YANKS SIGN ANDREW BELLATTI

Yup... another signing for the Yankees.  It seems like they are either making deals or calling up dudes to keep this amazing train running smoothly.  Give Brian Cashman a lot of credit for that.

The latest is Andrew Bellatti.  Check this out. Our Sports Central writes:

"The Sugar Land Skeeters today announced that the contract of right-hander Andrew Bellatti has been purchased by the New York Yankees. Bellatti becomes the second Skeeters player in 2019 to have his contract purchased by a Major League Baseball Organization. Right-hander Christian Bergman had his contract purchased by the Seattle Mariners on April 25 and has been assigned to Triple-A Tacoma....

Bellatti made Major League debut on May 9, 2015, with Tampa Bay Rays against the Texas Rangers. He picked up the win in MLB debut, allowing a hit and no runs over 3...

The San Diego, Calif., native was rated as the Rays No. 24 prospect prior to 2016 season, per Baseball America."

There's plenty more I can give you on this kid. I just wanted you to see that they have a new, strong arm, and you know what? It's exciting.

What will his future be in pinstripes? We shall see.

Welcome Andrew.

THE INJURY TRAIN KEEPS ROLLING....

Is it wrong to say I am not surprised that two more Yankees got hurt? It's become the predictable theme so far this season, and it's still April. Nothing to see here, just more guys getting hurt. Luckily we are still winning....but still, this is unreal.

In case you missed it, yesterday Gio Urshela and DJ LeMahieu both got hurt and had to be taken out of the game. LeMahieu was the first to be pulled in the third inning with right knee inflammation.  LeMahieu fouled a pitch off the knee on Friday night and had the knee wrapped with ice after Friday's and Saturday's games. He did get x-rays after the game which did come back negative, but he will get an MRI and see an orthopedic today according to Aaron Boone. They think it is a deep bone bruise but want to make sure it's not more serious. Hopefully it's not a trip to the injured list for him, let's keep our fingers crossed.

In the fifth inning Urshela took a pitch to the top of the left hand and left the game. He also had x-rays which also came back negative. That's good news. I'm sure that hand is going to be sore and swollen though. Let's hope it just needs a few days rest and he can avoid the injured list. It would be a shame to lose him, he's been such a huge asset to the Yankees since he's been called up. I don't think you could've asked him for more, he's delivered on everything the Yankees have asked.

This definitely isn't the news we wanted especially considering the Yankees just swept the San Francisco Giants. It would be nice to focus on the fact that the Yankees have won 11 of their last 13 games despite having 13 guys on the Injured List and a roster missing almost all of the starting day lineup. The Yankees have found ways to win and are supposed to be getting loser to getting some big name guys back.

If all goes well we could see Troy Tulowitzki, Miguel Andujar and Clint Frazier back all within a couple of weeks of each other, read more HERE. Hopefully Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Hicks aren't far behind also. The Yankees are getting closer, so losing two more would be devastating.

I'm hoping both Urshela and LeMahieu can avoid the Injured List. At his point, the Yankees have limited options. Thairo Estrada is already on the big league roster and the Yankees have Brad Miller in Triple-A as the next call-up candidate. If they need to replace LeMahieu or Urshela, they can
easily do it. But what if they have to replace both? I have no idea what the Yankees would do. I don't even want to think about that. Anyone reading this have a glove? We may need you ASAP.

Thank goodness today is an off-day. Everyone needs a rest, it's been a long road trip. Hopefully the off-day gives them some much needed rest and hopefully brings some good news for both LeMahieu and Urshela.

Stay tuned and cross your fingers...

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj

2 YANKEE NAMES THAT ARE CONSTANTLY MAKING HEADLINES

This gritty Yankee team is truly turning some heads across Major League Baseball.  No one really knows why they are winning.  With so many injuries, both short term and long term, it is hard to really understand the formula for winning except perhaps chemistry and positivity.  But, there are two names that Suzyn Waldman feels like she mentions constantly throughout the month of April: Luke Voit and DJ LeMahieu.

Source: NJ.com

Waldman said during the broadcast yesterday afternoon that mentions both Voit and LeMahieu for both their incredible hitting and remarkable defense what seems like every other play.  And I can't disagree.  Luke Voit has outwardly stated that he always felt he could hit, but really needed to work on his defense at first base.  He picked off the lead runner in a bunt play early in the game yesterday and he has made Mark Teixeira-like defensive catches and stretches at first base.  Then there's his bat, which has not only been game-saving but a team-leading and the kind of clutch the Yankees so desperately need.

Source: Associated Press

“He is such an important player for us,’’ Aaron Boone said of Voit, who went 3-for-4, leads the Yankees in homers (eight) and RBIs (22) and has reached base in 37 straight games — which is second best for a Yankee since 2005. “He has become a premium hitter. I don’t think any of us are surprised. I think a lot of people were wondering if after last year could he come in and do this, but this is the kind of hitter we see him as. He has the ability to get on base and hit the ball out of the ballpark," reported NY Post after Friday night's win.  He picked up another RBI yesterday and has been hitting .375 over the past seven games.

Then there's his peer infielder DJ LeMahieu whose incredible performance since the Yankees grabbed him up from Colorado as been in a word, "life-saving" for the Yankees.  "DJ LeMahieu also enjoyed a three-hit performance, doubling twice, as the 11 hits permitted tied Bumgarner’s career high.
DJ gets on base every freaking at-bat, it seems like," Voit said. "It's nice to hit with guys on base all the time," according to MLB.com.

Source: USA Today

According to Bryan Hoch after Friday night's game in San Francisco, "(Luke) Voit said it seems like the Yankees have been welcoming new players into their clubhouse on a daily basis, but it has not seemed to change the end result. Adhering to their "next man up" mantra, the Yankees are getting it done on this West Coast trip, most recently producing a 7-3 victory over the Giants," prior to a 6-4 victory yesterday.  LeMahieu is batting .306 with 29 hits, 9 doubles and a home run since his addition to the lineup this spring.

Source: Associated Press

“The credit goes to all the guys. They have embraced this next man up thing,’’ Boone said. “There are so many guys contributing," reported the Post.  And Luke Voit and DJ LeMahieu are certainly leading the charge as the Yankees continue to win despite the odds, the injuries and the no-name team they have been fielding over the last month.  As each "regular" player makes his way back into the lineup, I hope that Boone recognizes the depth of the team he has and let's other key contributors like Gio Urshela and Mike Tauchman continue to play regularly for this gritty, incredibly balanced Yankee team.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

THE YANKEES & THE LONG, SAD ROAD OF INJURY

When will we catch a break?

I miss having Luis Severino on the rotation, but it doesn't seem like this guys coming back any time soon.  If you didn't know already, Severino has been place on the 60 day IR.

For the rotation and for the team, this is a big deal, a blow to the rotation without question... and more wonder as to why the Yankees let a guy like Gio Gonzalez walk, and why the idea of Dallas Keuchel isn't on their radar. A mystery of mysteries for me for sure.

Plus then you have Clint Frazier.  Frazier was our saving grace but now he's on the 10 day IR because of that ankle twist.  This is a guy that was contributing big time.

Feeling blessed for this new journey with the @Yankees 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/1IHrWTs6FT

— Cameron Maybin (@CameronMaybin) April 26, 2019

The Yankees made some moves to keep the line moving.  Cameron Maybin was recently signed. A good move and I told Jack Curry that on Twitter the other day.  They also have reliver Joe Harvey now.

But look, I've never seen a Yankee injury list this bad before ever.  You can blame it on bad luck if you want. I think a very small percentage is that. But strength and condition is a big one... and there's one more thing and the more I'm reading about it, Joe Girardi makes a ton of sense.  Read this Tweet:

Joe Girardi seems to think the players don't train enough for explosive movements, just slow and steady weight lifting but says it's a hard mindset to change.

— Joanie G (@Joangyankee) April 26, 2019

Thank you Joanie, love you! Yeah, that is very interesting to me. Something Yankee brass needs to start thinking about whether they like Joe or not.  I have no doubt there is a lot of truth to that.  I don't think all of it is this, I think a lot of it is.  Also, if you haven't already read Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa's THE REAL PROBLEM THAT NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT , do it! It's great.

But look, the best thing this Yankee team is doing is rallying. They are taking whatever personnel is in front of them and they are working to win. That's the goal no matter what. You still have to focus on the goal. You still need to try your best no matter what your team is.  The Yankees are doing that, and you need to respect that.

Maybe one day soon the injury tide will turn. For now however, it's historic and insane.

OUR FAVORITE AVENGERS

Source: NY Times

This week is a big week if you are a Marvel or Game of Thrones fan. Not only are we officially in the End Game, but the Battle of Winterfell will be taking place on Sunday night. So in honor of our favorite Avengers and warriors, I thought we could talk about some players that in my mind are fighters in their own sense.

Source: NBC Sports

For the Yankees, I believe CC Sabathia counts as one of these fighters, a Hulk of sorts. Sadly, he fell just short of his 3,000th career strikeout on Wednesday night, yet the team still came out on top. Sabathia also wasn’t quite on his A game, allowing three home runs, but there is always tomorrow for CC, at least for this year.

"This has been unbelievable, just watching what this bunch of guys have been doing, just the grittiness,” said Sabathia, who struck out three over five innings to leave him at 2,997 in his career. “It’s been fun to watch,” reported Newsday.

We’re lucky to even have CC back after he had heart surgery. No matter what happens, he’s been trying to just keep improving during what will be his last season. Especially with such an incredible milestone looming over his head, he just wants to be focused on one thing: winning. 

Source: USA Today

"To join that list would be cool, but it's something that I can't really think about now. I'm focusing on making sure that I stay healthy enough to help the team win. I'm glad that I'll be able to get this out of the way kind of early." Sabathia said in an MLB interview. Hopefully in his next start Sabathia can join the prestigious 3,000 strikeout club, a great accomplishment for the pitcher during his last baseball season.

Another player that overcame the odds is Jacob deGrom, who ran away with the Cy Young award last season.

"I've said before that this was one of my goals. The team didn't end up where we wanted to be this past season, but you set personal goals. Being able to accomplish something that's a dream of yours is just something special." deGrom said to MLB.

Source: SNY

Despite an abysmal season for the Mets last year, to put it lightly, deGrom never let that stop him for going after his goals. With a 1.70 ERA and 10-9 record, he led the NL in ERA and finished second to Max Scherzer in strikeouts and innings.  He won the Cy Young award despite his team's record.  He may be made of iron and I am pretty sure he can fly yet he has his aches and pains as a superhuman.
More recently there’s been reports of deGrom’s elbow “barking” in pain, leading him to have an MRI which, thank you Lord, came back clean.

As the season continues we can hope that our Avengers, Sabathia and deGrom, continue to have great success and hit all of their personal goals this season, leading the NY teams to the End Game in October.

--Missy O'Rourke
BYB Contributor
Twitter: @missy_orourke

THE REAL PROBLEM THAT NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT

It's time to start asking the tough questions here. We've tackled a lot of tough subjects this week everything from I'M NOT INTERESTED IN THE SECOND STRING YANKEES to NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF THE PEN. Both emotionally charged subjects and important.

But honestly, I want to know why aren't more people asking questions about all of these injuries? It's time to start asking the tough questions here and possibly make some unpopular decisions.

As of the writing of this post, we have twelve guys(!) on the Injured List with a possibility of growing to 13. Anyone else ticked off by how freaking INSANE this is? Word has it that Giancarlo Stanton had a setback and is expected to be out until around May 10th. Again estimated, but he definitely won't be back until after this long west coast swing. His biceps strain is healed but now he has a barking shoulder and got a cortisone shot.

Now my biggest fear of all could be coming true....Clint Frazier's "precautionary" day off on Tuesday may be more than just a conservative day of rest. He went for an MRI and may have a sprained ankle, read more HERE. He could be the 15th guy the Yankees place on the Injured List this season. 15 folks and it isn't even 30 days into the season! This is stupid!

I get it, injuries happen. All athletes get them but look around major league baseball.....no one has the same problem we do. No one has a Triple-A roster like we do. Anyone else remember the last time this happened? I sure do!

Let's turn back time, shall we? Prior to 2007 the Yankees hired Marty Miller as the team strength and conditioning coach. Injuries piled up within a month of the season beginning and it proved to be Miller’s undoing and he was let go early in the season. Do you remember all of those hamstring sprains? I do! Hideki Matsui, Mike Mussina and Phil Hughes had some bad ones, and that's just a few that I can remember. Johnny Damon had a bad calf strain and Andy Pettitte worked through back stiffness after a weight lifting mishap that never should've happened.

Photo: Marty Miller, right

Cashman never publicly blamed Miller or Dana Cavalea his assistant back then but he said players declining to participate in a team’s strength and conditioning program could have been a contributing factor to all of those injuries. Think about that one....players DECLINING to participate in the team's conditioning program leaves a bad perception. It's probably what led to Miller's dismissal. It's at least a safe assumption.

Photo: Dana Cavalea

Back in 2013 we also had issues with injuries and Cavalea was the strength and conditioning coach. We said in YANKEES STRENGTH & CONDITIONING NOW IN QUESTION that while the Yankees started to look at which coaches should be cut that the Yankees strength and conditioning coach at the time, Cavalea should not be excluded. There was too much going wrong for the Yankees to just let it slide. That was a much older team, so some people argued that some "concessions" could be made but somehow with all of Cavalea's experience and tenure with the Yankees there was still a disconnect. The Yankees had to go a different direction and parted ways with Cavalea after he was in the organization for nine years.

So here we are, new leadership since then. But something just isn't right here and even though it is taking some time to finally wake up and realize it....people other than just US here at BYB are starting to notice. According to NJ.com HERE, Brian Cashman is starting to get a lot of questions about the medical staff. Even Yankee ownership has gone to Cashman seeking answers. If the boss were around....you know heads would be rolling. If the brass is finally asking you KNOW something is brewing, but is it too late?

Cashman has always been the master of deception. He has a great poker face and he tends to give answers to questions that don't truly answer the question, and leave you wondering. One quote that always stuck with me was his reasoning behind the dismissal of Miller. Just one sentence, HERE.

"It got to the point where the perception is there's a problem here."

That was valid back in 2007....so what about 12 years later? You can't ignore 12 or 13 guys on the Injured List. Three of our guys have torn UCL's (Didi Gregorius, Ben Heller and Jordan Montgomery). Four of our opening day starters have various strains (Aaron Judge, Stanton, Aaron Hicks and Troy Tulowitzki). You can argue that again perception here is there's a problem. It was true back in 2007, and again in 2013....history could repeat itself in 2019.

Cashman called this "bad luck" in his interview on WFAN. You can't call this bad luck. Poor offseason conditioning and lack of proper training lead to muscular issues and strains. The pitching injuries are likely caused by the repetitive unnatural motion but also poor mechanics. There are enough injuries here to make it reasonable to question the Yankees training and medical staff. The Yankees have some of the best resources you can ask for, I'm sure other teams are not nearly as fortunate. It's time to fix the problem!

We have to start to question the strength and conditioning as well as the medical staff here. They are the common denominator and history shows there have been problems before. The only way to get to the bottom of these issues is to look at every possibility. If this isn't the problem then so be it but it's time to be proactive here, and not reactive.

Something just doesn't add up here. I'm sorry Cashman, this isn't bad luck. You may have another perception problem on your hands. So what are we going to do about it?

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj 

I JUST WANT THAT FEELING BACK

Source: Newsday

When I read the tweet from @TheNYYBabe2 today, it spoke to me.  "I just want that feeling back," she said with angst.  Or at least I saw it as angst.  She continued with, "It’s been ten long years and we @yankees fans are waiting for our return to greatness. We want to be #1 again. This team.....we need #28."  I could not agree more and maybe you all feel the same.  It hurts to see what BYB reader @dougstro called an "infirmary" or a "MASH" unit, filled to capacity.  I just want that feeling back and maybe it is just around the corner.

Source: ESPN

"Sanchez will be back in the lineup Wednesday after he played in a rehab game Monday in Charleston, South Carolina, as he finishes recovering from a left calf strain. Troy Tulowitzki, who had his own calf strain, appears to be close behind Sanchez. At some point thereafter, Stanton (left biceps strain) is expected back. If Andujar (small labrum tear) is able to avoid surgery, he could rejoin the team around the same time," reported ESPN.

Source: Twitter

Another positive for the Yankees is what is becoming the unlikely glue of this team: the starting pitching.  Pitching has stepped up and done its job as of late. With a 2.41 ERA, it's been an all hands on deck rotation, including Domingo German and Jonathan Loaisiga.  Loaisiga was slated to pitch last night, but was scratched and added to the bull pen after Monday night's marathon win over the Angels, 4 hours and 35 minutes.

Source: AP

Perhaps it's these kind of games that demonstrate resilience, grinding and finding ways to win games despite the depth of the IL.  "It has been satisfying to see guys get opportunities, and in a lot of cases take advantage of those opportunities," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "It's critical." As the Yankees try to stockpile wins before their roster returns to relatively good health, they'll take victories any way they can," reported ESPN.

Word on Clint Frazier is that he's okay, seemingly averting the IL after twisting his ankle late in the game Monday night.  "I went through too much last year to not go out there and play,” he said. “The I.L. is too full for us. I’m good. I’m going to keep playing." reported the NY Times.

I just want that feeling back but while it's making it's way back, I will take wins anyway the team can get them right now.  As our BYB Skipper said so daringly and bluntly in his post yesterday, "The stars are gone... hurt... out, and for me, as a life long Yankee fan, I am not so interested in watching and taking it all in. It's a different dynamic for me right this second.  It makes me uninterested, makes the season for me not watchable. I'm bored, folks. Very, very bored."  You can read his post here.

While I don't take the same side as our fearless leader, I can understand where he is coming from; it is hard to see our main event guys fall, hard and a whole different team, with names unfamiliar except for maybe minor league fans, on the field.  But it is with resilience and patience this team will persevere.

The feeling will come back, the team will come back, we just have to wait for it.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF THE PEN

Bleeding Yankee Blue is here to make you think, not hate. Sadly, everyone hates these days, and no one... or at least 80% of people on Facebook… hate. Even Twitter was more civil, and that place is a cesspool.

Anyway, look... rapid reaction from my piece titled I'M NOT INTERESTED IN THE SECOND STRING YANKEES. Opinion was about 50/50. You either hated it or liked it. For the people that liked it, you were too embarrassed to publicly say so, and so you DM'd me and sent me emails and left it at that. I respect that. You want to keep your street cred. All good.

I don't do it that way... I shoot from the hip. I'm a cowboy. I say it like it is. I am built on passion... in fact BYB was created on passion. Fan passion.

But once again, the trolls behind their computers decided that not reading the article, but reading the headline was good enough.

Now some read. Many were offended. I'm sorry, but being a fan is something special. You hold onto your fandom and can voice your thoughts about a team, a player, the uniform any way you want. And you know what's great about that? IT'S YOUR OWN FANDOM. IT'S YOUR OWN OPINION. No one can take that away from you!

People actually told me that they were "offended" by my post. OFFENDED! I swear to God.  They actually said that my words about not wanting to root hard for this B-Team group of Yankees was offensive. No, I wasn't mocking religion. I wasn't being racist. I didn't call anyone a negative name. I said I didn't want to root as hard for this team because this wasn't the starter team... the team that we thought we were getting when the season started. And you know what's nuts? I was responsible. I cited injury. I cited how injury ruins a team and it's unfortunate that it happened to this team, and even with that being a big part of it... I was disappointed. THAT'S IT, FOLKS. That's all I did.  But dammit it was provocative! I guess people aren't ready for that or they're too dumb to understand it.

Yankee fans can be babies.  Hey... me included. But what I will never do here is hate. The response I got from the losers? All hate.  Many negative. Many even tried to tell me that what I was saying was offensive to them, but meanwhile their Facebook group members were going to town on me... personally. The moment I made a response back... never mean, always intelligent, the response was the same "Why do you keep going, please stop or we will ask you to leave."  Double standard? Hell yeah.

I want you to see some of these comments.  Now, it's true... I got sarcastic with many. It's fun. There comes a time and place where hate isn't nice. Name calling? Nah... that's not me. But I will make points to get people going and so I did. But read some of these. You won't believe what we're dealing with as a society.

That last one was rich. He liked to dish it, but then blocked me so I couldn't respond. spineless. But that's how it goes sometimes. My response was epic. Too bad he'll never see it on Facebook. That's ok, he can read it here on BYB. We don't sensor.

Now let me state for the record... AGAIN. I love my Yankees.  But there is such a thing as a time out. It doesn't mean I don't bleed blue. What it means is I miss my starters and will watch while doing work from the office or helping my kids with their homework. Not my full attention, because, let's be honest, I'm a father, I'm a husband and I have a freaking life.  The Yankees win or lose with or without me… OR YOU by the way. But we all root in our own way. It's not wrong... it's what being a fan is.

I love my team. The fans? Certain ones? Ones that have no scope of life or conversation or intelligence? Not so much. That's bad. Our society is doomed if we can't have a solid conversation about a game that's literally insignificant in our direct lives if you really think about it.

The Yankees will always be my team until the day I die. They've been my team since the first time I saw Ron Guidry pitch, and it will never change for me, ever.

Don't take it personally if I get pissed off at my Yankees. Don't be offended. Instead, I'd rather have you smile, and write me a note and just say "Hey, you can be a nut sometimes, but I love ya! Go Yanks!"  

At least then the love of the Yankees would go further rather than show an ignorant and dramatic fan divide... which is what many of you did today. You should be ashamed of yourself. You know who you are.

It's baseball, not brain surgery. There is literally nothing to be mad about. Disappointed? That's a whole other story.

Keep reading BYB... or don't, I really don't care.

But know this... we are here to make you think... not to hate. Open your eyes.