With a little help from our new and unexpected friends on the active roster, the Yankees managed to get by, avoiding the Chicago sweep and claiming game three in a three-game series Thursday.
One thing that has remained a constant for the Bombers this season is that with each new series, they look like a completely different team and I don’t mean that figuratively. They are literally a different team from one week to the next, somehow managing to hold their heads above water as they work with varying lineups.
As with every adversity battle, we’ve seen glimmers of hope and this last series was no exception.
The Yankees placed OF Aaron Judge on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to 6/4) with a right great toe sprain
Fans are distraught and rightfully so. Giancarlo Stanton returned from the IL and just one and a half games in, the IL train returned, this time hitting us with an Aaron Judge toe sprain. Are you kidding me? Judge closed out the month of May being named AL Player of the Month. With just three days in to June, Judge returned to the IL. In response to that, the Yankees picked up OF Billy McKinney and selected him to the active roster immediately.
The Yankees signed OF Billy McKinney to a Major League contract and selected him to the active roster
...and Billy can bang. In game 3 of the series, Billy McKinney hit his first bomb in the Bronx, a solo home run off of Mike Clevinger in the bottom of the 5th inning to extend the Yankees lead over the White Sox 3-0. No doubt he was treated to a bottle of Silver Oak, courtesy of Harrison Bader.
https://www.mlb.com/video/billy-mckinney-homers-1-on-a-fly-ball-to-right-center-field-qqahm9
Jake Bauers Devours the ball
The Yankees acquired OF lefty Jake Bauers in June 2022 in exchange for cash considerations with the Reds. Bauers spent the remainder of last season in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The Yankees re-signed Bauers in December 2022. After a hot start in Triple A this year where Bauers was hitting He’s hitting .319/.460/.812 in his first 21 games with nine homers, the Yankees called him up at the end of April. Coming off of a hot series in LA where he had a two-homer game, Bauers left nothing behind for this series. He finished this series with three doubles. Since being called up, Bauers is hitting .250 but with a .891 OPS.
https://www.mlb.com/yankees/video/bauers-two-homer-game
I Willie hope the Yankees hang on to this guy…
OF Willie Calhoun has come up big this season and seems to really thrive when the Yankees need it most. The fans are loving this guy. Calhoun finished this series out with 1 H, 1 2B, and 1 HR with 3 RBIs.
RHP Randy Vásquez earned his first big league win
The Yankees recalled Randy Vásquez from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in light of Domingo German’s suspension. The right-hander, who was 1-6 at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, struck out three, walked one and got eight outs on groundballs for his first big league win.
Yankees Bullpen
Despite the injury madness this season, the Yankees bullpen has been absolutely dominant. To date, they’re boasting the lowest ERA in the entire league with a 2.81 ERA and the next lowest ERA being a 3.12, held by the Cleveland Guardians.
Yankees honor White Sox reliever Liam Hendriks’ recent non-Hodgkin lymphoma battle
Before Thursday’s doubleheader, the Yankees GM Brian Cashman and Manager Aaron Boone presented White Sox reliever Liam Hendriks with a $10,000 donation to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in his name.
“That shows the class of the organization,” Hendriks said. “I will be forever grateful and it’s something they didn’t have to do but it is very much appreciated.”
Hendriks made his mound debut on May 29. He got his first win on Sunday, which coincidentally was National Cancer Survivors Day in the United States, and he earned his first save of the season against the Yankees on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium.
Up Next
The Yankees open a three-game weekend series with the Red Sox on Friday.
With a record of 37-27, the Yankees sit 8.5 games back in third place in the AL East Division and 5.5 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox who are in the division's last place with a record of 31-32.
- Yankees off to the hottest start since 2003, sweep Astros 4-0 in season opener - April 1, 2024
- Yankees' full-squad Spring Training officially underway - February 20, 2024
- Why the Yankees’ rotation may not be complete just yet - February 17, 2024
