slow or a poor defender. Just that if you're expecting Brett Gardner out there, you'll be disappointed. Welcome, Spencer. And get well soon, Jasson. That looked gnarly.
McMahon getting off the ground
Some signs of life from Ryan McMahon recently, including Tuesday’s game-tying homer* off deGrom (video). McMahon joins Stanton, Freddie Freeman, and Austin Riley as the only players with three homers off deGrom, which is pretty incredible considering McMahon never played in the same division as him like the other three guys. Go figure.
* It was a good at-bat too. McMahon fell behind in the count 0-2, worked it back to 2-2, fouled away three two-strike pitches, then found the short pitch.
McMahon is 15-for-46 (.326) with three doubles and two homers in his last 14 games after starting 6-for-48 (.125). The recent hot streak has him up to .223/.311/.351 (90 wRC+), which is obviously still quite bad, but it’s a heck of a lot better than what it was three weeks ago. McMahon’s not really a good hitter, his entire career tells us that, though he’s not really as bad as he was earlier this year either.
The big thing for McMahon is that he’s starting to get the ball off the ground. He is painfully slow. He’s not putting pressure on any defenses when he puts the ball on the ground. He has to get the ball up in the air to do anything offensively and his ground ball rate by week this season is 60.0%, 57.1%, 50.0%, 42.9%, 41.7%, 33.0%, and 0.0%. Getting the ball off the ground is Step 1 toward being a productive hitter.
Here are McMahon’s fly ball and line drives this season. He’s always been more of an opposite field hitter than a pull hitter …
… though four of those nine fly balls/line drives to right have come within the last week. So that’s five in the first five weeks of the season, and four in the last week. I don’t know if this is a conscious decision on McMahon’s part (he’s served some hits to left field recently) or just the way things went this week, but it’s definitely out of the ordinary for him. A thing to watch moving forward, I suppose.
Even with his hard-hit ability, I’m not sure McMahon will be even a 100 wRC+ hitter for the Yankees because he still swings and misses so much. The guys who are good hitters with this much whiff have 30-homer power (if not more) and McMahon hasn’t shown that. I’ll take what I can get though. If that’s crushing hangers and serving singles to left, fine. The Yankees were gonna need more out of McMahon at some point, and he’s providing more now.
Elmer not glued to the strike zone
Similar to his first start, Elmer Rodríguez was wild early Tuesday, very good in the middle, then not so good at the end. Rodríguez walked the first two batters he faced and hit the seventh. There was some weak contact in that three-run first inning, for sure, but also too many easy takes. Rodríguez showcased two fastballs in that first inning: middle-middle and way out of the zone:
"First inning wasn’t the first inning I was trying to go for. Two walks to start the game, I can’t be doing that. Makes me go into trouble. Struggled a little bit there,” Rodríguez told Phillip Martinez. “After that, just tried to be simple. Just go there, attack, and not try to do too much, and it felt like it worked better … I got good stuff. Just trust in myself, stay in the zone, and got good results (after the first inning)."
Rodríguez went 4.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 2 K, 1 HB on 94 pitches (55 strikes) and Brent Headrick bailed him out by stranding the bases loaded in the fifth inning. Not a great start by any means, but credit for Rodríguez for getting out of that first inning and pitching into the fifth. He was maybe one more hit away from not getting out of the first inning, and putting the Yankees in a real bullpen bind the rest of the series.
All things considered, Rodríguez and Luis Gil have been pretty bad in the No. 5 spot, yet the rotation still ranked second in ERA, second in FIP, second in xERA, and first in FIP going into Wednesday’s quasi-bullpen game. The numbers:
Gil + ER(C): 5.79 ERA (7.50 ERA and 6.71 xERA), 10.9 K%, 14.7 BB% (-0.5 WAR in 28 IP)
Top four SP: 2.55 ERA (2.80 FIP and 3.11 xERA), 27.2 K%, 6.3 BB% (+5.4 WAR in 180.1 IP)
Rodríguez’s control and overall strike-throwing is not as good as Aaron Boone and YES would lead you to believe. He had double-digit walk rates in 2023 and 2024, and it was 10.9% in High-A last year, where he spent most of the season. His 9.0 BB% in Triple-A this year is good, but it’s 21.1 innings. If you’re gonna cite Triple-A stats, these are a little more predictive than walk rate:
Zone rate: 47.3% (Triple-A average: 46.6%)
Strike rate: 62.5% (Triple-A average: 63.3%)
Basically average strike throwing in Triple-A. It’s not exactly a surprise then the rookie had control issues in his first two starts. Rodríguez learned the hard way that big leaguers don’t chase like Triple-A hitters. That isn’t to say he’s a bust or not as good as believed or anything like that. He’s 22 and he hasn’t pitched that much above Single-A. It’s a learning experience. Use these two starts to get better.
The Yankees sent Rodríguez to Triple-A after Tuesday’s game, clearing the way for Carlos Rodón to join the rotation. Rodríguez didn’t impress or pitch well, but it’s two starts, and the Yankees will need him again before we know it. Turning to a prospect for two starts is much more preferable to scourging for the Aaron Smalls and Tim Reddings, you know?
Weathers under the weather, Beck debuts
Turns out Ryan Weathers was sick earlier this week, and it was bad enough that he a) lost nine pounds and had to go on an IV, and b) had to be scratched from Thursday’s start. He’s better now and will throw a bullpen later today, then start Monday in Baltimore. The Yankees and Weathers called it a viral infection. Whatever it is, hopefully it doesn’t spread through the clubhouse.
"I pitched (last Saturday vs. the Orioles), then went home and pretty much threw my guts out for several hours,” Weathers told Hoch. “I thought I just had food poisoning, but woke up the next day and was running a 102 temp. I was just pretty much bedridden for a couple of days … I feel good now. Obviously I wish I could throw (Thursday), but we just deemed it not worth it to risk my arm health.”
The Weathers scratch explains why Boone squeezed every last pitch out of Will Warren and Yerry De Los Santos (the 54 pitches were his most since he was a rookie baller in 2018) on Wednesday. Boone did what he could to limit bullpen usage, and I think he tried to keep Ryan Yarbrough available Thursday too. (Yarbrough threw 29 pitches Wednesday, so he was probably good for an inning Thursday, if needed.)
The Yankees had only so many options to replace Weathers. Luis Gil couldn’t come back up because of the 15-day rule. Carlos Lagrange started Wednesday and could’ve been held back, but it didn’t make sense to start his minor league options clock for a spot start. Adam Kloffenstein started for Scranton on Thursday. He’s allowed six homers on 21 fly balls in Triple-A, so I can’t blame the Yankees for not going with him.
Brendan Beck, my No. 25 prospect, got the call instead. It has been a long journey for the 2021 second rounder, who threw 31 innings from 2022-24 because of multiple elbow surgeries. “Last year my goal was just to pitch through the whole season. I was able to be there from start to finish and handle the workload again,” Beck, who threw 131.1 innings last season, told Dan Martin in Spring Training.
Paul Blackburn started as an opener and got through five batters. That allowed Beck to face 13 batters across three innings plus one batter, and only go through the Brandon Nimmo/Ezequiel Duran/Corey Seager lane once. The end result (two runs in three innings) was okay and could’ve been worse. Beck got three whiffs on 52 pitches and seven of his nine balls in play were over 97 mph. Five were over 100 mph. Few whiffs + loud contact = walking a tightrope.
Similar to Rodríguez on Tuesday, Beck gave the Yankees innings rather than bomb out early, and gave the offense a chance to get back in the game. That’s really all you’re asking when you’re this far down the depth chart. Don’t deplete the bullpen and keep us in the game. Beck did that even if it wasn’t the prettiest three innings. Congrats to him on finally reaching the show. He’s been through an awful lot the last few years.
"It was awesome. A lot of fun," Beck said about his MLB debut (video). "A dream come true to come up here and do it at Yankee Stadium. Awesome to just get a win, win a series with the guys, and just keep things rolling here. It was a lot of fun."
Miscellany
Cody Bellinger went 13-for-26 with seven doubles, one triple, two homers, five walks, and two strikeouts on the seven-game homestand. Almost as many extra-base hits (10) as outs made (13). He’s up to a 1.259 OPS at home. It’s a .559 OPS on the road. That’ll even out as we get deeper in the season, but lol at more than double the OPS at home as on the road … Will Warren picked a good day for his worst start of the year. The Yankees never hit Eovaldi, so Warren got it out of his system on a night the offense was gonna get shut down anyway. He went 4 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 3 BB, 7 K, 2 HR on 90 pitches. Just like that, his 2.39 ERA became a 3.46 ERA … Paul Goldschmidt since Ben Rice came out of the lineup: 5-for-17 (.294) with a triple and a homer. The triple was aided by poor defense, for sure, but it was still a well-struck ball. Both extra-base hits came off a lefty, which is why he’s here. Nice fill-in work, Goldy … And finally, thank you Rangers for giving Joc Pederson his first start in the outfield since Sept. 9th, 2023, and his first start in right field since July 4th, 2023. Pederson directly contributed to the Yankees’ first two-triple inning (video) since Carlos Beltrán and Chase Headley had back-to-back triples off David Price in the second inning on April 22nd, 2015. That was in Detroit. Thursday was their first ever two-triple inning at the current Yankee Stadium. Heck, it was only their seventh two-triple game at the current Yankee Stadium.
Injury updates and roster notes
Carlos Rodón (elbow, hamstring) made his third rehab start Tuesday with Scranton: 6.1 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 4 K, 2 HR on 83 pitches (video). Statcast says his fastball sat 93.3 mph and topped out at 95.2 mph, which is Spring Training velocity more than regular season velocity for him. Rodón’s a bit of an adrenaline junky. I bet he gets a velocity boost when he pitches in a game that counts … Gerrit Cole (elbow) made his fourth rehab start Tuesday with Hudson Valley: 4.1 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 0 BB, 4 K, 2 HR on 69 pitches (video). His 30-day rehab window expires next Sunday, though teams can request up to three 10-day extensions for UCL surgery guys. Boone said Cole is still “a ways away,” so don’t expect to see him next weekend … Giancarlo Stanton (calf) continues to hit but not run. When he starts running, it will mean he’s getting close … Ben Rice (hand) remains day-to-day and hasn’t done much swinging because he’s still sore. I’m okay with not ILing him because if he misses, say, seven games, that’s better than 10. Those three extra games of Rice could be pretty impactful. This is not a normal hitter we’re talking about here … José Caballero (elbow) was sore and swollen Thursday after Wednesday’s hit-by-pitch, but he came off the bench to play defense and got an at-bat, so it can’t be too bad … The revolving door pitching spot went from Elmer Rodríguez to Yerry De Los Santos to Brendan Beck this week. Beck was sent down after Thursday’s game and Kervin Castro will reportedly replace him. Beck wasn’t on the 40-man roster, but the Yankees had three open spots. Now they have two … And finally, I’m not sure what’s up with Luis Gil. He hasn’t appeared in a game since being sent down last Sunday. He’s on Scranton’s active roster but hasn’t pitched since the demotion, nor is he listed among their probable starters this weekend. Hmmm. Maybe he’s in Tampa working on stuff?
Up next
A nine-game road trip that is really a six-game road trip because the last series is against the Mets. The Yankees go to Milwaukee this weekend and then Baltimore next week. Here’s what’s coming up between now and Tuesday’s post:
Friday at Brewers: LHP Max Fried vs. RHP Jacob Misiorowski (7:30pm ET on YES)
Saturday at Brewers: RHP Cam Schlittler vs. LHP Kyle Harrison (7pm ET on YES)
Sunday at Brewers: TBA vs. RHP Logan Henderson (2pm ET on YES)
Monday at Orioles: TBA vs. TBA (6:30pm ET on YES)
Tough draws lately. deGrom, Eovaldi, and now Misiorowski. Today will be Misiorowski’s first start since leaving his May 1st start with a hamstring issue, so hopefully he’s rusty. He’s got a 2.84 ERA (2.99 FIP and 2.90 xERA) with 38.1 K% and 9.7 BB%, and he’s thrown the 44 fastest pitches by a starter this season. That includes 11 pitches at 102 mph. So yeah, hope for rust.
The entire NL Central is over .500. The Brewers are 19-16 with a +46 run differential, yet they’re in fourth place. Jackson Chourio and Andrew Vaughn, two of their top three righty bats along with William Contreras, just came off the injured list this week. The Brewers are sixth in runs per game and 29th in home runs. They did this last year, score a lot of runs without homers. The defense will have to be on point.
Sunday’s TBA is Rodón. The Yankees (and some other teams) don’t list guys who are on the injured list as probable starters even when we all know that guy is starting. Monday’s TBAs line up to be Weathers and Trevor Rogers. Rogers is expected to come off the injured list after missing the minimum 15 days with an illness. He has not repeated last year’s magic (4.75 ERA and 3.73 FIP).
2. 2026 draft prospect: California HS SS James Clark. The 2026 MLB Draft will take place the weekend before the All-Star break and the Yankees hold the No. 35 pick. As I do every year, I’ll preview prospects the Yankees are said to have interest in, players who fit the team’s M.O., and players I like for whatever reason. Here are the draft prospects I’ve already covered.
Last spring Clark, 18, was named MVP of the Trinity League in Los Angeles, which might be the most competitive high school league in the country. He then performed well at summer showcase events and helped Team USA win gold at the Under-18 World Cup in Japan last fall. The kid has a full trophy case, for sure. Here are the latest draft rankings:
Baseball America (subs. req’d): No. 36
ESPN: No. 37
FanGraphs: Not ranked in top 40
Keith Law (subs. req’d): No. 38
MLB Pipeline: No. 47
James and his twin brother Miles originally committed to Princeton (they’re said to be excellent students), but they recently changed their commitment to Duke. James is the better prospect and it doesn’t sound like dead set on playing with his brother, and will sign at the right price. Here’s video and here’s a chunk of MLB Pipeline’s free scouting report:
Clark has an exciting combination of upside and instincts. He’s a left-handed hitter who consistently makes excellent swing decisions. He doesn’t chase and routinely squares up the baseball with plus bat speed. While he’s pure hit and approach over power right now, there is some conviction that his ability to drive the ball will continue to show up as he moves along in the game. He’s a plus runner, and that tool plays up even more because of his high baseball IQ.
The only thing scouts aren’t sure about regarding Clark is his ability to stick at shortstop long term. Teams interested in him early will certainly give him the chance to play the premium position, where his instincts and accurate arm play well, but some think second or third base might be a better fit long-term.
Clark has a hitch in his swing and he's graded out just okay with the Blast Motion stuff they use to track swing efficiency and things like that. From what I can tell, that isn’t considered a dealbreaker (for any prospect, not just Clark), but it is something that will likely have to be ironed out at the next level. Also, Clark had some throwing issues in showcases last summer. He sprayed the ball around a bit.
The Yankees have been on a swing decision/hit tool kick the last few drafts (Dax Kilby, George Lombard Jr., etc.) because it’s easier to boost strength and exit velocity than that stuff. Clark is up their alley then. He’s having a good spring though and could put himself in position to go earlier than the No. 35 pick, in which case the Yankees would be out of luck.
Mailbag Questions of the Week
Several asked: What about a six-man rotation when Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón return?
I’m in favor of it. I’ve said it I don’t know how many times the last few months. The Yankees have shot the six-man rotation idea down every time they’ve been asked about it the last few years, but maybe they’re more open to it now? In theory, they have six MLB caliber starters (or will once Cole and Rodón return), which wasn’t always the case the last few years. Having six good starters is 90% of the battle.
The case for a six-man rotation is easy to make. Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, and Will Warren all set new career highs in innings last year. Ryan Weathers is a start or two away from eclipsing last year’s innings total, and 7-8 starts away from eclipsing his 2024 innings total. Cole and Rodón are in their mid-30s and coming off elbow surgery. Seems to me like all six guys would benefit from a six-man rotation.
The case against a six-man rotation is based on two things. One, a six-man rotation means fewer starts for Fried, Schlittler, et al throughout the season, and that could be the difference in a tight AL East race. I’d counter by saying these six guys are all really good. It’s not like you’re jamming the current version of Luis Gil in there. Neither Warren nor Weathers deserves to lose their rotation spot to Cole/Rodón.
And two, a six-man rotation means a seven-man bullpen. I don't think this is as big a deal as it’s made out to be. Ryan Yarbrough has pitched once in the last 10 games, and thrice in the last 19 games. The last guy in the bullpen doesn’t pitch a whole lot, at least not for the Yankees in the Aaron Boone era. And if you run into a stretch of heavy bullpen usage, you shuttle guys in and out as needed to make the six-man rotation work. It’s doable.
Cole’s return is not imminent, so squeezing him into the rotation is not something to worry about right now. You know how it goes. We’re talking about a six-man rotation now and in three weeks we could be talking about Gil and Elmer Rodríguez putting a strain on the bullpen. I’m in favor of a six-man rotation and I hope the Yankees at least consider it. On paper, they’re well-positioned to do it.
Isaac asks: It seems to me like Will Warren has trouble holding velocity over the course of his start. There’s a lot of 95s/96s in the first, then a lot of 92s by the 5th or 6th. Savant seems to indicate he loses about 1.5 MPH over his starts, which seems significant. Is this more notable than other average starters? Who on the Yankees is best at holding velocity? Is it Max Fried?
Assuming I ran this search correctly, the average starter’s fastball has gone from 94.6 mph in the first inning to 94.0 mph in the sixth inning this year, so a 0.6 mph drop within a start. That’s consistent with last year, when it was 94.2 mph in the first and 93.8 mph in the sixth. Warren this year has averaged 94.9 mph in the first and 93.3 mph in the sixth, so he’s losing more than twice the league average.
Last year Warren went from 94.0 mph in the first to 92.7 mph in the sixth, so not quite as big of a drop as this year, but still a larger than average drop. Cam Schlittler and Ryan Weathers have both shown similar in-game velocity declines as Warren this year, though Schlittler’s numbers could be skewed by his Spring Training back injury and abbreviated build up. Max Fried holds his velocity well throughout a start.
Carlos Rodón is the rare velocity gainer. He adds velocity as he gets deeper into his starts. It’s kinda old school in that he paces himself through a start, then empties the tank at the end. Last season Rodón averaged 93.5 mph in the first inning and 94.9 mph in the sixth.
In 2008, the first year of pitch-tracking, starters averaged 91.2 mph in the first inning and 90.9 mph in the sixth. They didn’t lose as much velocity within a start as they do now, but it's a different game. Back then starters paced themselves within a start. These days guys come out throwing max effort right from Pitch 1, and if they only go 4.2 innings, teams are okay with it.
Warren (and Schlittler and Weathers) is a bigger than usual velocity loser within a start. Is that a concern? It hasn’t hurt his performance this season (yet) and it’s not like teams give guys a long leash in October. This makes it less likely Warren will consistently pitch deep into games because less velocity does mean less effectiveness, but it’s not a dealbreaker. He’s pretty good even with the in-game velocity loss, Wednesday's stinker notwithstanding
Matthew asks: Injuries aside what upgrades do you anticipate the Yankees making through the season? More spots than specific players. Obviously bullpen, and presumably a righty outfield bat. Do you anticipate another infielder somewhere? A righty backup catcher?
The bullpen is the big one. The Yankees need another high leverage reliever, and if they’re really as all-in as their early moves suggest (demoting Anthony Volpe, etc.), they should bring in two. The Yankees seem okay with two lefty hitting catchers. I don’t think that will be a priority even though I think they'd benefit from a righty hitting backup. A righty outfield bat feels like a must. Someone to platoon with Trent Grisham and just be a bat off the bench.
If the Yankees can find an upgrade on the left side of the infield, they should do it. I’m not a Ryan McMahon believer (though I appreciate his recent production), and if you can find a shortstop better than José Caballero, go get him. Caballero’s been a pleasant surprise, but come on, he’s not irreplaceable. (Did we not get fooled by a glove-first shortstop having a good first six weeks the last two years?)
Jazz Chisholm Jr. has more or less been himself the last 15 games (.262/.324/.459) and I’m not sure you can find an upgrade over him anyway. There are so few quality infielders out there, and even fewer of them become available. McMahon’s the “easiest” spot to upgrade. He hasn’t cracked a 90 wRC+ in three years. The bar has been set on the floor. If you can get an upgrade at third base, do it.
The x-factor is George Lombard Jr. The Yankees typically keep their top prospects in Triple-A about a month, give or take. If they stick to that, Lombard could come up in June and get a two-month audition to show the Yankees they don’t need an infielder at the deadline. I’d rather just get an infielder (much easier said than done, of course) and not bank on Lombard, but the Yankees may feel differently.
I think the only way the Yankees add an infielder is if McMahon and Lombard flop. Then again, they are acting with more urgency this year. Maybe they’ll be more proactive and add someone anyway? I dunno. Bullpen help is a must have. Bench depth would be nice. If the Yankees need a starter or an everyday outfielder, it will mean something horrible has happened. Fairly straightforward deadline shopping list, I think.
(The bullpen ranks third in ERA, tenth in FIP, second in xERA, and sixth in WAR. It has been good overall and better than the perception. There’s still room for improvement though.)
Adam asks: The Astros are really bad and their season was already in the trash can prior to Correa's injury. He's out for the year and they would be wise to sell everyone who isn't Alvarez. Josh Hader (who is also currently hurt) would have around $46 million and 2.5 years left on his deal if dealt around the deadline. He also has a no trade clause and again, is injured as of right now. Edwin Diaz is the same age as Hader and just signed for 3/67 this offseason and they are very comparable. In theory, if Hader was a free agent this past winter, he likely could have gotten more money then what he had signed for so he has positive value, in theory. If he is open to waving his NTC, what would he fetch at the deadline?
A biceps injury ended Hader’s season last August and he was expected to be ready for Spring Training, but that didn’t happen. He started a minor league rehab assignment earlier this week, so figure he’s two weeks or so away from joining the Astros. That will be more than enough time to evaluate him leading up to the trade deadline. We'll have a pretty good idea what Hader looks like come late July.
Now 32, Hader had a 2.05 ERA (3.25 FIP) with 36.9 K% and 7.8 BB% in 52.2 innings before the injury last year. His fastball is more mid-90s than upper-90s these days, though the whiff rates on his entire arsenal are still sky high. The biggest performance concern is home runs. Hader had a 1.46 HR/9 (14.2% HR/FB) from 2024-25. A homer prone high leverage reliever is suboptimal, but he’s still very good.
Hader is owed the rest of his $19M salary this season plus another $19M in 2027 and 2028. That’s market value for a high-end late inning reliever. That’s also a high enough salary that potential trade partners will not offer their top prospects unless the Astros eat a chunk of money, and I’m not sure how willing they are to do that. You either get top prospects or you get salary relief. Very rarely do you get both.
We have two pretty good trade benchmarks for Hader: Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax. The Twins traded 2.5 years of both Duran and Jax last summer. Here are the trade packages:
Duran: C Eduardo Tait (global top 50-ish prospect) and RHP Mick Abel (fading team top 10 prospect)
Jax: RHP Taj Bradley (post-hype young player with four years of control)
Talent-wise, the Duran and Jax trades give us a good idea what it’ll take to get Hader, though Hader’s salary (and injury) will knock the price down. The Yankees equivalent to the Duran package is something like Carlos Lagrange and Spencer Jones. Is Luis Gil the equivalent to Bradley in the Jax trade? Bradley wasn’t anything special with Tampa (4.70 ERA and 4.35 FIP in 354 innings).
The other x-factor is Hader’s full no-trade clause. If he says I only want to go to one of these teams, the market shrinks, and there’s less competition. And if he says he only wants to go to the Yankees, then there’s no competition, and you offer the Astros a 99 Burger and a pair of bleacher tickets. Hader still has so much money coming to him that I bet the trade package would be relatively light unless the Astros eat salary.
David Bednar’s $9M salary this year is the most the Yankees have paid a reliever since the Zack Britton/Aroldis Chapman days. I think they would balk at taking on Hader’s entire contract and would rather give up more/better prospects to get the Astros to turn him into, say, a $12M a year player. The no-trade clause might make this all moot anyway. No harm in inquiring though.
(If the Astros do sell, the Yankees have to call and ask about Yordan Alvarez. I have no idea how the roster would work, but he’s too special of a hitter to not try to make it work.)
Mike asks: What about Clay Holmes if the Mets sell?
Holmes has had a great start to 2026. He owns a 1.69 ERA (3.66 FIP and 3.79 xERA) with 18.5 K%, 8.3 BB%, and 58.2 GB% through seven starts and 42.2 innings. His strikeout rate dipped to 18.2% last year, so that’s who he is as a starter. Holmes has also been more 93-95 mph with his sinker as a starter, not 96-98 mph like when he was a reliever. This is his arsenal this season:
As a reliever, Holmes was a sinker guy with two different slider shapes. The Mets helped him add a cutter, a curveball, and a changeup. Like every other Met, Holmes faded down the stretch last season, which is understandably given the workload increase. The move into the rotation has worked well overall though. Credit to Holmes for making the necessary adjustments and credit to the Mets for seeing the vision.
If the Mets stay in the cellar and sell, they’ll have arguably the top two starters to offer at the deadline in Holmes and Freddy Peralta. Peralta’s a straight rental. Holmes has $12M coming to him next year, but he can opt out after the season, which he’ll likely do if he stays in that 3.66 FIP and 3.79 xERA range. It’s one of those “rental if he’s good, you’re stuck with him next year if he’s bad or gets hurt” situations.
The Yankees shouldn’t need a starter at the deadline, but we know Holmes can pitch out of the bullpen, and there is something to be said for knowing the guy and the guy knowing the team/market/expectations. Holmes had rough patches in 2024, but he was damn good overall in pinstripes. As an added bonus, he’s already stretched out. The Yankees could use him as a 2-3(-4) inning high leverage guy. That’d be fun.
I don’t think the Yankees would be against a Holmes reunion and I’d be fine with it based on a quick look. The question is the price. There will be a market for Holmes as a starter and you’ll have to pay starting pitcher prices to get a guy who fits best as a reliever. Also, the Yankees prefer to trade for bullpen guys with multiple years of control, which Holmes doesn’t really have. Good idea but I’m not sure the Yankees will (or should) go all out to win that bidding war.
Joseph asks: Reading what you wrote about Will Warren changing where he starts on the rubber and how that’s influencing his performance vs. lefties got me wondering if there are pitchers who change where they stand on the rubber depending on the batter instead of always pitching from the same spot. If they don’t, is it because it messes with their mechanics too much?
Paul Skenes does this. I don’t know if anyone else does it, but Skenes does, and Lance Brozdowski has noted Skenes will even pitch from different places on the rubber to batters on the same side of the plate. One spot for this righty and a different spot for that righty, that kinda thing. Here are his horizontal release points, which essentially show where Skenes is releasing the ball in relation to the rubber:
Hey, Skenes flip-flopped his places on the pitching rubber this year! How about that? Anyway, there’s usually no gap on these horizontal release point graphs. The righty and lefty release points are usually right on top of each other because pitchers pitch from one spot on the rubber, and thus release the ball from the same spot. Here are Warren’s horizontal release points for comparison:
If you’re reading this, you know Warren shifted over to the third base side of the rubber this year. That’s why his horizontal release point moved so much in the graph. He pitches from the same spot against righties and lefties though. Skenes does not do that. Based on the release points, Skenes shifts about six inches on the rubber depending on the batter’s handedness.
This has to be difficult, no? Move on the rubber and your “lanes” to plate move too. Warren is throwing the “same” pitch when he locates a sinker in to a lefty and away from a righty. It’s the same pitch to the same part of the zone. Skenes isn’t doing that. Throwing a fastball in to a righty is not the same as throwing a fastball away to a lefty because he’s releasing the ball from a different spot. That make sense?
Brozdowski has been writing/videoing about this (different release points for different hitters) since at least 2024, and if it’s been in the public space that long, teams have been kicking it around much longer. I don’t know if any other pitchers do this. For all I know it could be dozens. Skenes is the only one I know about though, and to me (a simpleton), it seems like it would be really tough to pull off.
Jesse asks: It’s June 1. Volpe is showing serious signs of life in AAA at the plate and in the field. Meanwhile, Lombard is showing he’s MLB ready after his promotion. And Caballero is still hitting. What do you do in that case? I think the Yankees are waiting for these three guys to make their decisions about the left side of the infield for them. But what happens if things don’t shake out so clearly?
Well, if all that happens, the first thing you do is celebrate. If the Yankees are humming along and playing well, then I think you stick with what’s working and leave it as is. If it becomes clear they need help on the infield because Jazz Chisholm Jr. and/or Ryan McMahon craters, then the Yankees should go with whichever one of Lombard or Volpe they deem most likely to help. There could be a situation where, even if things are still going very well, adding Lombard and/or Volpe to the roster makes sense, but I’m not sure what that situation would look like. You know how these things go though. They have a way of working themselves out.
Andrew asks: Clarke Schmidt -- can we expect anything from him this season?
Yes but it won’t be until August or September. At that point, the Yankees might bring him back as a reliever rather than spending all that time to stretch him out to start. Schmidt threw off a mound for the first time on April 10th and he said he hopes to face hitters in June. You’re looking at another 2-3 months from there even if he only builds up as a reliever. All indications are Schmidt’s rehab is going well. It’s just gonna be a while. He had surgery last July 11th and it was second UCL repair, so the rehab is a little slower.
Jeff asks: RIP, John Sterling. In your opinion, what is the greatest broadcast call of a Yankees play? Mine is not even from a Yankees announcer - Gary Thorne's “ohhhh hang on to the roof!” as Don Mattingly was my favorite player as a kid (still is!).
Brian asks: Do you have a favorite Sterling home run call (i.e. An A-Bomb by A-Rod, etc.)? Also, do you have a favorite play/moment called by Sterling?
Gonna lump these two questions together. Thorne’s “hang onto the roof!” call is my all-time favorite call by a mile and I can’t even think of a close second. Probably Sterling's “27 up! 27 down! Baseball immortality for David Wells!” Thorne’s Mattingly call was a great call period. Add in the context that it was the Yankees’ first postseason appearance since 1981, Mattingly’s first (and only) postseason homer, and the second of back-to-back homers with Ruben Sierra to take the lead, and it was a positively elite call and baseball moment. Thorne has a gift for calling huge moments, even in hockey.
My favorite Sterling home run call is “Bern Baby Bern” and I feel like that’s the go-to answer for people my age. That was the original call that started it all. “Yes in-Didi! Didi Gregorius makes Yankee fans euphorious!” hit so hard after Sir Didi’s Wild Card Game homer in 2017. “A thrilla from Godzilla” was perfect. (You can’t go wrong with a Godzilla reference.) “Robbie Canó, dontcha know!” was great too. Here is a list of all (or at least most of) Sterling’s home run calls.
(Send your questions for Friday's mailbag to RABmailbag at gmail dot com. The random Yankee series is on hiatus, but feel free to send in requests for if/when it returns.)