The New York Yankees are making another roster move following an injury update to Giancarlo Stanton. New York’s typical designated hitter recently picked up a calf strain while running the bases on April 24. The club initially gave Stanton a couple of days off in an attempt to ease the issue. Nevertheless, manager Aaron Boone revealed on April 27 that Stanton would hit the injured list.
Boone, however, claimed that the injury did not “look too serious” and that the veteran slugger should only be placed on the 10-day IL. Across town, New York Mets superstar Juan Soto recently missed 15 games with a calf strain. Soto also suffered the setback while running the bases. Despite the similarities, the Yankees seemingly do not believe Stanton will miss significant time.
With Stanton set for the IL, New York will have to fill his roster spot. Former Yankees top prospect Jasson Dominguez was just brought up to the Bronx on April 27. The move was not, however, due to Stanton’s injury. Instead, Dominguez essentially filled Luis Gil’s roster spot, as the pitcher was demoted after posting a 6.05 ERA in four starts in New York.
Fellow highly rated outfielder Spencer Jones may have been the most likely minor leaguer for Boone to call on now. Nevertheless, the manager is going in another direction. According to Talkin’ Yanks, Boone will call up utility man Max Schuemann to temporarily fill Stanton’s spot. The decision means that the Yankees will stick with a five-man bench and just 12 pitchers for now.
New York Yankees Bring Up Max Schuemann for his Versatility
GettyThe Yankees acquired Max Schuemann from the Athletics in an offseason trade.
Boone’s decision to go with a shorter bullpen may seem odd to some fans. However, the New York Yankees do have an off day coming up on April 30. This means that the club may not exactly need another pitcher within the next couple of days. After this time, New York would seemingly be likely to make another roster move to potentially switch out Schuemann for a pitcher.
Schuemann’s Major League Baseball stats are not going to impress too many people. After all, the 28-year-old veteran has a career .212 batting average and .603 OPS in 234 games with the Athletics. While he may not hit the cover off the ball, Schuemann’s value comes in his versatility. The utility man has been deployed in six different positions during his time in Oakland/Sacramento. He, however, has the most experience at shortstop.
So far this season, Schuemann has made 23 appearances with AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He has mostly been used as the team’s second baseman during the campaign, but also has game time at shortstop, third base, and even center field.
New York Expected to Recall Star Shortstop Soon
Instead of Schuemann, Boone could have seemingly gone with typical shortstop Anthony Volpe. The once highly rated infielder has been playing alongside the utility man in AAA while he rehabs a previous shoulder injury. Volpe is hitting .308 in eight minor league games so far this season between Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and AA Somerset.
MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, however, recently revealed that Volpe will return to the New York Yankees lineup soon. The reporter claimed that the infielder could be called up as early as May 1. As a result, Schuemann’s time in the Bronx is expected to be short-lived.
Yankees Make Surprise Roster Move as Slugger Hits IL