The End Appears Nigh For Kevin Youkilis

(Pictured: Injury risk.  Courtesy of the AP)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

Kevin Youkilis was out of the lineup again yesterday, for the same reason he's been out of the lineup for every game he's missed this season: his back.  Youkilis strained it diving for a ball at first base in Saturday's game and was held out yesterday by Joe after reportedly feeling stiffness "stiffness" in the back.  He'll get an extra day of scheduled rest today with the off-day, and Joe certainly sounded like he was going to play him on Tuesday.  But with the continued back problems limiting Youkilis' playing time and severely hindering his production, it's almost time to ask if he's done.

On Overbay's Role

The Yankees managed to pull out another squeaker yesterday, scratching a run across in the top of the 9th to beat Seattle and keep their "close game" record going strong.  Those of you who watched the game, particularly the final 2 innings, were probably left wondering if the game would have been that close late were it not a few questionable non-pinch hit moves by Joe late.  With 2 outs and a runner on 2nd, Joe let Vernon Wells hit against a righty, which led to an inning-ending groundout, and in the 9th he let both Reid Brignac and Chris Stewart hit with a RISP.

In both of these instances, Joe had Lyle Overbay ready and waiting on the bench and chose not to use him.  Overbay spent the majority of this weekend series glued to the bench after moonlighting as a right fielder against Cleveland earlier in the week.  Removing him from the outfield was the right move, but if Joe isn't going to use him as a lefty pinch hitter in obvious situations like yesterday then what the hell is Overbay on the roster for?

Jayson Nix: The Most Important Replacement-Level Player Around

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

Almost as if to troll the growing group of writers and fans out there who keep wondering what he sees in Jayson Nix, Joe had him out there again last night starting at third base and batting 7th.  This came a day after he started Nix at shortstop and batted him second.  The constant usage of Nix in spots better suited for better players is starting to become a bit of a running joke in Yankeeland, as Joe's preference for a guy he constantly tags with the "just a ballplayer," "just knows how to play" label continues to defy logic or any kind of statistical analysis.  Naturally Nix came up with 3 hits, 2 RBI, and 2 SB in those 2 games - both Yankee victories - and so continues one of the stranger replacement-level seasons in recent memory.

Who's Going For A New Contract Here?

Brett Gardner's Last 10 Games: 14-34, 5 2B, 1 HR, 5 R, 7 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K

Robinson Cano's Last 10 Games: 4-33, 1 HR, 3 R, 4 RBI, 5 BB, 8 K

Real tough go for Robbie right now.  He's swinging a lot, missing a lot, and his batting average has fallen below Chris Stewart's.  No matter how much weight, if any, you put into batting average, that's not a good comparison.  At least he's matched Gardner in SB over the last 10 games (1 to 1).

Good work, Brett.  Keep it up.  The middle of the order will show up to help you eventually.  Maybe.

(Nice dome too, bro.  Courtesy of the AP)

Game 63 Wrap-Up: NYY 2 SEA 1

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

The Yankees got back on the winning side of things yesterday despite continued struggles by the offense.  Andy Pettitte turned in one of his best starts of the season, allowing just 1 ER in 7 innings, and put his team in the driver's seat to secure a series win today.  It was going to be an uphill battle against Yankee beater Felix Hernandez, but the first 3 games of the series already had been against far inferior pitchers.  Once again, the Yanks are left to just hope they score enough to win.  Today, that hope was fulfilled.

Game Notes:

- The lineup made King Felix work in the first 2 innings, with a Brett Gardner leadoff single and 2 walks in the 1st and 3 base hits in the second.  They only turned that into 1 run, though, on Gardner's second single of the day.

-  Phelps matched King Felix through 5, from the inefficient early pitch count, the run allowed in the 2nd, and then settling down after.  He got out of the 3rd on a double play and then sat down 6 in a row.

- Hernandez got bailed out by a Robinson Cano inning-ending GIDP in the 2nd and really settled down from there.  He gave up just 1 hit in his last 5 innings and struck out 4.

- Phelps finished the 6th in style with a pair of strikeouts and then gave way to the bullpen.  Boone Logan handled the 7th and David Robertson worked around a leadoff double to keep the game tied at 1 heading to the 9th.

- Seattle stuck with Yoervis Medina for the 9th and the Yanks made them pay.  Ichiro led off with a double, moved to second on a Jayson Nix sac bunt, and scored on an RBI single by none other than Chris Stewart.

- The offense did their part and got Mo a lead, and he held it down in the bottom half despite giving up 2 hits and a walk.  It was just barely enough to win, AGAIN, but I'll take it against Felix Hernandez.

Pineda Throws 4.1 Scoreless In His First Rehab Start

Michael Pineda's first MiL rehab start was pushed back to today due to weather and it sounds like it was worth the extra day's wait.  Pineda allowed just 2 hits and 0 runs in 4.1 IP for High-A Tampa today, striking out 4 batters and walking just 1.  He threw 68 pitches, 42 for strikes, and via Anthony Rieber he was regularly sitting 92-93 with his fastball.

Rieber also spoke with a few other scouts who were on hand to take in the start.  One said Pineda "looked like the guy I saw in Tacoma a couple of years ago," which has to be taken as a positive given that Pineda wasn't coming off major surgery then.  There's no word on when his next start will be and for what team he'll pitch (High-A has their ASG next weekend), but the positive momentum continues for Pineda's comeback.

Day 3 MLB Draft Notes

The Yankees got their high impact talent with their 3 1st rounders on day 1.  They got their fill of cheap college seniors and possibly unsignable HS players to control the draft pool on day 2.  Day 3 was the final day to try to find a few more diamonds in the rough, something the Yankees have had great success with in recent drafts (see: Austin, Tyler or Turley, Nik).  How'd they do in rounds 11-40?  Here's a few names that stood out.

- Round 12: Philip Walby, RHP, San Diego St.

Walby is a big right-handed with a lively fastball that sits low 90s and can hit the mid-90s when he dials it up.  It's been reported to have both late life and late movement, but his offspeed stuff needs work.  He profiles as another power reliever type.

- Round 13: Cale Coshow, RHP, Oklahoma Christian

If Walby is big at 6'3"/215, then Coshow is a monster at 6'5"/260.  He started at Oklahoma Christian after spending 2 unproductive years at Oklahoma and features plus stuff (mid-90s fastball, curveball, changeup).  The stuff is enough for him to start in pro ball, but he's going to need to work on his conditioning or also get put into the power reliever category.

More after the jump.

Nuno Could Be Headed To The DL

Speaking to the media before this afternoon's game, Joe Girardi confirmed it was a groin injury that caused Vidal Nuno to leave his Triple-A start in the 2nd inning last night.  There has been no official diagnosis of the injury yet, but it sounds very likely that Nuno will have to go on the disabled list.

This is another small ding the Yankees' have taken to the starting depth in the last 24 hours.  They lost Chien-Ming Wang yesterday to a Major League deal with the Toronto Blue Jays and now could lose Nuno to a significant chunk of time.  Ivan Nova now assumes the 6th starter role for the Major League club while Michael Pineda starts his rehab assignment tonight.

Jagielo's Right About His Opportunity, And Not For The Reason You Think

The Yankees' 2013 1st round draft picks held a conference call with the media yesterday, and while almost every beat writer tripped over himself and each other trying to keep the "Ian Clarkin doesn't like the Yankees" theme going, I found what Eric Jagielo had to say much more newsworthy:

“I definitely see an opportunity.  That was the biggest thing, hoping I would be drafted by some team that I can see myself in the future at the big-league level at third base. With everything I've read, there’s not much (standing in the way)."

That may sound cocky to some, and maybe it is to a certain degree.  It's also 100% right and it's exactly what I want to hear Jagielo saying.  And no, it has nothing to do with Alex Rodriguez, another idiotic non-story that the MSM beat into the ground on Thursday night.

Game 61 Wrap-Up: SEA 4 NYY 1

(Courtesy of the AP)

The Yankees had appeared to regain it almost as quickly as they lost it in the Subway Series coming into last night's game.  They had won 4 straight games, all on the road, and had clearly been the better team on the field in each game.  They were perfectly set up to keep the winning streak going last night against Jeremy Bonderman, former Detroit Tiger who hadn't pitched in the Majors since 2010 and was making only his second start back after getting dominated in his first last weekend.  Hiroki Kuroda was on the mound for the Yankees, looking to get back on track himself after a substandard outing against Boston last Sunday.  Somehow all of that added up to another ugly loss.

Game Notes:

- Yanks got on the board early thanks to a Brett Gardner leadoff double and an RBI groundout by Travis Hafner in the 1st.  Bonderman didn't look sharp from the jump and it looked like just a matter of time.

- They put 2 on in the 2nd and looked primed for a big inning, then Reid Brignac decided to bunt, missed, and got Vernon Wells thrown out in the process.  That play right there was basically the end of the Yankee offense for the night.

- Hirok wasn't at his best, but he was good enough through 3.  In the 4th things started to fall apart for him and frustratingly enough it happened against the bottom of the order with 2 outs.  Double by Michael Morse, back-to-back walks to Franklin and Shoppach, and a 2-run single by the immortal Brendan Ryan gave Seattle the lead.  By the time the dust settled it was 4-1.

- I said the offense ended after the 2nd and I meant it.  The Yanks mustered just 2 hits and 1 more walk in the final 7 innings, very reminiscent of what they did on Thursday night.  To have that kind of no-show against a pitcher like Bonderman is almost unfathomable.

- Good work by the Seattle 'pen behind Bonderman.  They tossed 3 shutout innings.  Preston Claiborne threw 1.2 of his own after Kuroda to keep his BB-less streak going.

Friday Afternoon Linkapalooza: 6/7/13

I'm holding down the fort at IIATMS/TYA this weekend while some of the other writers are on vacation and working, so it's double blog duty and a quiet weekend for me.  Between that and my 9-5 cube monkey job, I'm probably staring at carpal tunnel sometime in the near future.  Awesome.  Now onto the links!

- On Monday, SG of RLYW ran some numbers, both offensive and defensive, to show how much the Yankees are missing Derek Jeter at short this season.

- William Juliano of The Captain's Blog attempted to put Phil Hughes' production into the proper perspective and then questioned if the Yankees could do better than that.

- On Tuesday, el duque of It Is High... went a step further and started to think about what the Yankees could get back if they traded Hughes.

- Bryan Van Dusen of The Greedy Pinstripes combed the Brewers roster for potential trade targets in anticipation of them possibly being sellers at the deadline.

- On Wednesday, Mike Axisa of RAB updated his Top 30 Prospects list in preparation for the draft.

- Rob Abruzzese of Bronx Baseball Daily looked at what could happen if all the Yankees connected to Biogenesis really do get suspended.

- Brian Heyman of LoHud got some commentary from both Mark Teixeira and Joe Girardi on what it means to have Teix back in the lineup and how he feels about his swing so far.

- Mike Eder of IIATMS/TYA broke down 2 of CC Sabathia's recent starts to see if there were any mechanical explanations for the difference in pitch movement.  Hey, as long as we aren't talking velocity.

- SJK of NoMaas got nostalgic about Jason Giambi and compared his offensive output in pinstripes to that of Mark Teixeira for anyone who still hates Giambi to look at.

- On Thursday, fishjam25 of Yankees Fans Unite commented on the changes Brett Gardner has made to his offensive game this season.

- Andrew Mearns of Pinstriped Bible ranked the top 10 draft picks in Yankee history.

This afternoon's Friday Jam is "Highway Star" by Deep Purple.  I don't think this song needs an explanation.



Enjoy your weekends, everybody.

Meet Your Newest 2013 Yankee Draft Picks

(You could say it was "Judge"ment Day at that HR Derby.  Thanks, I'll be here all week)

Last night was a big night for the Yankees and the future of their farm system.  They were armed with 3 picks in the 1st round of the MLB Draft after getting compensation for losing Swish and Sour Puss to free agency this offseason and needed to make a splash.  The Yanks have been criticized for going off the board on talent in the 1st round of recent drafts and focusing on guys with good makeup and intangibles, something they kinda, sorta started to move away from last year with Ty Hensley.  While there were no bad apples in the bunch of picks last night, the Yankees were clearly looking for impact talent and most early analysis shows them to have succeeded in adding that talent.  After the jump, get acquainted with the newest possible future Yankees.

Close Game Performance Regressing After Hot Start

At the beginning of May I did a little post tracking the Yankees' stellar performance in close games.  Their combination of good pitching and inconsistent but relatively clutch hitting put them in a lot of those in April and they responded with a 12-3 record in games decided by 3 runs or fewer that drove their hot start.

How did that hot start translated to these last 5 weeks?  Not too bad.  The Yankees definitely regressed from their April performance, understandable given how unlikely it was that they'd keep that pace and how many close games they've played, but still came in over .500.  Since May 1st, the Yankees have gone 13-11 in 3-runs-or-fewer games, broken down to records of 2-2 in 3-run games, 5-3 in 2-run games, and 6-6 in 1-run games.  Included in the 1-run losses are the 2 late losses to the Mets and the extra-innings loss to Baltimore on the 10th-inning Nuno HR, so the results aren't that far from being much better.

For the season, the Yanks are now 25-14 in games decided by fewer than 3 runs.  It's still a very good record and still the driving force behind their continued competitiveness.  Even with the lineup starting to come together and come back around, expect a lot of close games like this to continue to be the norm.  If the pitching holds up its end, they should continue to perform well in these close situations.

Game 60 Wrap-Up: NYY 6 SEA 1

("Good game, Hughesy."  Courtesy of Getty Images)

While the prospect huggers of the world were getting jazzed up about the Yankees' 1st-round picks in the draft, the Major League ballclub was quickly putting the Seattle Mariners to bed out at Safeco last night.  They had Phil Hughes on the mound looking to improve upon his 0.2 IP disaster against Seattle the last time he faced them.  Hughes was very good last night, his lineup gave him plenty to work with, and this late-starting game was over early.

Game Notes:

- Hughes managed to get out of the 1st inning this time.  The second too, in 6 up/6 down fashion.  And he only needed 26 pitches to do it.

- The Yanks didn't get much off Aaron Harang the first turn through the order, but they saw everything they needed to see and crushed him in the 3rd.  With 1 out, Brett Gardner singled, Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira hit back-to-back HR on 4 pitches to make it 4-0 Yanks, and the route was on.

- It didn't stop until it got to 6 either.  After Teix, it was single Hafner, double Youkilis, single Wells, single Ichiro, and time to hit the showers for Harang.  Staked to a 6-0 lead, Phil didn't have to be very good.

- And yet he was anyway.  Great start for Hughes, who gave up just 1 unearned run in 7+ innings.  He was aggressive with his fastball, efficient with his pitch count, and more than good enough to get a win.

- Interestingly enough, reliever Blake Beavan actually shut down the offense after relieving Harang in the 3rd.  They managed just a single hit off of him in the final 6.2 innings.

- With a 5-run lead, D-Rob and Mo got to rest again as the new middle relief trio handled the final 2 frames without issue.

Return Of Teix & Youkilis Bringing The Return Of Patience

(Welcome back, Mr. Teck-SHARE-uh.  Courtesy of Getty Images)

The Yankees are 4-2 since getting Mark Teixeira and Kevin Youkilis back in the lineup last Friday.  Had the weather cooperated, who knows if they had a comeback in them on Sunday.  That return came at the end of one of the worst stretches of offensive baseball we've seen from any Yankee team in some time, and not so coincidentally the presence of Teix and Youkilis has led to a return to form for a lineup that had become way too impatient.

Who Is Dietrich Enns?

(Courtesy of MiLB.com)

His name makes him sound like a James Bond villain hellbent on world domination, but in reality Dietrich Enns is actually a potential hidden gem from the 2012 Yankee draft class.  He was drafted in the 19th round out of Central Michigan University and has been absolutely tearing it up this season in Low-A Charleston.  With the 2013 draft starting tonight, it seems like the perfect time to catch people up on Enns, who some might have missed from last year.  In an organization known for its ability to find and develop solid relief pitching, Enns is already making a case to be put on the radar.

Game 59 Wrap-Up: NYY 6 CLE 4

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

Not a bad little situation for the Yankees to be in looking to close out a sweep yesterday afternoon.  Much more respectable-looking lineup on the field, ace on the mound, you'll take that any day of the week.  CC Sabathia was brilliant his last time out and looking to build on the positive trends of that start, something that he accomplished in spades despite what the scoreboard read.  A quick burst of early runs and a dynamite start from your #1 is a helluva way to capitalize on a good situation.

Game Notes:

- The lineup jumped on Corey Kluber early, cashing in on a Michael Bourn error in the bottom of the 1st when Travis Hafner destroyed a 2-run homer into the second deck in right field.  2-0 just like that.

- They doubled up in the bottom of the 2nd on another rally started by the bottom of the order.  Single, double, single by Overbay, Nix, Stewart put 1 in and 2 on for Brett Gardner, who brought everybody home with his 6th(!!) HR of the season.  6-0 just like that.

- And that was all Carsten would need.  He was sharp out of the gate yesterday, retiring the first 12 batters he faced in order (11 on the infield).  He was pounding the zone with fastballs and keeping them down to get groundball outs and working the slider to get swings and misses.

- After 5 easy scoreless frames, CC gave 2 back in the 6th on a bunch of well-placed groundballs and BABIP magic.  All 3 hits in the inning were grounders, and CC K'd Mark Reynolds to end the nonsense.

- The one mistake he did make was in the top of the 7th when he hung a first-pitch slider to Yan Gomes.  Gomes hit for a 2-run homer and the game was suddenly close.

- The back end of the bullpen was out of commish yesterday so CC had to finish what he started.  He did it in style, fanning Bourn and Jason Kipnis in the 8th and retiring the 9th 1-2-3.  Excellent work by the big man.

AB4AR "Best Of The Month" Awards: May 2013

May was a tale of 2 months for the Yankees.  They started off hot, winning 9 of their first 13, before falling into the worst offensive slump we've seen to date from the replacement group and finishing off the month by losing 7 of 10.  The poor finish didn't hurt them too bad, as they are still right in the thick of the AL East hunt just 2 games behind Boston in the loss column, but it did make picking out the award winners for May more difficult than it usually is.  Find out who they are after the jump.

Pineda's Rotation Chances Improving With Every Rotation Problem

(Courtesy of the AP)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

It's been almost a year and a half since the Yankees acquired Michael Pineda.  Sometimes it feels like it's been even longer than that.  The reports about his early spring performance in sim games and bullpen sessions has been more than encouraging, but yesterday he took the next real step in his comeback when the team announced that he would begin his 30-day MiL rehab assignment this Saturday with High-A Tampa.  He was reportedly sitting mid-90s again in his latest ExST start on Monday and hasn't had any physical issues outside of a cracked fingernail to hold him back.  At long last, the Yanks and us Yankee fans, will get a look at their haul from that now infamous January, 2012 trade.

I'm Done With This Steroid Stuff

So ESPN created another big wave in the still ongoing steroid saga yesterday with OTL's report that Major League Baseball is going to seek suspensions for Ryan Braun, Alex Rodriguez, and up to 20 other players linked to the Biogenesis clinic.  It's already being treated as proof of guilt by many and is understandably getting a large amount of coverage this morning from all sorts of sports, baseball, and Yankee media outlets.  Well count this guy out of that mess.  Because I'm fucking done with steroids.

Game 58 Wrap-Up: NYY 4 CLE 3

(That'll do, kid.  That'll do.  Courtesy of Getty Images)

The lineup fiddling that started with Lyle Overbay in right field on Monday night continued last night, although I doubt you'd find many who thought last night's lineup looked even close to as good as Monday's.  Ichiro was in the leadoff spot and in center field while Brett Gardner got the night off, Jayson Nix was batting second and playing shortstop while Kevin Youkilis was down at 6, and David Adams was playing second base while Robinson Cano got a night at DH.  I questioned if all of this was necessary against Scott Kazmir, the guy who basically disappeared from existence before finally getting back to the show this year, but it's what Joe did and it was just enough to get a win.

Game Notes:

- Real strong start for Phelps, a complete 180 from his previous one.  He was throwing all 5 of his pitches and throwing them all for strikes right from the first inning, and gave up just a lonely infield single while striking out 5 through 4.

- The new lineup gave Phelps all the support he would need in the bottom of the 3rd.  4 straight hits from the 8-2 spots in the lineup put 2 on and 1 run in with 1 out, and for the second straight game Mark Teixeira cleared the bases, this time by yanking a 3-run HR down the left field line.

- Really impressive work by Phelps to get out of the 5th inning unscathed after walking the first 2 batters.  Even more impressive that he bounced back and finished with a 1-2-3 6th.  He wasn't overly efficient, but he was very good last night.

- Joe went wholesale defensive changes and to the bullpen in the 7th and it almost blew up in his face.  Joba Chamberlain was terrible, giving up a walk, single, and 3-run HR with 2 outs, and needed Boone Logan to bail him out.

- Yanks left 2 on in the 7th and a runner at 2nd in the 8th, but still held down the 1-run lead thanks to a vintage D-Rob Houdini act and a 1-2-3 9th from the G.O.A.T. to make it 2 in a row.

Overbay In Right? Why The Hell Not?

(Courtesy of Paul J. Bereswill/NY Post)

The Yankees zigged when most of us thought they were going to zag again yesterday, electing to send Brennan Boesch down to Triple-A to clear a 25-man spot for Andy Pettitte and going ahead with the "Lyle Overbay in the outfield" plan.  It had been hinted at, talked about, but never truly believed as a viable option  in the last week until he was written in as the starting right fielder for last night's game.  I mean, we're talking about a 36-year-old career first baseman who had never played a single inning in the outfield in his Major League career before last night.  He was using Boone Logan's glove out there in place of his regular first baseman's glove last night!  It was another outside-the-box roster decision made out of necessity, the latest in a long series of similar decisions made this season, and once again it worked out for the best.

Really, Hal??

Oh, Hal.  Not you too.  This is the type of stuff the Mikes Lupica, Ians O'Conner, and Bobs Klapisch of the world are supposed to be force feeding down our throats about A-Rod.  Not you.  All you were supposed to do was talk about the Pinstripe Bowl and you just couldn't resist when someone asked about Alex.

“There have no doubt been times when we've been disappointed in him and we've conveyed that to him and he understands that. But look everybody’s human and everybody makes mistakes. If you've got a guy over the course of 10 years, there’s going to be times any of us make mistakes."

Once again, nobody was talking about A-Rod.  At all.  He's been quietly minding his business and rehabbing in Tampa, with the occasional quick update blurb here and there on his progress.  Now you've got to drag him to the front of the stage and shine the spotlight on him again?  While the team is spinning its tires trying to pull out of its first major slump of the season??

Game 57 Wrap-Up: NYY 7 CLE 4

(Whitest high five ever.  Courtesy of Getty Images)

The Yankees got Andy Pettitte back for the second time in the 2013 season last night.  That's a frightening thought with 105 games still on the schedule, but a welcome return given the state of the team's performance right now.  In an effort to give the offense a boost, the Yanks got creative with their roster again, choosing to send Brennan Boesch back down to Triple-A and go with Lyle Overbay as the starting right fielder for the first time in his Major League career.  He got a workout in right, much to the early amusement of his teammates.  In the end, it was the shaky return outing for Andy and a team victory that were the big stories.

Game Notes:

- Andy had stuff but spotty command early.  He worked around 2 on/1 out in the 2nd, and couldn't repeat the feat in the 3rd, giving up a run on a Nick Swisher RBI groundout.

- You don't think of Reid Brignac and Austin Romine as rally starters, but that's just what they were in the bottom of the 3rd with a pair of leadoff singles.  After a 4-pitch walk to Brett Gardner, Justin Masterson threw 2 bad fastballs in a row.  Robinson Cano grounded out on the first, Mark Teixeira lined the second into the first row of the right field seats for a grand slam and a 4-1 lead.

- We'll never know for sure, but the delay in getting Asdrubal Cabrera off the field after his injury in the 4th seemed to shake Andy.  He threw 9 straight balls to load the bases before giving up a hotshot double down the third baseline to tie the game.  He was out of the game before he got out of the 5th.

- Romine was right in the middle of it again in the bottom of the 6th when Masterson pretty much fell apart.  The big hit was Brett Gardner's 2-out, 2-run single up the middle on another early-count swing at a fastball.

- Big and confidence-boosting solo HR from Travis Hafner in the 7th to knock Masterson out and give the bullpen an extra insurance run.  Hopefully that's the sign of good things to come for Pronk.

- Oh yeah, the bullpen.  Not that they needed any more insurance runs.  Shawn Kelley, Joba, D-Rob, and Mo combined to throw 4.1 innings of scoreless ball, giving up just 1 hit in the process and striking out 5.

Who Gets The Axe Today? (Updated)

Mike Eder already beat me to the punch earlier today, but the Yankees have a 25-man roster decision to make today with Andy Pettitte set to come off the DL.  It'll arguably be the most difficult one they've had to make so far this season, because as Mike pointed out, there is a case to be made for cutting and keeping every player on the bubble.  The Yankees' still uneasy health footing with Teix and Youkilis makes it difficult to single out any of their excess infielders as the one who should go, and the last thing they want to do is get rid of somebody like Overbay and then watch Teix go back on the DL for season-ending wrist surgery.

That's why I think it'll be David Adams who gets taken off and optioned back to Triple-A.  He's cooled off with the bat and doesn't offer the defensive versatility of a Brignac or a Nix nor the first base experience of an Overbay.  Regular at-bats are still the thing he needs most and he won't get those with Youkilis back in the picture and the SS platoon around, so why not make the move that's in his best interests?  The Yankees were already starting to experiment with Adams at first and second base again before he was called up.  They can keep doing that again if they want to try to expand Adams' potential roles for the future.

You made a fan of me, Dave.  I'm officially on the bandwagon.  But I think you're gone in a few hours, buddy.

** UPDATE 1:47 PM- Jack Curry reporting that Lyle Overbay will get the start in right field tonight.  Honestly did not expect that.  Maybe that means it's Brennan Boesch who's getting sent down and Adams will stick. **