The New York Yankees are evidently on the cusp of calling up veteran Nick Swisher, who certainly did not earn a potential nod.
Few times does a 35-year-old slashing .238/.266/.341 at Triple-A get summoned to the majors. Well, that is the most likely circumstance with Nick Swisher, who has underperformed in Scranton to say the least.Chris Parmelee appeared to be an immediate first base option for the New York Yankees, who are awaiting a Mark Teixeira recovery. The left-handed hitting 28-year-old had a major impact in a game and a half in the starting role.
Not only did he blast two home runs in Wednesday night’s game, but he added a run-scoring single last night to keep the faith of fans at an all-time high.
However, on a nice play by Didi Gregorius to end the top of the seventh inning, Parmelee stretched a bit too awkwardly and appeared to severely aggravate his hamstring. He was helped off the field and into the clubhouse.
It was one of those injuries where anyone can come within the general vicinity of the result. In this case, that would be Parmelee missing some major time. According to Jack Curry of the YES Network, Joe Girardi did in fact tell reporters that he would be “shocked” if a DL stint was out of the equation.
SEE ALSO: Bombers Sweep Angels; Back To .500
With that comes Swisher, an extremely productive player for the Yanks from 2009-2012, yet an extremely worsened player in the twilight of his career.
He is the glamorous call-up with many fans blind to his struggles at a lower level. The Yankees will need the depth given that they have lost Teixeira, Dustin Ackley, Greg Bird, and now Parmelee to injury.
‘Swish’ has been considered the life of the clubhouse throughout his career and has a reputation of igniting and uniting teams. With that being said, his four homers and 43 strikeouts in 41 games in the minors simply do not cut it. His slugging percentage is a mere .341 and his OPS a subpar .607 against lower-tier pitchers.
If he cannot hit with a deteriorating body at AAA, how does that translate to the big leagues?
Not too good is the only logical answer.
When Parmelee was given the nod over Swish when Tex went down, the normally selfless first baseman was reportedly frustrated. All he really had to be frustrated with was himself. Not the organization who graciously gave him a chance, but himself.
He first and foremost needs to perform better and prove that he is even worthy of another major league gig. Unfortunately, with the situation the Yankees are facing, he will likely have to figure it out the Bronx.
Expect an announcement later today to come regarding a Parmelee DL stint and a Swisher addition to the 25-man roster. He may not have remotely deserved it, but all signs point to it coming.
The goofball who has not hit above .250 since 2012 will get his wish, but he may show himself that he is not ready to rise to the occasion this time around.
