Bronx Bomber Ball

Remember when it seemed like someone was sustaining some sort of injury every night, and we could slowly and painfully feel our souls leaving our bodies as a result? Well, those days are over. With the activation of James Paxton this morning, the Yankees are slowly getting healthier. There has also been good news released about numerous other injured Yankees as well, so let’s dive right in. Chris O'Meara / AP

Despite electing to pass on big-ticket free agent Bryce Harper over the Winter, the Yankees will still enter the 2019 season with one of the better all-around outfields in Major League Baseball.   Aaron Hicks’ lingering back issue puts a dent in the outfield depth heading into Opening Day, but assuming he can recover quickly and return to play in April, the Yankees’ boast an outfield trio that provides both strong defense as well as considerable pop.   Add in Giancarlo Stanton who will see time in both right and left fields over the course of the season, and the Yankees are not short on superstar OF talent. Photo Credit: Dick Druckman/Gold Medal Impressions

Amidst  some recent struggles from veteran Brett Gardner, some Yankees fans might find themselves watering at the mouth of the idea of replacing Gardner with free-agent megastar Bryce Harper next season.  Yes, the Yankees have prospects Clint Frazier, Billy McKinney and Estevan  Florial  waiting for their chance with the  big-league  club, not to mention the albatross and seemingly immovable contract of Jacoby Ellsbury, but since the CBA restructure a few years ago and the team's ability to get under the Luxury Tax threshold this season, the Yankees always had their eye on Harper for next offseason.  However, there's another player, who doesn't get much hype playing on the West Coast, who might be an even better fit for the Yankees, and that is the reigning National League Player of the Week and April NL Player of the Month:  Arizona Diamondbacks'  centerfielder A.J. Pollock.  

Yankees' center fielder Aaron Hicks has played in just three games in 2018, having missed eleven games on the disabled listed with a strained intercostal muscle, however, it's already not a stretch to say he's one of the team's most integral players.  Coming into the season, Hicks was the unquestioned favorite for the starting center fielder position, after unseating Jacoby Ellsbury at the position over the course of a strong 2017.  Yes, Hicks has not to this point shown that he can stay on the field for extended periods of time, but performances like Friday night prove just how valuable he is to this team's success this season.   Photo Credit: Raj Mehta/USA TODAY Sports

Through the first five games of the 2018 season, Giancarlo Stanton has started in left field twice, and Aaron Judge has started a game in center field. Why? Because the Yankees, the team with too many outfielders, ran out of outfielders due to multiple injuries. Let’s check in and see how these guys are progressing. Corey Sipkin

With Opening Day now just five days away, the Yankees have seemingly finalized their 25-man roster they will begin the season with.  In the wake of Jacoby Ellsbury's injury, Yankee manager Aaron Boone opted to go with a short three-man bench and instead carry an additional bullpen arm.  That spot went to Jonathan Holder as of this morning. New York will open the 2018 season with 12 position players and 13 pitchers.     The only wrinkle in the current plan is the potential injury suffered by Greg Bird.  Bird was pulled from today's starting lineup against Atlanta.  More details on the injury will be announced following an MRI and CT Scan Bird will undergo later today .   Cashman on Bird: “I’m worried about it to be honest” because he doesn’t yet “know what we’re dealing with.” Said Bird first talked about feeling discomfort toward the end of yesterday’s game — Erik Boland (@eboland11) March 24, 2018 With the roster now settle...

Yankees' manager Aaron Boone announced this afternoon that Jacoby Ellsbury is expected to  begin the 2018 season on the disabled list.  Ellsbury has been out since early March with an oblique strain. To add insult to injury, Ellsbury missed action yesterday with what was diagnosed as a sore throat and a fever.   Photo Credit: Chris Pedota/NorthJersey.com

Welcome to Bronx Bomber Babble after dark! Tonight the guys do a late night podcast to discuss the Neil Walker signing and the implications of the move for the Yankees organizationally. The crew then moves on to discuss the departure of Ken Singleton, the possibility of Teixeira in the YES booth, and Pinstripe Previews for Ellsbury, Drury, and Severino. Follow us on Twitter -Matthew "Luigi" Luzzi -Nick Scott -Andrew Natalizio

Earlier this week, Yankees manager Aaron Boone flirted with the idea of trying Aaron Judge in the leadoff spot from time to time during the regular season. Judge, who saw time hitting in the two-hole regularly last season has yet to hit leadoff as a big leaguer, so although this idea may seem a little far-reaching on the surface, the idea is one that should heavily be considered depending on how the season goes. Photo Credit: Adam Glanzman | Getty Images

For seven long years Jacoby Ellsbury was a thorn in the side of the Yankees. He made outstanding catches, turned doubles into triples and on one occasion even waltzed down the third base line and stole home off Andy Pettitte. What made it worse is the uniform he was wearing said Red Sox across the chest. He was not well liked in the Bronx or by the millions of Yankee fans around the globe.  Photo Credit: Getty Images

As part of the BBB’s ongoing lead-up to the 2018 Major League Baseball season we are previewing each member of the Yankees’ 40-man roster. Today’s preview features a new Yankee who has not yet donned the pinstripes, that being  28-year-old  outfielder Jabari Blash.   Photo Credit: Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images 2017 Review: Acquired from San Diego in the December trade that sent third baseman Chase Headley and RHP Bryan Mitchell to the Padres, Blash is another imposing outfield specimen in the New York outfield that already includes monstrous sluggers Aaron Judge and 2017 National League Most Valuable Player Giancarlo Stanton.  Blash comes in at 6’5”, 235 pounds.   Blash appeared in 61 games for the Padres in 2017 and produced a slash line of .213/.333/.341 with five home runs and 16 runs batted in over 164 at-bats.  Certainly nothing mind-blowing, and nothing that indicates he’ll be a major factor for the Yankees next season, but he has raw a...

One year ago yesterday I wrote about who I believed was primed for a bounce back season in Pinstripes during the 2017 season. After a disastrous first season with the Yankees in 2016, it only made sense that a high-ceiling player like Aaron Hicks could be that guy, and boy, it was sure fun to watch him succeed last year and validate everything I had said about him. Hicks ultimately unseated Jacoby Ellsbury as the starting Center Fielder over the course of the season and even hit a huge home run off AL Cy Young winner Corey Kluber in game two of the ALDS, albeit in an eventual loss. He also dazzled in the field.  Hicks missed some time on the Disabled List, being shelved on two separate occasions due to oblique strains, but all-in-all put together a strong bounce back campaign and enters this season atop New York’s depth chart in center. Photo Credit: New York Yankees via Twitter This year I’m going to expand the pool a bit more and hone in on three players I believe a...

With the Yanks having already made a major splash in a relatively otherwise quiet offseason across the league, they're looking to make another move. According to Jon Heyman of FanRagSports, the Yankees are interested in starting pitcher Yu Darvish, who they have shown trade interest in in the past. Photo Credit: USA TODAY Sports

One of the biggest storylines for the Yankees braintrust this offseason has been what to do with Jacoby Ellsbury and his unwillingness to waive his no-trade clause. He has repeatedly voiced his desire to stay in New York, and believes he can be the starting center fielder next season. According to a new report, however, the 33-year-old could possibly change his mind.   Photo Credit: Getty Images

The outfield was a big part of this team’s offense in the 2017 season and was vital in leading the Yanks to the ALCS. No one in this part of the team underperformed and by the end of the season, there weren’t enough spots for how well everyone was performing. Down below is the grades for each Yankees outfielder: Photo Credit: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

Photo Credit: Christian Petersen | Getty Images Just last night, Giancarlo Stanton narrowed the list of teams in which he would waive his no trade clause to the Dodgers, Astros, Cubs, and Yankees. About 24 hours later, the Marlins and Yankees are making noteworthy progress on a potential trade to bring the reigning NL MVP to the Bronx, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports . Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic was the first to report that the Yankees were serious players for a Stanton trade, even saying that the smoke is real.

The Yankees went into the 2016 MLB Winter Meetings fresh off another playoff-less season - and third in the previous four season (also 2013 and 2014). The Yankees sought help both in the rotation, which remained a question mark the entire offseason, as well as offensively after having traded Brian McCann to the Houston Astros just two weeks prior. These meetings would be highlighted by two monster trades engineered by Chicago White Sox GM Rick Hahn; trading ace LHP Chris Sale to Boston for a package of prospects headlined by Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech, as well as his trade of star CF Adam Eaton to Washington for Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez.

The Yankees have several routes they could take over this offseason following a surprisingly successful season which saw the Yankees take the world champion Houston Astros to seven games in the ALCS. The Yankees could stay stagnant and keep the roster the same while allowing the young talent to continue developing and hope they’re enough to push for championship twenty eight, or, the Yankees could also opt to trade some of the current pieces to try and acquire pieces which better fit the roster and possibly take the Yankees over the hill from World Series hopefuls to World Series champions. Here are some of the pieces the Yankees could consider trading this offseason if they take that path: Photo Credit: AP

The Yankees currently have a surplus of outfielders that could hinder the advancement of Baby Bombers like Clint Frazier. Currently, the Yankees have Brett Gardner in left field, Aaron Hicks or Jacoby Ellsbury in center field, and Aaron Judge in right field. Barring any injuries, the reigning Rookie of the Year, Aaron Judge, isn’t going anywhere. And the same goes for Brett Gardner in left. In short, the Yankees can’t do much about ensuring Clint Frazier playing time unless they can trade away Jacoby Ellsbury. Brendan Kuty | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The Yankees come into this offseason ahead of the curve. The team wildly defied expectations in 2017 behind an MVP-caliber season by Aaron Judge and a Cy Young-caliber season from Luis Severino. The 91-win Yankees season concluded with a game seven loss in the ALCS to the eventual World Champion Houston Astros. From there, the Yankees wasted no time with their surprising that manager Joe Girardi would not return as the Yankee manager in 2018. With that, it is clear that Brian Cashman has full control of the New York Yankees, and they will look toward making some minor upgrades to field another competitive team in 2018. Unlike this past season, the Yankees will enter next year as one of the favorites in the American League, so many of the decisions made this offseason will factor into how this team can compete for a World Series in 2018, while also looking at the bigger picture of building a dynasty that is ready to begin in 2019 and run into the 2020's. Let's take a...