The Yankees go for the sweep tonight against the Blue Jays with David Phelps on the mound. Can they do it?
Tonight's lineup: Gardner 7 Jeter 6 Ellsbury 8 Teixeira 3 McCann 2 Beltran DH Ichiro 9 Roberts 4 Johnson 5 Phelps 1
— Erik Boland (@eboland11) June 19, 2014The Yankees lineup is led by Brett Gardner, Derek Jeter, and Jacoby Ellsbury. Mark Teixeira, Brian McCann, and Carlos Beltran make up the heart of the order. Ichiro Suzuki, Brian Roberts, and Kelly Johnson round out the lineup. It looks like Yangervis Solarte may have lost his everyday starting job, at least for now. Though, if he were to be a platoon player, it should be against right-handers, like they're facing tonight, not lefties like last night.
Over at Baseball America, Ben Badler corrected a previous report saying that the Mets were the favorites to sign shortstop Wilkerman Garcia, when it looks like the Yankees are the ones that are the likeliest to sign him. In a previous post, Badler has described the Venezuelan switch-hitter as an offensive-oriented shortstop with power potential who "makes plenty of contact, doesn't overswing and stays through the middle of the field, with a knack for going the other way with pitches on the outer third." At the moment reviews seem to be mixed on his defense as some believe he has the ability to stick at the position, while others think he fits better as a third baseman. He is expected to sign for a $1 million bonus.
On the minor league front, under-the-radar outfield prospect Taylor Dugas has been promoted to Triple-A. While he lacks any real power, the 24-year-old makes up for it with a .422 OBP over three professional seasons. He could be an interesting platoon option or a useful piece in a future trade.
Manny Banuelosrecently said that he feels ready for an increased workload next time out. He has been limited to just three innings per outing so far this season, but if he proves he can go deeper into games he could start moving up the ladder and be an option for the big league team at some point.