Getty Aaron Judge, the centerpiece of the New York Yankees lineup.
After a 5-5 tie against the Philadelphia Phillies yesterday, the New York Yankees find themselves back in action against the Toronto Blue Jays. Masahiro Tanaka was roughed up for six hits and two earned runs across 3.2 innings of work but was effective at missing bats racking up six strikeouts along the way.
Stanton got the offense going with a solo shot and seems to be finding his power stroke at the right time. While pitchers are still primarily focusing on throwing strikes and working their fastballs, the production is still promising considering how lost Stanton looked at the plate to start the season last year.
Giancarlo destroying baseballs is back.
Luis Cessa gets the start for the Yankees against the Blue Jays and will look to further cement himself as the Yankee’s fifth starter in place of an injured Luis Severino. Cessa has been fantastic this spring and is posting a 1.00 ERA across nine innings of work. This is even more impressive when you consider that pitchers typically get roughed up this time of year and Cessa is coming off a season that saw him post a 5.24 ERA for the Yankees.
Yankees Roster & Lineup Today
(Yankee Lineup Courtesy of Andy Miller)
1. LeMahieu 1B
2. Torres 2B
3. Tulowitzki SS
4. Andujar 3B
5. Romine C
6. Frazier LF
7. Florial CF
8. Lipka DH
9. Burns RF
SP – Luis Cessa RHP
Aaron Hicks Injury Update
Despite being uncertain for the opening day lineup and receiving a cortisone shot in his back yesterday, Aaron Hicks remains adamant that he will be back in time to start the regular season. Hicks claimed that he received the cortisone injection after swinging from both sides of the plate as well as doing running and fielding drills. Hicks even went as far as to tell the New York Post:
“Something like this that’s been lingering, you’ve got to do something about it. At least by me getting it now, I’ll probably lose three or four [more] days and then get on the field after that.”
While Hicks’ timeline of three to four more days sounds promising, back injuries are notoriously fickle and we truthfully won’t have a concrete update until Hicks resumes heavy baseball activities. It is promising that Hicks is at least easing back into baseball activities, but with opening day less than two weeks away, there is a realistic chance the Yankees will have to open the season without their starting center fielder.
This Magic Moment starring Aaron Hicks
If Hicks can’t go, his absence will likely force Stanton out of his typical DH role and back into left field while Gardner slides into center. Luke Voit seems likely to win out the first base job, so there is an outside chance that Greg Bird is able to fill in at DH until Hicks returns, but the more likely scenario is that Bird finds himself down in AAA to start the season while Clint Frazier finds himself on the big league roster to help with outfield depth. Despite Frazier’s struggles this spring, he offers above average defense and has shown the ability to hit at the big league level.