With the New York Yankees coming off one of their worst losses of the season, three middle-of-the-order bats are on the mend and nearing their return to the Bronx.
Good morning, New York Yankees family. Although coming off a gut-wrenching loss against that team that shall not be named from Massachusetts last night, it may be difficult to find anything “good” about the morning at all.
However; fear not family, help is on the way.
A trio of Yankees—Greg Bird, Starlin Castro and Matt Holliday—all participated in rehabilitation games as they try to get back to full strength and help the big club in the playoff push.
Bird began his rehab assignment Wednesday at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre but really had a night to remember on Friday. Against the Durham Bulls, Bird blasted two home runs as he improved his rehab-week stat line to 4-for-10 with three runs scored and four RBI in three games for the RailRiders.
Greg Bird's first homer since April. pic.twitter.com/3QRaH3OmUS
— DJ Eberle (@ByDJEberle) August 18, 2017
Despite the fact that Bird has been out on a rehab assignment longer than anyone else, MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch reports that he may not the first to be reinstated. Bird went 6-for-60 before hitting the DL with the ankle issues at the beginning of the season. He simply needs more at-bats.
That’s why it’s highly unlikely that Bird joins the club before or during their upcoming series with the Detroit Tigers.
“That’s not something I’ve heard, but again, sometimes things are based on need,” Girardi told Hoch. “I want the kid to get some at-bats before we decide [if he’s] ready. I don’t want to rush him.”
But if Bird continues to progress at the current rate, adding that left-handed swing back into the lineup might not come at a more crucial time if the Yankees have any designs of playing baseball deep into October.
All-Starlin
While Bird has been out for the majority of the season, Castro has been down since the end of June due to a hamstring issue he hasn’t been able to shake. Castro joined Bird in Scranton last night’s game against Durham, going 0-for-4 with a walk as the designated hitter.
Castro was having a career-year before going down with the injury. The All-Star was slashing .307/.344/.472 in 79 games for the Yankees this season. If the slick-handed second baseman can get back to his pre-injury form, his return could take pressure off of guys like Aaron Judge and Didi Gregorius, who have struggled to maintain their early season form.
High-A Holliday
Instead of clogging up a third of the RailRiders’ lineup with rehabbing big leaguers, the Yankees opted to send Matt Holliday to High-A Tampa to begin rehabbing his left lumbar strain.
Against Fort Myers, Holliday went 0-for-4 with a walk and a RBI in Tampa’s 7-6 loss Friday night.
After having a tremendous first few months as a Yankee, Holliday’s health and numbers quickly took a severe hit. In a season that has seen the former World Champ suffer from a mono-like viral infection and now the lumbar issue, Holliday has posted a paltry .229/.319/.430 slash line with 16 homers and 51 RBI.
While those numbers aren’t exactly eye-popping, being able to add someone with Holliday’s postseason experience will certainly help a young team hoping to embark on a sooner-than-expected playoff run.
Here’s to hoping all three can come back and put a serious hurting on those punks currently leading the division.
That’s all from Yankee Universe for now. However, stay right here at Elite Sports NY for anything and everything New York Yankees.
