YANKEES CALL UP A TRIPLE-A SURPRISE TO START TODAY!

Fingers crossed, Ryan Yarbrough's right oblique strain is as mild as the Yankees say it is, and hopefully he doesn't miss a lot of time. In the meantime, the Yankees need (another) quick fix to a rotation that has been reeling from hits all season. The Yankees have made a move....

Someone else has to fill a spot in the rotation, and it's going to be Allan Winans today taking on the Reds. The Yankees claimed him from the Braves back in January and has a 7.20 ERA in eight career starts at the big league level. That part sounds scary, but since the Yankees snagged him he has quietly been dominating down in Triple-A with a 0.90 ERA over 50 innings. A 0.90 ERA this late in June is nothing to turn your nose up at. That's pretty impressive, not gonna lie. So, that earns Winans a big league call-up. If he performs well, it's reasonable to see the Yankees giving him a few turns int he rotation until Yarbrough or possibly Marcus Stroman are ready to see game action.

This will be Winan's first opportunity to start. He was called up in April when Stroman was put on the Injured List, but he didn't see any game action. Aaron Boone of course, is salivating over Winan's success down in Triple-A since then, "to be this deep in the season as a starting pitcher and have a sub-1.00 ERA, it's been really, really excellent," Boone said. "Hopefully he brings some of that up here with us (Monday)," read more HERE.

I hope that success translates up in the majors, we need all the help we can get right now. I will say, it is encouraging to hear he's struck out a career-best 10.6 batters per nine innings while limiting walks at 2.3 walks per nine innings and home runs at less than one per nine innings. He's been hot down in the minors, and I just hope he can keep it going against the Reds. At least he's pitching against the Reds and not the Red Sox or Angels right now. Timing is everything.

The Yankees have bandaged a pitching staff all season. It's definitely NOT the way to go, but we've managed so far. Let's just hope the streak stays alive.....and hope Yarbrough comes back sooner rather than later. 

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

ALLAN WINANS GETS HIS SHOT

Yes, Marcus Stroman got rocked last night. Yes, the box score was uglier than a sunburned Fenway fan in a tank top. And yes, his ERA now looks like a Wi-Fi password. But before the pitchforks come out, let’s stop pretending Stroman is the villain here.

This dude wanted the ball. He knew the rotation was on life support, and he said, “I got this.” He suited up and took the mound like a man walking into traffic to direct it himself—while the front office sat in a lawn chair, sipping lemonade, scrolling Zillow.

Look, Stroman clearly sucked. And now we know why: the Yankees just put him on the 15-day injured list with left knee inflammation. Could that inflammation have something to do with MLB forcing them to play through conditions that would’ve made Noah pause and ask if the ark needed winter tires? Gee, ya think?

After his brief (and brutal) two-thirds of an inning outing, Aaron Boone said Stroman had some knee soreness and went for X-rays. Next thing you know, he's shelved. And guess what? No real help is coming. Brian Cashman must’ve muted his “starting pitcher” Google alert back in March.

In Stroman’s place, Allan Winans has been called up from Triple-A. Nice guy, good story—but let’s not kid ourselves. This isn’t the cavalry. It’s a paper towel on a grease fire.

So no, Stroman doesn’t deserve the heat. He deserves some respect for raising his hand when no one else would, even if it ended with him limping off the hill and into the trainer’s room. He tried to save a rotation that’s already being held together by duct tape, hope, and Clarke Schmidt’s elbow brace.

If you’re looking to assign blame, start with the decision-makers who watched the pitching staff crumble like a cookie in hot coffee and decided their biggest midseason move would be standing completely still.

Marcus Stroman gave what he had. It wasn’t enough. But the real crime is that he even had to try.

Now, welcome Allan Winans. Grab a glove, say a prayer, and try not to trip over the front office’s indifference on your way to the mound.

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER LEFTY RELIEVER!

The Yankees keep racking up the lefty relievers and I kind of appreciate it.

The Yankees just swiped lefty Brent Headrick off waivers from the Twins, and on paper, this guy is an intriguing mix of skills. We’re talking about a pitcher with strikeout potential, a knack for generating ground balls, and—oh yeah—he’s really tall. Sounds like a winning formula, right?

Headrick, 27, spent most of last season bouncing around the Twins' minor league system, but he’s seen some big-league action over the past two years. His numbers? A 5.97 ERA with a 35:12 K:BB ratio over 28.2 innings. Not exactly ace material, but there’s something to work with. His biggest red flags? Command issues and a pesky habit of serving up home runs. If he can get those under control, the Yankees might have found themselves a solid bullpen piece.

I don’t expect Headrick to be in pinstripes on Opening Day. He’s got minor-league options left, meaning he’s probably ticketed for Triple-A to start the season. But hey, depth is everything in baseball, and the Yankees clearly saw something they liked.

To make room for Headrick, the Yankees designated right-hander Owen White for assignment. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because White just arrived in New York. And before that? The Yankees had Allan Winans, only to cut him loose for White. Now White is gone too. Are the Yankees making upgrades here, or just shuffling deck chairs? That remains to be seen.

Shoutout to Phil Miller of the Minnesota Star Tribune for breaking the news before the official announcement. Now, let’s see if Headrick can turn his strikeout stuff and ground-ball tendencies into something special in the Bronx.

YUP, THE YANKEES OFFICIALLY SNAGGED OWEN WHITE

The Yankees are back at it, wheeling and dealing with their 40-man roster like a game of musical chairs. This time, they’ve claimed right-hander Owen White off waivers from the Reds, which means RHP Allan Winans is the odd man out, designated for assignment just weeks after they were excited to bring him in. Tough business.

White, 25, was once a highly regarded prospect with a legit five-pitch mix—exactly the kind of project the Yankees love to tinker with. Drafted by the Rangers in the second round of the 2018 MLB Draft, he climbed the ranks with plenty of promise before making his MLB debut in 2023.

Now, let’s address the elephant in the room: his major league stats are brutal. A 16.71 ERA over seven innings? Yikes. But that’s such a small sample size, you can’t take it too seriously. His 5.64 ERA in 99 Triple-A innings last year isn’t exactly inspiring either, but hey, that’s why he was on waivers in the first place.

The Yankees, however, see potential. They’ve got time, resources, and a track record of turning projects into weapons. Reports say they’re fired up about White, but let’s be honest—they were pretty jazzed about Winans too, and now he’s out the door. That’s the game. One day you’re the next big thing, the next day you’re looking for a new team. 

Now it’s White’s turn to step up. Let’s see if he sticks.

ALOT OF POSITIVE HYPE SURROUNDING ROANSY CONTRERAS

The consensus is that it was a good move by the Yankees snagging pitcher Roansy Contreras off waivers from the Orioles. Talk about a full-circle moment! 

According to Brendan Kuty of The Athletic, Contreras was once a really hot pitcher, ranking as Baseball America’s No. 80 prospect heading into 2022.

As a prospect, Contreras had a nasty fastball-curveball combo that scouts drooled over. While his fastball saw some action last season, he practically left his curveball gathering dust—despite it being a total showstopper when he used it. Maybe the Yankees see the potential for a comeback story here. Who doesn’t love one of those, especially considering the Yanks clearly liked him enough to bring him back into the fold.

It’ll be interesting to see how Contreras pans out, along with Allan Winans. Feels like the Yankees are piecing together some intriguing projects, and I, for one, am hyped to see where this goes!

Read more:

YANKS JUST MADE SOME DECENT PITCHING MOVES!

YANKS JUST MADE SOME DECENT PITCHING MOVES!

The Yankees are back at it, keeping their offseason game strong and their fans buzzing. In the latest twist, they’ve snagged not one, but two pitchers off the waiver wire. Say hello to RHP Roansy Contreras, claimed from the Orioles, and RHP Allan Winans, scooped up from the Braves.

Winans got a taste of the big leagues with Atlanta in 2023 and 2024. Sure, his 7.20 ERA over 40 innings in the majors might not scream “ace,” but down in Triple-A? The guy was dealing. 

As for Contreras, the 25-year-old has been on a waiver-wire world tour this offseason, bouncing from Pittsburgh to Anaheim, then Texas, Cincinnati, and Baltimore. Now he’s landed in the Bronx. In 2024, he put together a 2-4 record with a pair of saves and a respectable 4.35 ERA over 49 games (three starts).

Stockpiling arms? Never a bad idea—especially when it’s the Yankees playing chess while everyone else is stuck on checkers.