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

A few days after losing their fourth first baseman in Chris Parmelee this season, the Yankees have signed Ike Davis to a Major-League contract, per Jon Heyman ( @jonheyman ) . The news of the interest by the Yankees was first broken by Mark Feinsand ( @FeinsandNYDN ) . Davis, who was just released by the Texas Rangers today, has been playing at Triple-A Round Rock, which is the Rangers affiliate at the Triple-A level. At Triple-A this season, Davis is hitting .268 in 142 ABs, with four homers and 25 RBIs. Picture Credit: Julia Rendleman/Post-Gazette

Today (Monday, May 30), the Yankees made three roster moves. Dustin Ackley was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right shoulder dislocation, Luis Severino was activated from the 15-day disabled list and optioned to Triple-A Scranton, and Rob Refsnyder was called back up. Picture Credit: Mike Stobe/Getty Images

The Bronx Bombers opened up their four game series against the Kansas City Royals with a bang, as the team lived up to their nickname, slugging five solo homers to give them the 6-3 win. Behind Ivan Nova, making his first start of the season, the Yankees began the series on a good note. In game two, Yankee ace Masahiro Tanaka (1-0, 2.29 ERA), took the mound as he looked to continue his stellar start to the season. Tanaka squared off against Kansas City right hander Kris Medlen (1-3, 6.85 ERA), who has had a rough start to his season. Rookie Ben Gamel made his first career start, batting ninth and playing right field. Picture Credit: Kathy Willens/AP

The Yankees lost a heartbreaker last night, 1-0, in ten innings at Camden Yards against Baltimore. Masahiro Tanaka was brilliant, but the Yankees offense failed to crack the scoreboard against Kevin Gausman of the Orioles. Today, the Yankees returned to The Bronx to start a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox, after getting swept by the Red Sox earlier this season. The Yankees sent Michael Pineda to the mound to face Boston’s Rick Porcello. Earlier today, the Yankees got unfortunate news as CC Sabathia went on the 15-day disabled list with a left groin strain, and the Yankees called up Phil Coke as the roster replacement. This will be the last series the Yankees play before Aroldis Chapman returns from his suspension.  Picture Credit: Associated Press/Kathy Kmonicek

With their 7-0 win last night, the Yankees finally ended their six-game losing streak. Today, the Yankees were looking to win their first series since the Tampa Bay series at home, on April 22-24. Winning today would also give the Yankees their first road series win of the season. The Yankees sent Masahiro Tanaka to the hill to face Baltimore’s Kevin Gausman. Earlier today, the Yankees sent James Pazos down to Triple-A, while calling up OF Ben Gamel. Gamel has never played at the majors level in his career. Meanwhile, sending Pazos down eliminated the extra arm the Yankees were carrying in their bullpen. Brett Gardner was out of today's lineup after his elbow was hit by a pitch. Picture Credit: Associated Press/Patrick Semansky

Finally, Yankees GM Brian Cashman made his first big move of the offseason as he acquired Chicago Cubs SS Starlin Castro in exchange for P Adam Warren and Utilityman Brendan Ryan. This trade looks to be a good one for the Yanks and for more information on the specifics of the deal and analysis, refer to the BBB’s rapid reaction on it BBB's rapid reaction on the Starlin Castro trade . Even though the Yankees have found their new second basemen, the deal leaves both Dustin Ackley and fan favorite Rob Refsnyder as options in the infield. It’s becoming clear that someone will have to go.

With the days of handing max contracts to top free agents seemingly gone, Brian Cashman has turned his focus to acquiring players with a high ceiling that haven’t quite reached their potential. This strategy has quickly shown signs of success, as the Yankees return to the postseason in 2015 may not have been possible without the emergence of Didi Gregorious, Nathan Eovaldi, and Dustin Ackley. Unfortunately, due largely to their lack of right-handed power bats, the Yankees were dominated by Cy Young award winner Dallas Keuchel in their one-game playoff. Should Cashman decide to forgo giving large contracts to the big righty bats on the market like Justin Upton or Yoenis Cespedes, acquiring Dodgers OF Yasiel Puig may be the perfect solution to prevent a repeat of game 163.

On the fifth episode of the Bronx Bomber Blog Podcast, Steven Eareckson and Bryan Peng discuss the recent John Ryan Murphy-Aaron Hicks trade, issue with the starting rotation, Brett Gardner trade rumors, address Robinson Cano's possible unhappiness in Seattle., and the second base situation with Dustin Ackley and Rob Refsnyder.  We also get Steven's opinion on signing an outfielder if Gardner were to be traded. Subscribe to the  Bronx Bomber Blog Youtube Channel  for weekly podcasts featuring your BBB writers! Here is  the audio-only (SoundCloud)  podcast in case you wanted to listen while multitasking. Thanks for tuning in! Follow Steven Eareckson @ SteveTheScholar Follow Bryan Peng @ bpeng7 Follow the Bronx Bomber Blog @ bronxbomberblog

We’re now heading into year 18 of the Brian Cashman regime and it’s definitely been a rocky relationship between he and the fans throughout his tenure. The Yanks have won four championships since he’s been in office but people are starting to grow weary of him and some of the decisions he’s made. But, a few seasons ago, Cashman started acquiring players that fit a certain criteria. Hear me out and let me tell you why even through all of the poor contract’s he’s shipped out, Cashman has figured something out.

Arguably the weakest position on the field for the 2015 Yankees was second base. Stephen Drew was the starter for the first 5 months and was far from a fan favorite, because of his batting average which hung below the Mendoza line for the majority of the season. Yankee manager Joe Girardi backed up Drew, saying he was just unlucky. While Stephen did provide a spark at times, with a couple multi-homer games and a clutch 9 th inning game tying single in Seattle, Drew is set to hit free agency and a return to pinstripes is unlikely.

Photo Via Outside Pitch MLB In the Yankees first deadline move, general manager Brian Cashman moved prospects Ramon Flores (OF) and RHP Jose Ramirez. In return, he got the former number two overall pick in 2009, a versatile left-handed hitting Dustin Ackley from the Seattle Mariners. Now I may not be speaking for all Yankee fans, but the common consensus around fans is that the Yankees have already lost this trade or that it’s a disaster. If you glance at Ackley’s numbers, you’re not going to be impressed. Those who know me know I’m a huge UNC Tar Heel fan, so I’ve watched Ackley since he was 19 years old. He’s now 27, entering his prime, and is surely an upgrade over Stephen Drew and Brendan Ryan. You don’t believe me? Let’s take a deeper look at it.