The Yankees are digging through the waiver wire again, but this time I’m not rolling my eyes.
New York claimed veteran right-hander John Schreiber off waivers from the Kansas City Royals Monday, adding another arm to a bullpen that needs all the help it can get heading into September.
Schreiber, 32, leaves Kansas City with a 1-3 record, 3.65 ERA and one save in 55 appearances this season. Over 49.1 innings, he's allowed 41 hits, walked 22 and struck out 36, posting a 1.28 WHIP.
Those strikeout and walk numbers don't exactly scream Mariano Rivera. But dig a little deeper and there's something here.
Since April 19, Schreiber owns a 3.14 ERA over 43 innings, and he's been absolutely nasty against right-handed hitters, holding them to a ridiculous .143/.184/.231 slash line this season.
That's where I see the value.
This isn't your eighth-inning savior. This isn't David Bednar insurance. And nobody should be fitting Schreiber for a Monument Park plaque.
But he's a veteran reliever who can get right-handed hitters out, absorb innings and give Aaron Boone another legitimate matchup option instead of simply throwing somebody out there and hoping for the best.
And unlike some of Brian Cashman's famous dumpster-diving experiments, Schreiber actually has a track record. He's pitched in 327 major-league games with Detroit, Boston and Kansas City and owns a career 3.65 ERA.
Here's the concern: the strikeouts are down. Schreiber has only 36 K's in 49.1 innings, while walking 22. That's not exactly overpowering stuff, and in Yankee Stadium, putting runners on base and hoping for soft contact can turn ugly pretty quickly.
But as a September bullpen piece?
I'll take it.
The Yankees didn't acquire a star Monday. They acquired a useful veteran with one particularly valuable weapon: he gets righties out. Sometimes that's enough. And considering some of the bullpen roulette we've watched this season, I'll happily take "useful."
Welcome to the Bronx, John. Just throw strikes. We'll take it from there.
The Yankees need backup in a big way as they continue to work through their injury plague. So the next man up is Luis Gil. Now it is time to ask yourself if that makes you feel safer or uneasy.
Either answer would be valid because you wouldn't be wrong. Let's just hope it pays off. Gil is back. He completed a rehab assignment with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in a relief role. His recovery journey started in the bullpen where he allows two hits, recorded two strikeouts over three innings pitched. He did enough to give the Yankees confidence to call him back up to the majors and now we hope that trend continues back in the majors.
If there was ever a time to get back into the Yankees circle of trust, it is now. Gil started the season as a starter but was plagued with injuries and consistency. Now the Yankees have a short amount of time left int he regular season and need reinforcements now that Fernando Cruz and Ryan Weathers have hit the Injured List. The Yankees need all the help they can get to make a final postseason push as they try to keep their distance from the Red Sox in the Wild Card and hopefully take the division back from the Rays.
Now the Yankees make a west coast swing with the Angels waiting starting today. After that, the Yankees will travel to take on the San Diego Padres. Now if Gil can give the Yankees some length without giving up runs the Yankees will be in a much better spot and can walk away feeling better about their continued injury woes. But that could be a big IF. I really want to see Gil come out of this with some renewed confidence and consistency to help us get over the hump. As the regular season winds down, the Yankees still have time to climb the standings but every game matters. Every appearance from Gil (and everyone else) matters.
So it's reunion time. Now we get to see what Gil can do when the pressure is on. It's time to contribute and save the bullpen as we all hold our breath and watch. Welcome back Gil, let's finish the regular season off strong.
Now that looked like a Yankee team ready for October.
The Yankees didn’t just beat Boston Sunday. They embarrassed them, 16-1, taking three of four in the Bronx and winning the season series 7-6. That also gives New York the all-important tiebreaker over the Red Sox. And suddenly, the Wild Card picture looks a whole lot better.
Will Warren picked the perfect day to pitch his best game of the season, going seven-plus innings and allowing just one run. Then there was Heliot Ramos, a guy Yankee fans have been waiting on since he arrived. Ramos finally delivered, crushing a three-run homer for his first bomb in pinstripes.
After that, Boston basically waved the white flag.
Just when George Lombard Jr. was starting to put his fingerprints all over this Yankee team, Yankee fans got a scare Saturday night.
And it happened on a seemingly harmless play.
During the second inning of the Yankees' 9-2 win over Boston, Lombard checked his swing on a 2-2 pitch from Brayan Bello. Something didn't look right. Lombard grimaced and grabbed at his right knee, prompting Aaron Boone and the Yankees' training staff to come out and check on him.
But Lombard stayed in. In fact, he singled on the very next pitch.
He even came to the plate again in the third inning, but by then the Yankees could see the knee was bothering him. Boone later explained that watching Lombard run down the line didn't look right, so the Yankees weren't taking chances. Lombard did not return to shortstop for the fourth inning and was sent to NewYork-Presbyterian for imaging.
Thankfully, the early news appears encouraging. Boone said after the game that the initial indication was that Lombard's injury was a day-to-day situation, though the Yankees were still waiting for complete clarification.
That's a relief if it's actually true. The Yankees have a way of giving wrong information through Boone, so I feel hopeful, but who knows. Here's the thing, Lombard has become much more important to this team than his numbers suggest. He's changed the energy.
There's an aggressiveness to his game. There's speed, athleticism and confidence. He makes things happen. Since arriving in the Bronx, Lombard has brought a different feel to a Yankee team that desperately needed some life.
Sure, there have been errors. Who cares? Look beyond them. He's a kid. Look at the talent. Look at the range. Look at the way he runs the bases. Look at the confidence. Most importantly, look at the energy that seems to follow him around the field.
This kid can play. That's what makes Saturday night's injury so unfortunate. The Yankees finally injected some young, exciting talent into this roster, Lombard grabbed the opportunity, and suddenly we're talking about his knee instead of everything he's been bringing to the ballclub.
Hopefully this is nothing more than a brief interruption.
But whether Lombard misses a game, a few games or whatever the Yankees decide is necessary, don't suddenly change the conversation about him.
Don't let a few errors define him. Don't forget what happened to the energy of this team when he arrived. And definitely don't give up on George Lombard Jr.
The Yankees have something here. Something special. Now get that knee healthy and get back out there, kid.
The Yankees are simply more fun with you in the lineup.
Sometimes you don’t need 10 runs. Sometimes you just need Cam Schlittler.
The Yankees beat the Red Sox 1-0 Friday night, and Schlittler was the story. The kid went 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowed just two hits and struck out eight, while picking up his 200th strikeout of the season. His ERA dropped to an AL-best 2.09.
And against Boston? Even sweeter.
The only offense came from Paul Goldschmidt, who launched a solo homer in the third inning. From there, the Yankees protected that one lousy run like it was the last cannoli at Sunday dinner.
Cody Bellinger made the play of the night, firing a 99.7 mph strike from left field to nail Ceddanne Rafaela at the plate and preserve the lead. David Bednar handled the ninth for save No. 31.
George Lombard Jr. makes a few errors and suddenly people are examining the kid like he's been playing shortstop in the Bronx for five years.
He's 21. He's been here for about five minutes. And quite frankly, George Lombard Jr. has been one of the most refreshing things to happen to this Yankees team all season.
The kid has energy. He has confidence. He has range. He has an arm. He moves like an actual shortstop. And we've already watched him get to baseballs that Yankees infielders weren't getting to earlier this year.
O'Neill has praised Lombard's natural defensive ability on YES and essentially told everyone to relax about the recent errors. He's talked about the plays Lombard can make, his range and his ability to handle the position.
I'll take Paul O'Neill's eyes over somebody counting errors on a stat sheet after two weeks.
And here's the other thing:
STOP TRYING TO TURN GEORGE LOMBARD JR. INTO ANTHONY VOLPE.
Seriously. Stop. This isn't about Volpe. This is about Lombard. They're different players. Different circumstances. Different skill sets. Different stories.
Every time Lombard makes an error, we don't need a referendum on Yankee shortstops. The Yankees shouldn't panic. The fans shouldn't panic. And Lombard certainly shouldn't start playing scared because everybody suddenly expects perfection from a kid who was in the minor leagues a few weeks ago.
Want to know what young players do?
They screw up. Then they adjust. Then they get better. That's baseball.
One of Lombard's recent mistakes came down to something as simple as glove positioning. That's not some catastrophic revelation that the kid can't field. That's a mechanical mistake.
You fix it. You move on. What you can't teach nearly as easily is the stuff Lombard already has. Range. Arm strength. Athleticism. Instinct. Confidence.
That's the package I'm interested in.
And there's something else about Lombard that doesn't show up in a box score. The Yankees look comfortable with him out there. He looks comfortable being there. There isn't that feeling that everybody is holding their breath waiting for something to happen.
He's playing baseball. Let him. That's what has made Lombard such a breath of fresh air. He's young. He's exciting. He's aggressive. And he carries himself like a kid who believes he belongs in the Bronx.
Will there be growing pains? Of course. We have stated that here at Bleeding Yankee Blue. There damn well better be. He's 21 years old. If we're expecting a finished major-league shortstop two weeks into his career, the problem isn't George Lombard Jr.
It's our expectations. So enough with the panic. Enough with counting every error. And please, enough with the Volpe comparisons. Let George Lombard Jr. be George Lombard Jr.
The talent is there. The confidence is there. The Yankees are behind him. Now give the kid some time. He's going to be just fine. And I have a feeling we're going to be watching him make plays in the Bronx for a very long time.
Of course the Yankees checked in on Zack Littell. Brian Cashman apparently can't drive past the pitching clearance rack without stopping.
Littell was released by Arizona after a rough stint, and suddenly the Yankees are sniffing around. Because nothing screams pennant race like, “Hey, maybe Matt Blake can fix him.”
Look, the Yankees need pitching depth. I get it. Littell has experience and can eat innings.
But we've seen this movie before. Cashman finds a discarded arm, hands it to Blake and hopes he turns a pumpkin into Gerrit Cole.
Maybe Littell helps.
Maybe he doesn't.
But somewhere, Cashman is clipping another coupon.
And the hits just keep on coming, huh? We can't catch a break. Just when we think it's getting better the other shoe drops. The rug is ripped out from under us. Pick a cliche, any cliche you like because ladies and gentlemen that is exactly where we are as we inch closer and closer to September.
I guess we could go with "There's always next year" or "We can chase number 28 in 2027" for right now. The state of the Yankees pitching staff is arm-ageddon right now. My heart sank when Max Fried hit the injured list, and as much as we don't need to see another arm like Fernando Cruz suffer the same fate I'm not surprised. I am tired of it though.
This team just doesn't demonstrate fundamentals or execute like other top teams in the league. We can't stay healthy. When our starting pitchers get past the fourth inning it feels like a miracle. Our starters can't get deep into games and then our relievers are coming into games too often and expected to clean up the mess that was left for them and eventually it catches up to guys. That could be what happened to Cruz.
Back in April, May and June, Aaron Boone was running him out on the mound constantly. His early success earned him a setup role to David Bednar and lately, he's looked like a shell of himself. The splitter doesn't split like it did, the fastball isn't as fast and the slider doesn't move the same. He's already pitched 54.2 innings this season, and his career high was 66.2 innings. He's 36 and not a young spring chicken anymore. We've seen it with the home runs he's given up and blown leads recently.
And this is why Brian Cashman needed to add stability at the trade deadline and find us some fresh arms. He failed. The Yankees are failing, because they aren't meeting expectations. They are in danger of falling further in the standings because the Yankees have four critical games this weekend against the Red Sox, who have magically come back to life and chasing down the Yankees in the Wild Card race.
If the Red Sox pass the Yankees in the Wild Card race, I won't be able to accept that. NONE of us should. This team isn't what it should be. Everything needs to be torn down to the studs and built back up otherwise it is the same old dance.
Will arm-ageddon be the Yankees final nail in their coffin? I hope not....but this season has been exhausting.
When Reggie arrived in the Bronx before the 1977 season, the Yankees were already Munson’s team. Thurman was the captain, the reigning American League MVP, and the heartbeat of a club that had just gone to the World Series. Reggie arrived as something entirely different.
He was the superstar free-agent signing. He was outspoken. He was confident. He was controversial. And most importantly, he wasn't interested in quietly blending into the wallpaper. In other words, George Steinbrenner had just thrown another stick of dynamite into a clubhouse that already had Billy Martin walking around with a match.
And then came the quote.
In a 1977 Sport magazine article, Jackson was famously quoted describing himself as “the straw that stirs the drink,”while suggesting Munson could only stir it bad.
Whether Reggie believed he was quoted accurately or not almost didn't matter. The words were in print. Munson read them. And the captain was furious. This wasn't some anonymous teammate Jackson had taken a shot at. Munson had spent his entire major-league career with the Yankees. He had caught countless games on battered knees, taken foul balls off every imaginable body part and helped drag New York back to the World Series in 1976.
Then the new guy showed up and, before he'd accomplished anything in pinstripes, appeared to tell the world whose team it was.
That went over about as well as you'd expect.
Welcome to the Yankees, Reggie. Meet Thurman.
The relationship became one of the many soap operas surrounding the 1977 Yankees. Jackson battled with Martin. Munson resented the attention surrounding Jackson. The clubhouse had factions. Steinbrenner hovered over everything.
Yet something strange happened while everybody was waiting for the Yankees to implode. They won, and winning has a funny way of forcing two great players to recognize something they may not particularly want to admit:
I need that guy.
Munson could look beyond Reggie's personality and see an enormously talented baseball player who could help the Yankees win championships. Jackson could look beyond Thurman's hostility and understand why that clubhouse followed its captain. Their personalities were completely different, but their objective wasn't.
There are stories of the two finally clearing the air, including a memorable conversation in a sauna. It didn't magically turn them into childhood buddies. This wasn't a Hollywood movie where the music swelled and suddenly Reggie and Thurman skipped into Yankee Stadium holding hands.
It was something more believable. They developed respect. And for two intensely competitive men, respect probably meant more than friendship anyway.
Munson saw Jackson deliver when the Yankees needed him most. Reggie saw exactly what made Munson the captain—the toughness, the leadership and the willingness to play hurt without asking anybody to feel sorry for him.
By the time Jackson earned the name “Mr. October” with his three-home-run performance in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series, there wasn't much left to debate about whether Reggie belonged in New York. And Munson didn't need Jackson's approval to prove who he was either.
Thurman had already earned the Bronx. Their relationship continued to evolve. Jackson reportedly even flew with Munson in Thurman's plane, and accounts over the years have described Reggie affectionately referring to Munson as “Coach.” Think about how remarkable that is considering where these two started.
From a newspaper quote that nearly poisoned the clubhouse to two men eventually understanding each other. Not perfectly. Not sentimentally. But genuinely.
Then came August 2, 1979. Munson was killed while practicing takeoffs and landings in his Cessna Citation near Canton, Ohio. He was only 32.
Suddenly all those arguments, headlines and clubhouse battles didn't seem very important anymore.
What remained was the respect.
And maybe that's the part of the Reggie Jackson–Thurman Munson story worth remembering most.
They didn't have to be best friends. They didn't even have to particularly like each other at first. They were two enormous personalities fighting for space inside the craziest baseball clubhouse in America. But somewhere between the arguments, the championships, the back pages and the October nights, they figured each other out.
Thurman was the captain. Reggie was Mr. October.
The Bronx was big enough for both of them. And in the end, they knew it. Rest in peace, Captain.
Thurman Munson — June 7, 1947 – August 2, 1979. Nearly five decades later, No. 15 still belongs to him.
The Yankees’ pitching problems just added another name to the list.
Fernando Cruz has been placed on the 15-day injured list with right elbow discomfort, a concerning development for a bullpen already searching for stability.
The timing is especially troubling. Cruz surrendered the game-tying two-run homer to Jeremy Peña in Tuesday night’s 9-7 loss to Houston, and afterward was seen leaving the clubhouse with Yankees head athletic trainer Tim Lentych. Cruz had said he was healthy, but less than 24 hours later, he was headed to the IL.
And maybe the recent numbers were telling us something. Cruz has been hit hard since the All-Star break after being one of the Yankees’ most dependable bullpen weapons earlier in the season.
The Yankees signed veteran Michael Fulmer to a Major League deal to help fill the hole. But with September approaching, replacing Cruz’s swing-and-miss stuff won't be easy.
For a team trying to make a serious October run, another important arm going down is the last thing they needed.
When you've followed the Yankees long enough, you realize that Yankee Stadium has hosted a lot more than baseball.
Presidents have been there. Popes have been there. Prize fights, football games and concerts have filled the old place.
And in 1987, Dolly Parton showed up. Yes, that Dolly Parton. Country music royalty walked into the House That Ruth Built, grabbed a baseball bat and spent some time with the Bronx Bombers.
With the sad news of Dolly's passing at age 80, we hear at Bleeding Yankee Blue found ourselves thinking about that wonderful little piece of Yankee history. Casey asked me to put this together and I was happy to do it.
Dolly came to Yankee Stadium while filming her ABC television variety series, Dolly, which premiered in September 1987. The Yankee Stadium visit was filmed for an "Out and About" segment appearing in the show's third episode. Waiting for her in the Bronx were four pretty recognizable Yankees:
Ron Guidry. Dave Righetti. Rick Cerone. Mike Pagliarulo.
For Yankee fans of a certain age, those names require no introduction. Guidry was Louisiana Lightning and already a Yankee legend. Righetti had gone from Rookie of the Year starting pitcher to one of baseball's premier closers. Cerone had been behind the plate through some memorable Yankee seasons.
And Pagliarulo — Pags — was the Yankees' hard-hitting third baseman.
Then Dolly Parton walked into the middle of them.
Only at Yankee Stadium. And Dolly wasn't content just shaking hands and posing for pictures. She picked up a bat. Standing near the first-base line, Dolly took a few swings and apparently wasn't too bad at it. At one point she wondered what would happen if she actually made contact and whether somebody might get hurt.
Pagliarulo eventually presented her with an official Yankees bomber jacket, which Dolly immediately put on. Then she wanted the cap. There was, however, a slight engineering problem.
Dolly Parton's hair. If you remember Dolly in 1987, you understand. That Yankees cap wasn't going over that hair. It was going to have to sit on top of it. And that's exactly what happened.
There she was — one of the biggest stars in America, standing at Yankee Stadium in a Yankees jacket with a cap perched on that famous blonde hair.
It was a terrific image. But looking back on it almost 40 years later, there's something else that strikes me about the moment. Dolly looked like she belonged there. That's probably because Dolly Parton seemed to belong everywhere.
She could stand on a stage in Nashville, appear in a Hollywood movie, walk through Dollywood or wander onto the field at Yankee Stadium and immediately make people smile. There was no pretense about her.
She was Dolly. The Yankees she met that day have long since retired. The old Yankee Stadium itself is gone. Baseball has changed enormously since 1987. But that's the beauty of Yankee history. Sometimes history isn't Babe Ruth hitting a home run. It isn't Lou Gehrig's speech. It isn't Reggie hitting three home runs in a World Series game or Don Larsen throwing a perfect game.
Sometimes it's something small and sweet. Something you almost forget happened. Like the afternoon Dolly Parton came to Yankee Stadium and took a few swings with the Yankees.
Today, that memory means a little more. Dolly Parton died yesterday at the age of 80, leaving behind an extraordinary legacy as a singer, songwriter, actress, entertainer, businesswoman and philanthropist.
Millions will remember the songs. Others will remember the movies. Still others will remember the enormous amount of good she quietly did for people throughout her life.
Here at Bleeding Yankee Blue, we'll also remember that day in 1987 when a little bit of Nashville came to the Bronx. Dolly Parton was one of us.
Rest in peace, Dolly. Thanks for giving us one more wonderful story from the House That Ruth Built. And somewhere, I hope there's a Yankees cap big enough for that hair.
The Yankees had this one. Then they had it again. And then, somehow, they had it again.
And they still lost.
The Yankees fell 9-7 to the Astros Tuesday night, blowing three separate leads as the bullpen completely unraveled. After Will Warren left, Yankee relievers allowed six runs over the final four innings.
That wasted a good night from the offense. Cody Bellinger launched a three-run homer, while Luis GarcÃa Jr. went 4-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs. Jeremy Peña tied the game with a two-run homer off Fernando Cruz in the sixth, and Houston eventually took control against Brent Headrick in the eighth.
This one is pretty simple: seven runs should be enough.
The Yankees offense did its job.
The bullpen didn’t.
Astros 9, Yankees 7. A bad one to give away this late in August.
For nearly three months, the Yankees have been playing the waiting game with Aaron Judge. Finally, there’s some actual movement.
Judge continues to make progress from the stress fracture in his right rib, and the Captain is slowly checking off the boxes. He’s throwing, running, lifting and has begun working his way back into hitting, including taking swings off a tee. So far, importantly, there haven’t been any reported setbacks.
Now comes the part Yankee fans actually care about: Can Judge get back on the field before this season runs out of runway?
There’s still no official return date, and nobody should start circling days on the calendar just yet. But every swing, throw and workout gets No. 99 a little closer.
At this point, Yankee fans don't need another vague medical update. They need Aaron Judge walking back into that lineup.
Because if the Yankees are going anywhere this fall, having the Captain along for the ride would certainly help.
The Yankees called up the veteran reliever ahead of their series with Houston. Topa has looked decent in a handful of innings at Triple-A since joining the organization, so maybe the Yankees see something they like. But there’s one rather large number staring everybody in the face: 8.05. That was Topa’s ERA with Minnesota this season.
And somehow, that gets you a ticket to the Bronx.
This is what I don't understand about the Yankees and their obsession with numbers. They have analytics for everything. They can probably tell you a pitcher's spin rate on a Tuesday night with two outs and a runner on second. But figuring out who actually deserves an opportunity? That's apparently more complicated.
Some Yankees get chance after chance no matter how poorly they perform. Others can produce and seemingly never get a legitimate opportunity. Then somebody carrying an 8.05 ERA comes through the door and the Yankees say, Let's see what we've got.
Maybe Topa pitches lights-out. I hope he does. This isn't a knock on the guy for accepting an opportunity. It's about the Yankees.
For an organization that supposedly lives by the numbers, they sure have a strange way of deciding which numbers actually matter.
The Yankees have a real opportunity here. Cuban outfielder Raider Sanchez is 20 years old, has serious power potential and is now available on the international market.
Here’s the kicker: the Yankees reportedly have more international bonus money remaining than any other team. Translation: Brian Cashman has the biggest wallet at the table. For once, this shouldn’t require a complicated Yankee analytics meeting.
Prospects are never guarantees. Sanchez could become something special or disappear into the minors. Nobody knows. But what we do know is the Yankees take changes all the time. But when a team has money and a talented 20-year-old power hitter is sitting there, the decision seems pretty simple.
I say go get the kid. Sánchez batted .355 with 2 home runs in Cuba's Elite League at the start of the 2026 season before leaving Cuba as a much-touted prospect.
Then again, these are the Yankees. Simple decisions somehow become calculus.
Jon Heyman dropped an interesting nugget earlier this month. I didn't want to forget to tell you. Allegedly the Yankees are among the teams linked to Japanese slugger Teruaki Sato, the 27-year-old Hanshin Tigers third baseman expected to pursue MLB after the 2026 season.
Heyman's report appeared in the New York Post on August 13, with the Mets, Yankees, Dodgers and Phillies among the clubs connected to Sato.
Now, "linked" is doing a lot of work here. This isn't a signing. It isn't even necessarily serious negotiations. It's a loose rumor. But it's an interesting one.
Sato is one of Japan's premier power hitters, and here's where this gets even more intriguing.
Meanwhile Ryan McMahon landed on the 10-day IL August 21, retroactive to August 20, with a Grade 2 sprain of his left thumb after jamming it sliding into second base against Baltimore.
And remember: Heyman's Sato report came eight days earlier.
So no, the Yankees weren't suddenly linked to Sato because McMahon got hurt. They were apparently interested before the injury. Coincidence? Probably. But now that McMahon is hurt, that little August 13 rumor suddenly feels a bit more relevant.
Maybe Sato becomes another name swallowed up by the endless Yankee rumor machine. Or maybe this is one worth remembering. For now, it's just a link.
After getting embarrassed by Toronto pitching on Saturday, the Yankees came back Sunday and actually looked like a team with some attitude, beating the Blue Jays 8-3 and taking another important step forward.
Ben Rice continues to impress me. With the bases loaded in the sixth and the Yankees needing a big hit, Rice battled through a full count and ripped a two-run single to right. No panic. No trying to hit a six-run homer. Just a professional at-bat from a kid who keeps showing he belongs in the middle of this lineup.
And how about Jazz Chisholm Jr.? He helped manufacture the rally with a bunt single and then decided subtlety was overrated, launching a two-run homer an inning later. That's Jazz — energy, swagger and the ability to change a game in about five minutes.
Spencer Jones chipped in with an RBI double and a terrific diving catch, Trent Grisham reached base for the go-ahead run and later homered, and suddenly the Yankees had themselves an 8-3 win.
That's six wins in seven games, folks.
There are still things to clean up, but right now? I'm enjoying this. The Yankees are playing with some life, the kids are contributing, Jazz is bringing the juice and Ben Rice just keeps looking better.
I hate writing this because I actually like Giancarlo Stanton.
The guy has never bothered me. He works. He doesn't make excuses. He has delivered some monster moments for the Yankees, especially when the lights get brighter. And when he gets a hold of one, it's still one of the greatest sights in baseball.
Not because he's a bad player. Not because he's a bad teammate. And certainly not because I'm blaming the guy for getting hurt. I'm saying it because at some point your body gets a vote.
And Stanton's body has been voting NO for years. Since coming to the Yankees, we've seen injuries involving his biceps, shoulder, knee, quad, ankle, Achilles, hamstrings, elbows and enough calf problems to make you wonder if the Yankees should just bubble-wrap him between at-bats.
That's not being cruel. That's the history. In 2019, Stanton played just 18 regular-season games. Then came more calf trouble in 2020, along with a hamstring strain. The quad followed in 2021. Ankle and Achilles issues arrived in 2022. Another significant hamstring injury cost him nearly two months in 2023. Another hamstring strain cost him 28 games in 2024.
Last year? Both elbows. Stanton missed the first 70 games of 2025 dealing with tendon problems. And somehow, 2026 has topped all of it. Stanton hurt his right calf in April. He spent nearly four months trying to get back. He had already suffered a setback with that calf earlier in the process.
Then, finally, he reached what was essentially the last major hurdle before beginning a rehab assignment: running the bases.
And he fell. And strained the other calf. You can't make this stuff up. The Yankees announced yesterday that Stanton suffered a moderate strain of his left calf while working his way back from the right calf injury. Aaron Boone acknowledged that, this late in the calendar, getting Stanton back this season has become extremely challenging.
He has played 24 games this season. Twenty-four. That's where my opinion changed. This isn't about waiting for Stanton to get healthy anymore. We've been waiting for Stanton to get healthy for most of his Yankee career. It's about reliability.
The Yankees are supposed to be building a championship roster, and you simply cannot construct that roster while repeatedly reserving an important spot for a player you have absolutely no idea will be available.
That's not roster construction. That's roulette. And before somebody tells me Stanton can still hit — I know. That's what makes this sad. There is still serious power in that bat. There are still moments when Stanton looks like the most terrifying guy walking toward the batter's box. This isn't Willie Mays stumbling around with the Mets. Stanton can still punish a baseball.
The problem is getting him into the batter's box in the first place. He's 36 years old. He's under contract through 2027. And after this latest setback, the Yankees are once again discussing whether he'll even make it back onto a baseball field this season.
How many more times are we going to do this? Injury. IL. Rehab. Running. Setback. Aaron Boone update. More rehab. Hope. Another body part.
Stanton has had a hell of a career. MVP. Five-time All-Star. One of the premier power hitters of his generation. He has carried himself professionally in New York and given Yankee fans some unforgettable postseason moments.
That's how I'd rather remember him. Not as a 37-year-old trying to coax one more season out of legs that have been screaming at him for years. There is dignity in knowing when it's time. And for Giancarlo Stanton, I think we've reached it.
Retire, Big G. It's the right move as much as I don't want to see it happen. Retire.
Not because you can't hit anymore. Because the Yankees and us fans can't keep waiting to find out whether you'll be healthy enough to try.
Cody Bellinger didn't exactly tear up Triple-A pitching during his rehab assignment.
Good. He didn't need to.
Bellinger is expected back with the Yankees today after missing nearly a month with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain. His rehab stop with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre was less about batting averages and more about making sure everything still worked.
On Friday, Bellinger went 0-for-3 against Charlotte, but played six innings in left field and, more importantly, actually had to use the hamstring. A couple of fly balls sent him moving around the outfield, he handled them without a problem and walked away healthy.
That's all I needed to see.
Rehab games aren't supposed to be auditions. Bellinger already has the job. They're about getting your legs underneath you, seeing some live pitching and making sure nothing pops, pulls or explodes.
Mission accomplished.
Now Bellinger returns to a Yankee team that needs every healthy, productive bat it can get for the stretch run.
Forget the 0-for-3.
The best number from his rehab assignment was zero setbacks.
Maybe it was because he felt like one of our guys. A 19th-round Yankees draft pick who wasn't supposed to become much of anything, Marinaccio simply kept pitching his way up the ladder until suddenly he was standing on the mound in the Bronx getting big-league hitters out.
And getting them out pretty damn well, too.
As a rookie in 2022, Marinaccio posted a 2.05 ERA in 40 appearances, striking out 56 in 44 innings. Opponents hit just .149 against him. For a while there, the kid from Toms River looked like another bullpen steal the Yankees had dug out of nowhere.
But baseball careers rarely travel in straight lines. Since leaving New York, Marinaccio's journey has looked more like somebody dropped the GPS in a blender. San Diego. Pittsburgh. Cincinnati. Waivers. DFA. Another opportunity. Another DFA.
And now, Minnesota. The Twins signed Marinaccio to a minor-league deal after he elected free agency rather than accept an outright assignment from Cincinnati. His 2026 numbers aren't pretty — a 6.09 ERA overall — but his career ERA still sits at 3.98 over 183 major-league innings.
So maybe there's still something there.
That's what resilience looks like in baseball. It's not always some dramatic Hollywood comeback. Sometimes it's getting punched in the mouth, packing another suitcase and saying, OK, who's got a baseball? I loved Marinaccio when he was a Yankee, and I'm rooting for him now.
He's still got another inning in him. Go get 'em, Ron.
