Chien-Ming Wang was expected to start for SWB tonight, as the Yankees were hoping to see his improved sinker manifest itself in a game after he had displayed it in a bullpen session before team officials. However, with Joba Chamberlain bruising his knee and the bullpen going 8.2 innings last night, those plans have changed. From Mark Feinsand:

Chien-Ming Wang will be back with the Yankees for Friday night’s game against the Phillies.
After Joba Chamberlain’s first-inning knee injury drained the bullpen on Thursday night, the Yankees ordered Wang – who was on his way to Pawtucket to pitch Friday night for Triple-A Scranton – to turn around and head back to New York, according to a source.
The Yankees will have Wang in the bullpen Friday night as a long reliever, the source said, though the plans beyond that haven’t been determined.
Wang could be on standby in case Chamberlain’s bruised right knee prevents him from making his next scheduled start on Tuesday in Texas. Assuming Chamberlain can make his start, Wang would likely be slotted into the rotation on Wednesday or Friday.

It seems like Wang would fill the Alfredo Aceves role for the next few days, as Aceves has thrown almost 6 innings over the last two days. Assuming that Wang is not needed for a large chunk of innings against Philadelphia, I would expect him to split Monday’s start versus Texas with Phil Hughes, and then take Phil’s spot in the rotation the next time around. Wang will likely replace Jon Albaladejo on the roster, with Angel Berroa being an outside possibility.

With all of the changes to the Yankees roster over the last few days, I thought it would be constructive to lay out the roster as it currently stands and highlight some possible upcoming changes.

Lineup

C: Jorge Posada
1B: Mark Teixeira
2B: Robinson Cano
SS: Derek Jeter
3B: Angel Berroa
LF: Johnny Damon
CF: Brett Gardner
RF: Nick Swisher
DH: Hideki Matsui

Bench

UIF: Ramiro Pena
CF: Melky Cabrera
C: Jose Molina

Rotation

Joba Chamberlain
CC Sabathia
AJ Burnett
Andy Pettitte

Bullpen

Mark Melancon
Dave Robertson
Damaso Marte
Jose Veras
Phil Coke
Jon Albaladejo
Edwar Ramirez
Mariano Rivera
Steven Jackson

The Yankees are carrying a whopping 13 pitchers, including 9 relievers, due to Chien-Ming Wang hitting the DL. There are a number of changes to expect in the next two weeks. Phil Hughes will start on Tuesday, and Brian Bruney should be back within two weeks, as should Alex Rodriguez. Furthermore, the Yankees desperately need another bat off the bench, as Tyler Kepner notes:

They had Jorge Posada at third and Hideki Mastui at second against the Red Sox’ Ramon Ramirez, with Angel Berroa and Brett Gardner due up. Joe Girardi knew it was time for a pinch-hitter and from his bench he produced … Melky Cabrera.

Cabrera proceeded to roll out to Ramirez, which hung Posada up between third and home, allowing Matsui to reach third and Cabrera to take second. That left the inning up and the game, as it turned out, to Gardner, a .232 hitter with no home runs and three R.B.I. This cannot happen if you are the New York Yankees, with a $200 million payroll, even with two projected starters, Xavier Nady and Alex Rodriguez, on the disabled list.

So let’s assume four roster moves over the next few weeks: the returns of A-Rod, Hughes, and Bruney, and the addition of a minor league bat like Shelley Duncan or John Rodriguez (how have they not signed Jim Edmonds yet). The A-Rod move is easy, as Berroa would just be DFA’d and sent back to the minors once he passes through waivers. The other three returns will likely come at the expense of three men in the current bullpen. I would probably send down Jackson, Ramirez, and Veras. Jose and Edwar need to find the rhythm that they had for much of last season, and Jackson clearly does not have the confidence of Joe Girardi. However, if I had to guess, the three going down will be Jackson, Robertson, and Melancon, unless those last two really assert themselves over the next few days. Otherwise, the team will send them back to SWB for more seasoning.

A few days ago, I discussed the battle for the utility infielder spot that is being waged between Ramiro Pena and Angel Berroa. At the time, this is what I said:

It seems pretty close. While Berroa has obviously had a great spring with the bat, he has only taken one walk compared to 4 by Pena. Berroa has shown significantly more power, while Pena has been better on the basepaths. Defensively, although Pena has more errors than Berroa, he is widely considered a great defensive shortstop, while Berroa is deemed one of the worst. Joe Girardi is not going to have an easy answer here, as both players have earned a look. Personally, I would start the season with Berroa, being that this is doubtful to be a full season role. Once A-Rod comes back, Cody Ransom is likely to move to the bench, sending the winner of this job to the minors. The Yankees might be better off trying to catch lightning in a bottle with Berroa for a few weeks while allowing Pena to develop normally in Scranton.

Most of the comments on the post disagreed with me, and felt that Pena should win the job due to his youth, better defense, and Berroa’s poor track record. However, one issue that we touched on only briefly but may actually be the key point in the Yankees’ decision has to do with the 40 man roster.

Assuming that Cody Ransom will be handed the utility job upon Alex Rodriguez’s return, we are discussing a spot that will only be open for 6 weeks. Neither Berroa nor Pena is on the 40-man roster, so that someone will need to be removed from the 40 man roster and be made available to claims of other clubs in order to add one of these two to the list. However, what happens once A-Rod returns is where these two scenarios diverge. If Berroa is the choice, he can be removed from the 40 man at that point, with the worst thing that can happen being that Berroa is claimed by another club while passing through waivers. Considering that Angel is clearly not part of the Yankees’ long term plans, this is not a huge deal. However, if the Yankees select Pena, they will be forced to keep him on the 40 man roster for the long haul, as he would almost certainly be claimed when passing through waivers. This would severely limit the Yankees flexibility, as it will cause a roster spot to be occupied by a player who is unlikely to be a major cog on this club in the immediate future. I think this makes the decision easy: Berroa should make the team.

What do you think?

Throughout the day, I looked at the battles for the final spots on the Yankees roster: the last reliever, the battle for CF, and the utility infielder fight. I started with the 7th reliever, continued by looking at the utility infielder role, and will now wrap up the series by discussing the battle for center field.

Unlike the last two roster spots that I discussed, it seems that this fight is not for a spot on the team:

The competition between centerfielders Brett Gardner and Melky Cabrera is likely to end with both players making the Yankees.

“That’s probably my expectation right now,” manager Joe Girardi said Friday.

Girardi was not ready to reveal which player he wants as the starting centerfielder, though he did say he has one in mind. He and other Yankees decision-makers, most notably general manager Brian Cashman, plan to sit down and discuss that and other roster decisions in the next couple of days….

“The thing is we have two capable centerfielders,” Girardi said. “It’s not our plan to be changing them around every day … I’d like to go with a pretty set lineup every day.”

However, it seems clear from that last quote that one player will be declared the winner and will get the bulk of the playing time. For most of the spring, it seemed that Brett Gardner had the starting job sewn up, as he came flying out of the gate while Melky struggled to get going. However, a recent surge from Cabrera has clouded the issue a bit. Let’s look at the numbers:

1. Brett Gardner: 49 AB’s, .367/.436/.673, 7K/6BB, 9R, 18H, 2 2B, 2 3B, 3HR, 6RBI, 5SB/1CS
2. Melky Cabrera: 52 AB’s, .346/.424/.500, 2K/6BB, 10R, 18H, 3 2B, 1 3B, 1HR, 9RBI, 2SB/1CS

Gardner has clearly had the more prolific spring, and most Yankees fans are aware of the limitations of Melky Cabrera. However, the Yankees have to be impressed by Cabrera’s K/BB ratio, as they have made it clear to him that he needs to improve his batting eye, and he seems to be working on it. Conversely, Gardner needs to work on his strikeouts, as 7 in 49 at bats is quite high for a player who needs to be making contact and using his legs. However, considering Gardner’s overall performance this spring, coupled with his superior defense when compared to Melky, he deserves the starting job. Being that the Yankees will be carrying both players, they can always make a change later should Gardner falter. For now, his speed and defense should add a welcome new element to the Yankees starting lineup.

What do you think?

Update: According to Pete Abraham, Brett Gardner has won the center field job. As I mentioned above, this is the right move. Let’s see if he can hit enough to make his speed a real weapon.

Throughout the day, I will be looking at the battles for the final spots on the Yankees roster: the last reliever, the battle for CF, and the utility infielder fight. I started with the 7th reliever, and will now continue by looking at the utility infielder role.

When the preseason started, most Yankees fans assumed that the UI role would come down to a battle between Cody Ransom and Angel Berroa. Although many hoped that they would go out and sign a veteran with a solid bat to fill that role, Brian Cashman’s reputation of skimping on the end of the bench made that unlikely. Alex Rodriguez’s injury and Derek Jeter’s involvement in the WBC changed the landscape a bit, as Ransom was given the starting #B job and Ramiro Pena looked good at short in Jeter’s stead. Before we dig into the spring stats, let us take a look at some praise for Pena:

“When I first saw him three years ago, you could knock the bat out of his hands,” said one veteran scout whose primary assignment is in the minor leagues. “But he was a magician with the glove and that made him someone to keep an eye on. Now that he’s gained a little weight, put on a little muscle, he’s no longer an ‘out.’ He can handle the bat. I always felt his glove would get him to the big leagues, but now I can see him as an everyday shortstop.”
Pena hit .266 at Double-A Trenton last year, but scouts who saw him say he appeared to be hampered from offseason shoulder surgery. That has not been the case this spring.
“Best looking young shortstop I’ve seen in a couple of years,” said one National League scout.

That sounds like a lot of hyperbole, and I spoke yesterday about the wisdom of trusting unnamed scouts. Pena has come out of nowhere, as he was not even on EJ’s top 30 prospect lists and has never been considered a legitimate starting prospect. That being said, he is not exactly competing with Honus Wagner for a job, as Berroa has had some epically awful seasons. While Pena may be more likely to be a part of the Yankees future, that should not guarantee him a spot on this year’s team.I think this is the type of battle that the Yankees could be justified in deciding solely based on spring training performance. Let’s look at the numbers:

1. Angel Berroa: 52 AB’s, .365/.377/.596, 5K/1BB, 9R, 19H, 6 2B, 2HR, 10RBI, 0SB/1CS
2. Ramiro Pena: 50 AB’s, .320/.370/.400, 5K/4BB, 10R, 16H, 2 2B, 1 3B, 7RBI, 4SB/2CS

It seems pretty close. While Berroa has obviously had a great spring with the bat, he has only taken one walk compared to 4 by Pena. Berroa has shown significantly more power, while Pena has been better on the basepaths. Defensively, although Pena has more errors than Berroa, he is widely considered a great defensive shortstop, while Berroa is deemed one of the worst. Joe Girardi is not going to have an easy answer here, as both players have earned a look. Personally, I would start the season with Berroa, being that this is doubtful to be a full season role. Once A-Rod comes back, Cody Ransom is likely to move to the bench, sending the winner of this job to the minors. The Yankees might be better off trying to catch lightning in a bottle with Berroa for a few weeks while allowing Pena to develop normally in Scranton.

What do you think?

Throughout the day, I will be looking at the battles for the final spots on the Yankees roster: the last reliever, the battle for CF, and the utility infielder fight. I’ll start with the 7th reliever.

As of now, it seems clear that Mariano Rivera, Brian Bruney, Damaso Marte, Jose Veras, Edwar Ramirez, and Phil Coke will make the opening day roster barring injury. It was assumed for most of spring training that the Yankees would carry a long reliever to fill that final slot, with Dan Giese, Alfredo Aceves, and Brett Tomko being the candidates. However, Joe Girardi suggested this afternoon that the battle for the final relief spot is more complicated than that:

So it looks like Joe Girardi may not take a long reliever after all.
This morning at 8:30 a.m., Girardi talked about the competition between Brett Tomko, Dan Giese and Alfredo Aceves, discussing the importance of today’s game since all three were pitching.
But when someone asked Girardi if the rest of the bullpen was pretty much settled, the manager said something interesting.
“Albaladejo has pitched great,” Girardi said.
At first, I thought maybe Albaladejo was in the mix for a spot we all assumed would go to Jose Veras or Edwar Ramirez, but after the game, it all became a lot clearer. Albaladejo, who can pitch two innings at a time, could combine with Phil Coke to form a long-man committee of sorts. All of a sudden, Tomko, Giese and Aceves weren’t only competing with each other, but with Albaladejo as well.

Let’s look at the spring numbers for the four candidates:

1. A Aceves 4.60ERA, 15.2IP, 14H, 8ER, 4HR, 6BB, 7SO
2. D Giese 6.89ERA 15.2IP, 22H, 12ER, 5HR, 4BB, 17SO
3. B Tomko 1.17ERA, 15.1IP, 12H, 2ER, 1HR, 2BB, 12SO
4. J Albaladejo 0.93ERA, 9.2IP, 8H, 1ER, 0HR, 1BB, 8SO

To me, that looks like a two man race. Giese has shown himself to be an all or nothing type, allowing plenty of hits and home runs while striking out the most batters. Aceves has been decent, but has walked too many batters and has allowed too many home runs. The Yankees may take one of the previous two due to last season’s performance and their potential to be better than a known commodity than Tomko, but I think the wide disparity in performances makes that unlikely.

Looking at Tomko and Albaladejo, both clearly deserve to make the roster. However, the decision between them will come down to a philosophical one: does the team need a long reliever or not? If the Yankees think that the multiple innings that they can get from Bruney, Coke, and Albie make a long man superfluous, then Albie will win the job. Personally, I hated that they went without a long man at the start of last season and jerked Albie and Ross Ohlendorf around as to their roles. With Joba on an innings limit, the Yankees might be better served giving Tomko a shot to start the season. Albaladejo will get his chance eventually.

What do you think?

The Yankees reassigned 6 players to minor league camp this morning, with Mark Melancon, Ian Kennedy, Jesus Montero, Christian Garcia, Kevin Russo, and Kyle Anson all getting the ax. It seems that Melancon never really had a shot to make the team, as his first poor outing has him on his way back to the minors. Being that he only has one healthy professional season under his belt, it does make sense for the Yankees to keep him in AAA for a bit more seasoning. Expect to see him again at some point over the summer.

Kennedy looked solid in his few appearances, and I would think that Yankees brass is encouraged by the more aggressive pitching style that Ian has shown this spring. I could see him building his stock up to the point where he becomes the centerpiece of a deadline deal. Garcia, Russo, and Anson never really had a shot to make the club, and all three struggled mightily in their brief opportunities to make an impression.

Finally, Montero went 6-9 with a double, a homer, two walks, and just two strikeouts. He looks to be an exciting prospect with the stick in his hand, although he does need some work behind the plate. The Yankees will be hard pressed to keep him from rocketing through the system, but may need to hold him back to develop his defense. He holds significantly more value to the club as a catcher than as a first baseman, left fielder, or DH, and the organization needs to treat him accordingly. I bet we see some of him late in 2010, and have him on the club coming out of spring training in 2011.

With the news being released that Mariano Rivera will likely make his Spring debut on Monday, I thought it would be a good time to assess the state of the Yankees bullpen depth chart. Trying to divine who might be one of the seven relievers to go north is difficult, being that there have been a number of strong performers and that the Yankees have not been clear as to what they want to do in terms of lefties and long relievers.

1) Mariano Rivera- Obviously, he is a lock when healthy.
2) Damaso Marte- Likely to be used as part of an 7th and 8th inning platoon with a righty, with Marte taking, but not limited to, the tough lefties.
3) Brian Bruney- Will get the first crack at splitting the 8th with Marte.
4) Jose Veras- Likely to be right behind Bruney for the late inning righty role.
5) Phil Coke- With Marte acting as a set-up man, Coke will be needed as the situational lefty who can also face righties.
6) David Robertson- He showed flashes of brilliance last season, and has looked strong thus far.
7) Jon Albaladejo- He can go multiple innings, as can the four relievers before him. This allows the Yankees to take their seven best relievers north rather than choosing any of the currently weak crop of long relievers.
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8 ) Edwar Ramirez- If Edwar shows himself to be healthy upon his return, he will make the team.
9) Brett Tomko- If the Yankees go with a long reliever, he has been the best.
10) Mark Melancon- He will be with the team by June, but the fact that he has not faced MLB caliber hitters yet suggests that the team is not going to rush him.
11 & 12) Al Aceves and Dan Giese- Were the favorites for long relief, but both have been bad.
13, 14, 15) Steven Jackson, Mike Dunn, Anthony Claggett- In previous seasons, they would be contenders for jobs. The Yankees have too many options ahead of them to make the club right out of camp.
16) Kei Igawa- His scary track record and lack of a spot on the 40 man roster means that he has no shot of making the roster, no matter how well he pitches.
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Did I leave anyone out? Would you change the order?