September 12th, 2023: Yamamoto, Severino, Prospects

Only 19 games remain in this slog of a season. Hopefully no more top prospects suffer major injuries that will cut into 2024 in those 19 games, but there’s still plenty of time for Spencer Jones to step on a sprinkler head or Chase Hampton to feel soreness and not have surgery until March. Sorry, I’ve been a bit crabby since Jasson Domínguez tore his elbow ligament. Let’s get to today’s post.

1. Cashman watches Yamamoto. Friday night Orix Buffaloes ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw his second career no-hitter (he had one last year too), striking out eight and walking one in the 102-pitch effort against the Chiba Lotte Marines. Here’s video. It was the 100th no-hitter in Nippon Pro Baseball history and Yamamoto is the tenth NPB pitcher with multiple no-hitters.

"I was nervous right up until the last batter, so now I'm relieved. From the time I stepped on the mound in the ninth inning, there was a lot of cheering, so it felt good pitching,” Yamamoto told the Kyodo News after the game. “... This was a head-to-head showdown (with the team chasing us for first place), so it was good to add even just one win while keeping our losses down.”

Orix is expected to post Yamamoto this offseason and the Yankees have scouted him. And they continue to scout him. Brian Cashman was among those in attendance for Friday’s no-hitter. Yakyu Cosmopolitan has the photo. (I choose to believe Yamamoto’s wave is directed at Cashman and they have a wink wink, nudge nudge agreement in place.)

Andy Martino says the man in blue to Cashman’s right (with his back turned) is senior advisor Omar Minaya. I thought the man in pink to Cashman’s left might be Hal Steinbrenner, but no. Word is only Cashman, Minaya, and a few other front office folks made the trip. “(Yamamoto) was fantastic. It was great for the fans,” Cashman said after the game (video).

(Cashman predictably ducked a question about signing Yamamoto because you can’t talk about players under contract with another team, even when the player is under contract with a team in another league. It’s still tampering.)

The Yankees scout everyone but Cashman (and Minaya) does not fly halfway around the world to see just anyone. For it to rise to the level of the GM going to Japan, Yamamoto had to get the stamp of approval from the boots on the ground scouts and analytics people. The Yankees are serious about pursuing Yamamoto. Cashman isn’t making that trip otherwise.

Of course, that doesn’t mean the Yankees will sign Yamamoto. Other clubs had executives in attendance Friday (Giants, Mets, Padres, and Phillies among others) and you can make a very strong case Yamamoto will be the second best free agent (pitcher or position player) available this offseason behind Shohei Ohtani. There’s going to be a heated bidding war.

Yamamoto turned 25 last month and Friday’s no-hitter gives him a 1.28 ERA and 0.91 WHIP in 141 innings this season. He has a 26.3% strikeout rate and a 4.2% walk rate in a league where the averages are 19.1% and 7.8%. Yamamoto has a career 1.76 ERA in close to 1,000 innings. He’s a two-time MVP and he’s probably going to win his third this year, and he’s the best pitcher in the world not employed by an MLB team.

Masahiro Tanaka signed his seven-year, $155M contract with the Yankees shortly after his 25th birthday and that’s the record for a Japanese player. Yamamoto’s going to break it. This might be a Gerrit Cole situation where you think okay, it’ll take seven years, then the market pushes it to eight years, and then the ninth year is how you separate yourself and seal the deal. We’ll see.

Point is, the Yankees had their heavy hitters in to see Yamamoto last week, including Cashman and one of his most trusted lieutenants. This wasn’t a quick trip to Anaheim to see Ohtani or Chicago to see Cody Bellinger. Yamamoto will be a very hot commodity this winter and there’s no guarantee the Yankees will win the bidding war. Clearly though, they’re interested.

(I’m planning an in-depth look at Yamamoto and also Korean outfielder Jung-Hoo Lee once the season ends. Based on what I know right now, I think they should be the Yankees’ top two free agent targets. They’re both 25 and they fill positions of need. Did I mention they’re 25? Because they’re 25. You should sign high-end 25-year-olds when you can.)

(Jason Coskrey says Cashman was also at Marines phenom Roki Sasaki’s start Saturday. Sasaki allowed a run in three innings while on a pitch limit in his first start back from an oblique injury. Sasaki is only 21 and isn’t expected to be posted for another few years, but when your trip to Japan lines up with his return to the mound, you go see him.)

2. Severino’s oblique injury. It is possible, if not likely, Luis Severino has thrown his final pitch as a Yankee. He exited Friday night’s start in obvious pain after throwing a pitch and grabbing at his left side (video). Tests revealed a high grade oblique strain and his season is over. “I feel like somebody shot me. It’s a deep, sharp pain,” Severino told Bryan Hoch after the game.

“Knowing what he’s been through, sports are tough,” Aaron Boone told Max Goodman about Severino’s injury. “Major League sports are tough, especially when you’re really talented and have to deal with the injuries that he has. You certainly feel for that.”

Severino received an ovation that was much louder than the standard “clap for the injured guy” ovation as he exited Friday’s game. The crowd knew he might’ve just thrown his final pitch as a Yankee, and it was their last chance to cheer for an OG Baby Bomber. Severino was the first prospect to come up and begin this era of Yankees baseball. The Yankees called him up soon after the 2015 trade deadline because, given the state of the team at the time, it made more sense to go with the kids than to give up a big package for Johnny Cueto, Cole Hamels, or David Price (they were all traded at the 2015 deadline).

“Coming up with Sevy all through the years, knowing what type of competitor he is, leaves it out there every single day, the setbacks he’s had throughout his career, he continued showing up,” Aaron Judge said when asked about Severino’s injury (video). “It could be one of the last times he throws here at Yankee Stadium. I really don't know if I have the words just yet. I’ll find something (to say to him) once we see what’s going on with him.”

For Severino, the good news is it’s not another arm injury. It’s a significant oblique injury and the recovery may affect his offseason program, but it’s not his elbow or shoulder or lat again. Suffering another arm injury in the weeks leading up to free agency would have further cut into Severino’s market, which is already in one-year prove yourself contract territory. The poor guy can’t catch a break.

As I said in last week’s mailbag, I didn’t expect the Yankees to make Severino the qualifying offer, and I have to imagine it is completely out the window now. Betting $22M or so on a currently and frequently injured pitcher just to get a measly draft pick after the fourth round doesn’t make any sense. Imagine Severino accepting the qualifying offer and completely blowing up payroll and the Yoshinobu Yamamoto pursuit? The qualifying offer ain’t happening.

Severino had begun to pitch better the last few times out (3.16 ERA in his last five starts) though losing him doesn’t really matter given where the Yankees are in the standings. In a screwed up way, Severino’s injury is a positive for the Yankees because they can now give a young pitcher a look these last few weeks rather than remain beholden to a player who’s been a good Yankee and has a $15M salary, but doesn’t have a future with the organization.

“I don’t know. Right now I’m thinking about that. I just think about what I need to do to get better pretty soon,” Severino told Peter Botte when asked whether he thinks his time with the Yankees is over. “If it is, I gave everything I got. I was trying to get better every time. A lot of guys here, a lot of people, helped me get through worse days. I’m very happy that I did.”

Randy Vásquez will start the first game of Tuesday’s doubleheader, which I guess means he’s moving into Severino's rotation spot. The Yankees will need a spot starter Saturday. That could go to Jhony Brito, but if the Yankees need him out of the bullpen the next few days, they’ll use him, and figure out Saturday’s spot starter later. (Clayton Beeter lines up to start Wednesday, though it would be easy to bump him back to Saturday if the Yankees decide to go that way.)

My two favorite Yankees pitchers of the last 10-15 years are Severino and CC Sabathia and both saw their time in pinstripes end when they walked off the field with injuries. Sabathia, you may recall, wrecked his shoulder in Game 4 of the 2019 ALCS, though he stayed in to throw a few more pitches before the pain was too much. He had major surgery to reconstruct his shoulder soon thereafter. Sabathia was a warrior to the end, man.

Severino’s oblique injury isn’t as significant as Sabathia’s shoulder injury but it’s all the same at the end of the day. His time with the Yankees ended when he left the Yankee Stadium mound with an injury. Injuries have defined Severino’s last few seasons – he threw 230 MLB innings during his five-year extension – but they’re not how I’ll remember him. I’ll remember the ferocious, roaring competitor from 2017, 2018, and 2022. Severino’s body betrayed him and it straight up sucks. Get better soon, Sevy. There’s still a lot of career ahead of you.

3. Weekend thoughts. The Yankees aren’t playing for much nowadays and I don’t have a whole lot to say about the Brewers series other than I’m glad the Yankees avoided becoming the first team ever to get no-hit in an 11-inning game Sunday afternoon. Once they were able to strand the automatic runner in the top of the tenth, I was hoping the Yankees would find a way to win without a hit, just for the absurdity. Alas.

That series showed how far the Yankees have to go. Milwaukee isn’t even that good – they have a +48 run differential and are on pace to win 90 games in one of baseball’s worst divisions – but the Yankees aren’t on their level. They don’t have the defense to keep up with a team that looks to push the envelope on every batted ball and they don’t have the offense to pressure the other team the same way.

Injuries (Keynan Middleton, Ian Hamilton) and Mike King’s move into the rotation mean the middle of the bullpen is short now and yeah, it showed Friday and Saturday. That said, Jonathan Loáisiga is supposed to be one of the go-to high leverage guys and the Brewers roughed him up those two days: 1.2 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 1 HR. He faced 13 batters, threw 44 pitches, and got only two swings and misses.

Since coming off the injured list Loáisiga has struck out only five of the 56 batters he’s faced (8.9%). Even at his peak, Loáisiga was never a huge strikeout guy (21.8% from 2020-22). His thing is blowing up bats with upper-90s two-seamers, but still, he’ll have to do better than that. Hopefully it’s a post-elbow surgery thing and Loáisiga will get on track next year, as he gets further away from surgery.

He’s missed in the bullpen but King has looked really good as a starter. He looks like King the reliever, just across more innings. There’s a long way to go between now and then, but right now, I am all for bringing King to Spring Training as a starter. This is worth seeing through. If he continues to look this good, great. The Yankees have a starter. And if not, you put him back in the bullpen. As long as King stays healthy (fingers crossed), this is worth a try.

Also, Gerrit Cole improved his Cy Young case Sunday. He was marvelous and he now leads the American League in innings (by 8.1), ERA (by 0.19), ERA+ (by 8), and WAR (by 1.6). He’s top five in just about everything else. Cole has three (maybe four) starts remaining, and unless he completely bombs, I think the Cy Young is locked up. That outing Sunday – nine strikeouts in seven shutout innings against a first place team while matched up against a fellow ace (Corbin Burnes) – sealed it.

Baltimore’s win Monday eliminated the Yankees from the AL East race and their tragic number for a postseason berth is 12. Any combination of Yankees losses and wins by whoever occupies the third Wild Card spot on a given day totaling 12 sends the Yankees home for October. To keep the winning season streak alive, the Yankees have to go 11-8 in their final 19 games. Watch it come down to those final three games against the Royals.

4. Prospect thoughts. The regular season is wrapping up in the various minor leagues and I should probably update the standings. It's been a while. Here’s where the affiliates stand:

• Triple-A Scranton: 6.5 GB of a postseason spot with 12 games to play
• Double-A Somerset: Best-of-three Division Series with Binghamton (Mets) starts next Tuesday, winner advances to Championship Series
• High-A Hudson Valley: Best-of-three Division Series with Jersey Shore (Phillies) starts Tuesday, winner advances to Championship Series
• Low-A Tampa: Season over, missed the postseason
• Rookie FCL Yankees: Swept in FCL Championship Series

The RailRiders are mathematically alive but they’re done. In addition to being 6.5 games back, they have to jump six teams to get to the postseason. It’s not gonna happen.

I haven’t seen any transactions yet though the Yankees may promote a few folks from Tampa to Hudson Valley for the postseason. RHP Luis Gil moving up to continue his Tommy John surgery rehab seems like an obvious move. Fringe prospect relievers like LHP Geoffrey Gilbert and RHP Matt Keating would boost the Renegades postseason bullpen. We'll see. Here now are a few prospect thoughts with the minor league regular season winding down.

PPI pick status

The Yankees put Anthony Volpe on their Opening Day roster and they’ve called up a small army of prospects the last few weeks. Prospect Promotion Incentive picks, the draft picks given to teams that do not manipulate service time, are a consideration now, so I figured I’d check in on where everyone sits. Here’s what needs to happen for a player to qualify for a PPI pick:

• Receive a full year of service time as a rookie.
• Appear on two of three top 100 lists (Baseball America, ESPN, MLB.com).
• Win Rookie of the Year or finish top three in the MVP voting before arbitration.
• Limit one PPI pick per player and one per year for the MLB team.

If Everson Pereira wins Rookie of the Year next year and Volpe finishes second in the MVP voting, the Yankees would only get one PPI pick. That said, Pereira and Volpe being eligible gives you more bites at the apple. It doubles your chances of getting a PPI pick, right? Let’s now break down the individual players and their PPI pick status.

Not eligible: RHP Jhony Brito and RHP Oswald Peraza: Both exhausted their rookie eligibility this season but did not receive a full year of service time, so they’re not PPI eligible. Brito also wasn’t on any top 100 lists coming into the season.

Eligible: SS Anthony Volpe: This one’s a lock. Volpe is getting his full year of service time and he appeared on all three top 100 lists this spring. He’s not going to win Rookie of the Year, so to get the Yankees a PPI pick, Volpe will need to finish top three in the MVP voting in 2024 or 2025. Won’t be easy, of course, but Volpe for a PPI pick.

Unlikely to be eligible: RHP Randy Vásquez: Vásquez has gone up and down a bunch this year, but they were all short stints up until this one right now. According to my unofficial math, he’s going to fall six days short of the 45-day rookie service time threshold even if he stays up the rest of the season. That means he’ll retain rookie eligibility next year unless he reaches 50 innings this year (he’s at 26.2, so it’s unlikely). That said, is Vásquez really going to spend the entire 2024 season on the MLB roster? He’s a candidate to be shuttled up and down. And will he appear on at least two top 100 prospect lists? Eh, no, I don’t think so. This one seems unlikely even before you consider the awards voting, though it is technically possible.

Can be eligible: OF Everson Pereira and C Austin Wells: Neither Pereira nor Wells will exceed the 45-day rookie service time threshold this year. That’s not a concern. Will either spend the entire 2024 season on the MLB roster? I could see it with Wells. Pereira might wind up back in Triple-A given his contact issues, though I would’ve said the same about Aaron Judge in 2016.

What about playing time? Will either exceed the 130 at-bat rookie threshold before the end of the season? Here are the numbers with 19 games remaining:

• Pereira: 60 at-bats. Can’t have more than 70 at-bats in the final 19 games (3.68 per game).
• Wells: 21 at-bats. Can’t have more than 109 at-bats in the final 19 games (5.74 per game).

Pereira was not in Monday’s lineup before the rainout and it would have been his third time on the bench in the last six games. There might be a little at-bat management there. Cutting back on his playing time a bit to make sure he doesn’t exceed 130 at-bats this year, and thus remains PPI pick eligible in the future. Wells is in the clear though. He won’t exceed the 130 at-bat rookie threshold.

(Keep in mind the rookie threshold is 130 at-bats, not 130 plate appearances. These guys will draw walks along the way and that’ll keep their at-bat totals down too.)

Pereira and Wells are both on multiple top 100 prospects lists right now, so it seems unlikely that will be an issue heading into next season. The biggest question is whether either will stay on the MLB roster all next season, and we won’t be able to answer that until next season. Their play has to warrant staying on the roster. Then from there, the awards voting will be whatever it is.

It’s complicated: OF Jasson Domínguez. Before this Tommy John surgery news, I thought Domínguez was the Yankees’ best hope for a PPI pick. Volpe’s not going to win Rookie of the Year this year and finishing top three in the MVP voting in 2024 or 2025 will be tough. Not because he stinks or anything. Because finishing in the top three of the MVP voting is really hard. Great players finish outside the top three every year.

The Yankees seemed prepared to let Dominguez sink or swim in center field next year the way they let Volpe sink or swim at shortstop this year. Domínguez wasn’t going to exceed 130 at-bats this year and would have entered 2024 with at least a chance to win Rookie of the Year, and thus a chance to net the Yankees a PPI pick. El Marciano winning Rookie of the Year seems more likely than Volpe finishing top three in the MVP voting in 2024 or 2025, or Domínguez finishing top three in the MVP voting in 2025 or 2026.

Now though, Domínguez winning Rookie of the Year in 2024 will be basically impossible. He’s going to play what, half a season? Maybe 100 games at best? The Yankees are going to play it safe with their top prospect and not rush through this rehab. You can win Rookie of the Year without playing a full season (Ryan Braun, Carlos Correa, etc.). It’s just really, really difficult.

Also, the Yankees might use the injury to claw back a year of service time. Domínguez needs to spend at least 52 days in the minors next year (as an active player, not as a rehabber) to push his free agency back. He blew out his elbow in the big leagues and that means he’ll start next year on the MLB injured list, and thus accrue service time. The Yankees may not want to essentially forfeit a year of team control to the injury. They could map it out like this:

• April and May: Rehab work
• June: Rehab games
• July and August: Activated and optioned to Triple-A
• September: Big league call up

That would set up Domínguez to be rookie eligible in 2025 (time on the injured list does not count toward the 45-day rookie threshold), and thus retain PPI pick eligibility. The Yankees could bring Dominguez to the big leagues as soon as he completes his rehab next year. That just means he is unlikely to win Rookie of the Year and the Yankees will use one of his pre-arbitration years on mostly rehab. I dunno.

I think getting a PPI pick is so unlikely to start with (because of the awards voting) that you have to treat it as a nice bonus and not a goal. Do what’s best for the prospect’s development, and if you run into a PPI pick, great. If not, well who cares. It’s one draft pick. That applies especially to Domínguez given his injury, but also guys like Pereira and Wells. Don’t force them to stay in the big leagues next year just to retain a long shot chance at a draft pick down the line.

Lombard (and other 2023 draftees) debut

SS George Lombard Jr., this year’s first round pick, made his pro debut last month and got into 16 games split between the rookie FCL Yankees and Low-A Tampa. He was great too: 14-for-45 (.311) with 13 walks (.466 OBP) and only 12 strikeouts. Lombard is still waiting to hit his first pro home run, but, like a true Yankee, he has managed to hit into four (!) double plays already.

Lombard played seven games with the FCL Yankees and nine with Low-A Tampa, and I can’t imagine the Yankees will bump him up to High-A Hudson Valley for their postseason. His season is over and he’ll stay in Tampa for the minicamp that functions as Instructional League but is not called Instructional League anymore for whatever reason. Nice debut for Lombard though.

As for the rest of the 2023 draft class, 2B Roc Riggio (fourth round) did a lot of walking but not a lot of hitting (.193/.395/.219) as Lombard’s double play partner. OF Jared Wegner, the 24-year-old graduate student the Yankees drafted in the ninth round, is hitting .274/.341/.513 with seven doubles and four homers in 24 games. He’s already in Hudson Valley and folks I talk to insist he is a legit prospect, not just a bonus pool saving pick.

Every single pitcher the Yankees selected this summer was shut down after the draft and sent to Tampa for pitch design work. That is standard operating procedure for most teams these days. Not every team, but most. Next spring and early next season we’ll find out who suddenly has more velocity, a better breaking ball, etc.

Selvidge’s sneaky breakout year

It has flown under the radar a bit but LHP Brock Selvidge, my No. 24 prospect entering 2023, has had a really strong season split between the two Single-A levels: 3.38 ERA (2.97 FIP) with 25.9% strikeouts, 6.4% walks, and 50.5% grounders in 122.2 innings. He turned 21 two weeks ago and is several years younger than the average player in both Low-A and now High-A.

Selvidge entered 2021 as a possible first round pick, struggled as a high school senior, and fell to the Yankees in the third round. The inconsistency followed him into 2022, but things appear to be clicking in 2023, especially on the strike-throwing front. Low-A Statcast says Selvidge threw 45% four-seamers, 45% sliders, 6% changeups, and 4% sinkers (those might be classification errors/movement outliers).

Low-A Statcast had Selvidge’s heater averaging 92.5 mph and topping out at 96.7 mph with very good spin and movement traits. His slider is a true slider, not a big ol’ sweeper. It’s mid-80s with above-average spin and hard break. Here’s a cherry-picked example (here’s more video):

Selvidge’s changeup remains a work in progress based on the scouting reports, the pitch data, and how often he’s used it this season. The fastball and slider are very good though and that’s a strong foundation, particularly for a lefty. Selvidge is still so young and so early in his career. Plenty of time to work on the changeup and other stuff. Calling it a breakout year might be a little strong, but Selvidge certainly took a step forward in 2023.

Lalane emerging in FCL

In last week’s mailbag I noted the FCL Yankees were viewed as one of the most talented rookie ball teams in the minors this year. LHP Henry Lalane stood out on a pitching staff that included other notable teenagers like RHP Carlos Lagrange, RHP Jordarlin Mendoza, and RHP Luis Serna. I first mentioned Lalane as a Prospect To Know in February:

LHP Henry Lalane (listed at 6-foot-7 and 211 lbs.) was born in the Bronx and spent most of his childhood in the Dominican Republic. He’s in the mid-90s with a good curveball (video). Lalane and Lagrange should pitch in the rookie Florida Complex League this year. Between these two and (RHP Angel) Benitez, one of these 6-foot-7 dudes will work out, right? I hope so. Would be a blast.

Lalane, 20 next May, made the jump from the Dominican Summer League to the FCL this summer, and although the 4.57 ERA doesn’t jump off the page, the 38.6% strikeout rate and 4.5% walk rate sure do, even in only 21.2 innings. Here’s video. A pal who works for a team (not the Yankees) brought up Lalane to me unprompted because he popped on their model. Here’s what Geoff Pontes (subs. req’d) wrote after a look last month:

His four-seam fastball sat 93-96 mph, touching 97 mph at peak. The pitch features heavy ride and run, showing good efficiency and shape. His combination of power and movement from the left side is unique. He pairs his fastball with a changeup in the mid 80s and a slurvy breaking ball. Each flashes average, with many evaluators split on whether they prefer his changeup or breaking ball. Regardless, there’s a true plus fastball present with a pair of secondaries he can throw for strikes. He’s an outlier in terms of size at 6-foot-8 and could add more strength and velocity in the coming years. Lalane is a player receiving considerable buzz on the complex and for good reason.

Lalane won’t continue with a 4.5% walk rate because almost no one does that, particularly teenagers who are this tall. The raw stuff is really good though and it’s just a matter of Lalane harnessing it and throwing strikes consistently. Word is he made big strides from last season and there has been legitimate improvement in his control. A lefty with this kinda stuff is exciting. Lalane had a very nice (albeit brief) season in the FCL this year.

(As for Lagrange, he had a 4.97 ERA and 4.55 FIP with 32.5% strikeouts and 12.4% walks in 41.2 FCL innings this year. I haven’t heard as much buzz about him as Lalane. Benitez had Tommy John surgery last year and did not pitch this season.)

Miscellany

RHP Drew Thorpe threw four innings and 54 pitches in his last start and I thought it might be a workload management thing, but he told Mike Ashmore he had discomfort in his non-throwing arm, so they took him out of the game. For what it’s worth, he’s still on the active roster, not the injured list, so fingers crossed it's minor. Thorpe has at most one regular season start remaining and he leads the minors with 182 strikeouts (14 more than anyone else). He’s gonna fall short of becoming the first Yankees minor leaguer with 200 strikeouts since Brandon Claussen led the minors with 220 strikeouts in 2001. Too bad … Baseball America published their annual best tools surveys last week, in which managers and coaches vote on players in their league. I won’t list every Yankees prospect that showed up in the surveys, but a few caught my eye:

• RHP Mitch Spence: Best control in the Triple-A International League.
• OF Jasson Domínguez: Best strike zone judgment in the Double-A Eastern League.
• 2B Jared Serna: Best defensive second baseman (and most exciting player!) in the Low-A Florida State League.

Spence struck out nine in seven shutout innings Saturday night (video). He’s not a top prospect or anything but he’s had a real nice year (4.56 ERA in a league with a 5.22 ERA) and has put himself in position to get a 40-man roster spot after the season, either with the Yankees or with another team as a Rule 5 Draft pick. Domínguez having the best strike zone judgment in Double-A as a 20-year-old is pretty amazing. He was promoted three weeks ago and he’s still second in the EL in walks. Reports on Serna’s glove are iffy and I wonder if he was voted best defensive second baseman because it was a down year for second basemen in the FSL, kinda like when 3B Tyler Hardman was voted the best defensive third baseman in the league last year. I dunno, but Serna's name popping up there surprised me … And finally, at one point last month Double-A Somerset had three infielders and five catchers on the active roster. As a result, C Anthony Seigler found himself at second base, and he’s basically a full-time second baseman now. He hasn’t caught since Aug. 3rd and his last 11 non-DH games have been at second. Seigler hasn’t hit at all this year (.162/.329/.247 and 69 wRC+). He’s an organizational player at this point, and that means having to fill in at whatever position on a given day. Still, the catcher to second base move is unusual. Seigler’s always been a good athlete, so he’s making it work.

5. Rapid fire thoughts. The Yankees did go ahead and call up Estevan Florial to replace Jasson Domínguez, and he was in Monday’s lineup before the rainout. The Triple-A contact rates aren’t good and I’m skeptical Florial can be a productive hitter, but I have been annoyed at the Yankees’ unwillingness to give him a shot over the Greg Allens and Jake Bauerses and Franchy Corderos and Billy McKinneys of the world. Hopefully Florial finishes the season strong, makes the front office look dumb (and teaches them good organizations give players a chance to prove them wrong), and then finds himself with a team that gives him a greater opportunity when he inevitably comes off the 40-man roster this offseason … And finally, Old Timers’ Day was this past Saturday and the introductions were fun as always, though I miss the Old Timers’ Game. I hope they bring it back next season. Bernie Williams couldn’t make it to the 1998 Yankees celebration because he had shoulder surgery earlier in the week, and he sent in a video instead. The Q&A session was more enjoyable than I expected (here’s the video), but Old Timers’ Day just isn’t the same with the game. Bring it back, Yankees.

(Send your requests for Friday's mailbag to RABmailbag at gmail dot com. The random Yankee series is on hiatus, but feel free to send in requests for when it returns.)