The New York Yankees have now dropped their 5th series in a row. It’s the first time since 2005 that the Yankees have lost consecutive series. It’s a noticeable slump for a team cruising through the season’s first half. Even during Aaron Judge’s hottest stretch of the season, the Yankees are 8-17 since the All-Star break. Not only have injuries taken their toll, but the lack of contribution from the bottom of the lineup has been a constant theme.
Josh Donaldson hasn’t lived up to expectations on the offensive side. Aaron Hicks has had hot stretches, but his low points have been extremely low, in the field and with the bat. Isaiah Kiner-Falefa has made some dazzling plays at shortstop but is still inconsistent with the routine plays. The injuries to Giancarlo Stanton, DJ LeMahieu, and Clay Holmes have not helped matters. New York has been relying on the bottom of the lineup. Although, the results have not been pretty. Brian Cashman and the front office need enforcement, and they’re calling up some.
Yankees Promote Florial, Cabrera
Estevan Florial
Estevan Florial, too OF prospect, has indeed been called up to the Yankees. Slumping first place team needs a spark. Plus Stanton, Carpenter and Bader are injured, and Hicks is struggling. @BobKlap 1st
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) August 17, 2022
Estevan Florial is on his way to the main roster. Florial has had a stellar season for the Yankees Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre Rail Riders. Furthermore, he boasts a .284 BA, .852 OPS, and 14 homers, as he stole 32 bases in 88 games. With uncertainty surrounding Harrison Bader, the Yankees need an upgrade in production from the outfield. They will look for Florial to be that production that’s missing.
Oswaldo Cabrera
The Yankees made a move to call up utility infielder Oswaldo Cabrera. Cabrera has spent time playing both shortstop and second base down in Triple-A. In the past 29 games, Cabrera has hit .340/.424/.651 and has popped eight homers. Cabrera’s defense is what the Yankees will look to lean on. He’s mainly a middle infielder, but he has also started to take reps in the outfield while down in Scranton. A move like this may signal a future DFA for Marwin Gonzalez, who has been the team’s utility man but has seen less playing time as the season progressed. Cabrera’s place on the team long-term remains up in the air. If he performs, he may find himself on a postseason roster; only time will tell.
Ron Marinaccio
The struggles of Clay Holmes have been nothing less than startling. After an All-Star first half of the season, Holmes has had little to no success as the Yankees closer. Holmes is now likely headed to the IL with back tightness. While not official, the return of Ron Marinaccio to the main roster is imminent. Marinaccio holds a 2.03 ERA while also having an incredible .164 BABIP season. The re-addition of Marinaccio should lower the workload for the likes of Wandy Peralta and Aroldis Chapman and hopefully keep Abreu away from high leverage situations.
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Players Mentioned:
Aaron Judge, Josh Donaldson, Aaron Hicks, Giancarlo Stanton, DJ LeMahieu, Clay Holmes, Estevan Florial, Harrison Bader, Oswaldo Cabrera, Marwin Gonzalez, Ron Marinaccio, Wandy Peralta, Aroldis Chapman
