Bronx Bomber Ball

With the season winding down and the Yankees playoff hope slimming by the day, some 40-man roster spot decisions will have to be made in the near future. While some roster spots will open up because of impending free agents and retirements (Mark Teixeira, Billy Butler, etc.), some roster spots will be needed to protect players from the Rule 5 Draft (Tyler Webb, Kyle Hishioga, etc.). Because of these moves some roster spots may be up in the air this offseason, let’s take a look at some players whose 40-man roster spots may be in limbo. Photo Credit: Kim Klement

Why not the New York Yankees? Who is to say the youthful Yankees can’t make a run towards the postseason? Riding a four game winning streak against the two teams above them in the AL East (one win against Baltimore followed by a three-game sweep against Toronto), the Yankees now sit 4.5 games out of the top spot in the AL East behind Boston, and just 2.5 games out of the second wild card spot behind Baltimore. Unfortunately for the New York Yankees, they are going to need some help in order to get to the postseason, but they’re hanging in there by taking care of business against division opponents. Trailing by 2.5 games is not an insurmountable deficit with 24 games left and if the Bombers can stay hot, the Yankee team that had previously been playing for 2017 and beyond may become a contender in 2016. AP Photo

The Blue Jays got on the board quickly in the first inning when Edwin Encarnacion deposited a Luis Cessa pitch into the left field seats for a solo home run to put the Jays up 1-0. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Brian McCann launched a solo shot of his own into the right field stands, his first since August 19 th , to tie the game up at one a piece. The tie didn’t last long as Kevin Pillar scored on a broken bat single by Jose Bautista in the top of the fifth to retake the lead, 2-1. Things were looking bleak for Yankees fans before Tyler Austin hit a two-run moonshot into the right field bleachers, making it 3-2, Bombers. The lead didn’t last long, however as the Yankees bullpen did what they did best and gave the lead back on a two run double by Kevin Pillar in the top of the eighth to give the Jays the lead once again at 4-3. But again, the lead changed in the bottom of the eighth when Didi Gregorius laced a RBI triple just out of the reach of Pillar and later scored on a sa...

Despite dropping two of three games to the Baltimore Orioles, the Yankees still sit just 3.5 games out of the second wild card spot going into a pivotal three game set with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Yankees will kick off the series in the Bronx with their ace Masahiro Tanaka on the hill and he will look to get the Yankees on the right track in getting a much needed series victory. The pressure is mounting in New York as every series is a must win if they want to gain ground.

The Yankees came into Tuesday’s bout with the Blue Jays on a bit of a roll, winning five of their last six games. The Yankees unfortunately were facing off against one of the best pitchers in the American League this year in Marco Estrada. In two previous starts against the Yankees this season, Estrada was lights out. He allowed just three runs over 15 innings while striking out eight, which was good enough for a 1.80 ERA. Photo Credit: Kathy Willens | AP

Luis Severino came into today's start desperately needing to prove himself. In a young lineup that featured Didi Gregorius in the three-hole, along with Gary Sanchez catching, Tyler Austin at first, and Aaron Judge in right field, the Yankees were putting their youth on display. Unfortunately, Severino got the Yankees in a hole they couldn't dig themselves out of. Photo Credit: Bill Streicher | AP