Dellin Betances

A Healthy Staff is a Happy Staff; New York Yankees Second-Half Pitching Report

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New York Yankees, Luis Severino

Update on New York Yankees pitchers Luis Severino and Dellin Betances:

With the second half of the season underway, there’s no doubt that wins are going to be more and more important each day. As all baseball fans know, crazier things happen in this game and no lead is safe.

Thankfully, the Yankees have a comfortable lead in the division and are playing some of their best baseball, even with heavy hitters like Giancarlo Stanton on the IL. Two guys that are also sidelined but looking to make a huge impact are Luis Severino and Dellin Betances.

With the current situation and success that the staff has had without the pair of hurlers, there’s no sense in rushing them back before they’re 100% ready. After a strong 2018, Luis Severino is continuing to display that he is the new ace in The Bronx.

With 19 wins and a 3.39 ERA, Sevy finished 9th in Cy Young voting and was looking to continue on his path to a healthy 2019 until he was transferred to the 60-day IL to receive treatment for inflammation in his rotator cuff and a Grade 2 lat strain.

Fans first began to worry after Severino was scratched from his first spring training start on March 5th but it didn’t seem like anything that was season-altering quite yet.

Reports first revealed that he only had some inflammation so it wasn’t anything significant until a few weeks later, when Severino was throwing long-toss with intentions to get his shoulder back into shape. While throwing, he continued to feel discomfort so both Sevy and the Yankees decided the best plan of action was to fly to New York and receive a new M.R.I. which revealed the lat strain.

Like Severino, Betances was also transferred to the 60-day IL with a lat strain during his recovery from a bone spur. Luckily, his lat strain isn’t as severe as Severino’s but precautions are still needed.

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With guys like Zach Britton, Adam Ottavino, and Aroldis Chapman holding down the back end of the bullpen, Betances would be a huge help and hopefully take the heavy workload off of others.

Neither Severino or Betances have a set time that they plan on returning and that’s perfectly okay, considering how far we’ve already gotten without them! If both can be back and pitching in September, there’s no question that they will make a big impact when we need them most; in October.

New York Yankees: Noah Syndergaard is a very realistic trade option

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New York Mets, Noah Syndergaard

The New York Yankees aren’t necessarily in a position of need when it comes to the starting pitching rotation. They have the run-support and talent to compensate for struggling pitchers or injuries, but it’s not out of the question that they could look to find a trade partner in a potential deal.

Who could the New York Yankees target for a trade?

The Mets could be a solid partner, as hard-throwing righty Noah Syndergaard is being reported as available. The Yanks wouldn’t have to give up too much due to Noah’s lack of control in his contract. He would theoretically be a rental for 2019 with the potential of an extension moving forward.

He currently has the worst ERA of his career at 4.68, failing to be effective on the mound. This is a primary reason why he’s being shopped, and the Bombers could steal him and turn his season around for minimal cost.

Andy Martino of SNY reported that Noah Syndergaard “isn’t a lock to stay” with the Mets.

However, while Syndergaard’s ERA has been atrocious, his 3.98 FIP indicates that he might not be performing as bad as one might think. In addition, the Mets have registered the most blown saves this year with 21. A lack of confidence in his team could be a primary cause for Noah’s down year, but moving to a great organization with a World Series-caliber roster could be the ultimate fix.

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It’s becoming more likely that the Yanks will certainly add a pitcher before the trade deadline on July 31st, and they would be ill-advised not to take a long, hard look at the 26-year-old. Having the best record in baseball is impressive for the Bombers when considering the adversity they’ve faced — injuries and such.

Not having ace Luis Severino or quality relief option Dellin Betances has hurt them significantly at times, but they’ve managed to compensate well. Adding Syndergaard to the rotation would help preserve the team’s success when fatigue sets in, and it’s bound to.

New York Yankees could be without Luis Severino for entire season

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New York Yankees, Luis Severino

As the New York Yankees crawl towards the All-Star break, the expectation was that ace pitcher Luis Severino would return in August, but his timetable for return keeps being pushed back and is now in jeopardy of missing the entire season.

Manager Aaron Boone stated that he believes Severino will return at some point, but he’s stopped providing timetables due to recent setbacks in his program.

“I expect both back,’’ Boone said. “I stopped giving a time. I want them to be right.’’

The other pitcher mentioned is relief option Dellin Betances who has also been struggling with getting right and making a return.

Next week, Severino should begin playing catch again, the first steps in a return that’s becoming more improbable. Being on the injured list since March 28th with a grade 2 lat strain doesn’t bode well for the right-handed pitcher. He’s already missed 85 games on the season.

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Boone mentioned that Sevy should begin throwing relatively soon, possibly next week. He’s a bit more down the line than Betances. Having both return later on in the season would be an ideal scenario, hopefully in time for the playoffs as the Yankees currently sit at 56-29 holding the second-best record in baseball.

Having both quality pitchers available during the postseason would give the team the extra push to succeed beyond the second round in which the Bombers were knocked out last year.

The Yankees made a mistake with Severino’s recovery:

When the Yanks began Sevy’s throwing program, they were not aware of how sensitive the shoulder really was. Instead of doing an extra MRI to ensure he was prepared, they put him into the program which eventually saw his timeline to return set back not only weeks but months. That could prove to have a significant influence down the stretch, but the Bombers have survived so far.

“Clearly, in hindsight, he never should have started his throwing program,” Cashman said. “He passed all his physical testing. He was strong. They made a determination not to do an MRI and normally they don’t do an MRI to follow up after the down period of time they test him out, they test you out and any individual. But in hindsight, clearly and MRI probably would have been warranted to make sure and it wasn’t.”

 

New York Yankees Injury Updates: Severino, Betances, German, and More

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New York Yankees, Luis Severino

As the season progresses, the New York Yankees players are finally coming off the injured list. Key players Didi Gregorius and Aaron Hicks have already made their return. Bomber’s sluggers Giancarlo Stanton is returning Tuesday against the Rays and Aaron Judge is expected to return later this week.

As the injury bug seems to be disappearing, there are Yankees players that are still suffering:

Luis Severino

Yankees’ ace Luis Severino (lat) will not return until after the All-Star break. However, Severino is expected to start throwing from a mound next week.

Dellin Betances

Dellin Betances (shoulder) has said that he is still dealing with discomfort and is not sure when he will resume throwing. It would not be a surprise if Yankee fans see Betances make his return after the All-Star break as well.

Domingo German

Domingo German (hip) was making a huge impact on the Yankees’ so-far successful season holding a 9-2 record when he suffered his injury. German said his hip has been improving and is becoming more mobile. He began throwing on flat ground, however, there is no timetable for his return yet.

Troy Tulowitzki

Troy Tulowitzki (calf) was making progress when he suffered another setback. Tulowitzki was pulled from his rehab game in high-A Tampa a few weeks ago and there have been no updates since. Manager Aaron Boone met with media today and said that he has nothing to say on Tulowitzki’s progress.

Ben Heller, Greg Bird, Jonathan Loaisiga, and Jacoby Ellsbury

These four Yankees will not see the field for some time. Big Yankee names Bird (foot) and Ellsbury (foot) are expected to not return until early to mid-August.

New York Yankees: Injury Updates (6/8/19)

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New York Yankees, Dellin Betances

Didi Gregorius

Didi Gregorius made his season debut on Friday, and it didn’t look like he missed any time. The shortstop out of Curacao went 2-for-4 with two hard hit balls, then went yard on Saturday.

Didi’s defense continued to look gold glove caliber, and his arm seemed fine on throws across the diamond.

Skipper Aaron Boone wants to rest Didi on Sunday, and despite the fact that Didi is pleading with him to play it seems that Boone won’t be budging on it, but who knows.

Aaron Judge

Aaron Judge is in Tampa and getting ready for a possible return in three weeks. He has been taking balls in the field, running, and throwing for a few weeks. Just the other day, he advanced from the tee to cage work and on field batting practice.

The plan would be to start rehab in about two weeks, and then get him ready for the team’s series with the Boston Red Sox in London at the end of June.

Giancarlo Stanton

Giancarlo Stanton is also in Tampa with Judge, and he has been doing the same activities as him. However, he is much further along than him and will begin rehab with the Tampa Tarpons on Monday or Tuesday. He is hoping to advance to the Railriders by next weekend.

With the rehab, it puts Stanton about 10 days out from his Yankee return.

Dellin Betances

Aaron Boone said before Saturday’s 8-4 loss to the Cleveland Indians that Dellin Betances had a setback, and will be returning to New York on Monday to meet with team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad.

Betances had soreness in his shoulder Friday morning before his bullpen, and was evaluated in Tampa before the decision to send him back to New York.

Troy Tulowitzki

Troy Tulowitzki is still reportedly at home, “considering his options”. This could potentially mean that we have already seen the end of Troy Tulowitzki in pinstripes, or even in his career.

New York Yankees Injury Updates: Hicks’ Return, Judge Timetable, and More

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New York Yankees, Aaron Hicks

As the weeks go on, the New York Yankee’s main guys are starting to roll back in off the injured list. Yankee fans are anticipating the return of these players.

New York Yankees: Aaron Hicks preparing to make a return

Homering in his last triple-A game in his rehab assignment, Aaron Hicks will be returning to the Yankees’ roster Monday. He will most likely not be in the starting lineup but he will definitely be on an option on the bench.

Aaron Judge

Aaron Judge obtained an oblique injury on April 20th and has not resumed any baseball activities yet. It seems he will not return until late May or early June. However, manager Aaron Boone said, “[Judge] is making good improvements every day.”

Giancarlo Stanton

Injuring his bicep in early April, Giancarlo Stanton was taking steps back in the recovery process. After injuring his bicep, he obtained a shoulder injury during rehabbing. Stanton said that he believes the shoulder injury came from the bicep strain. The Yankees management believes that he will not be in the lineup anytime soon. It is worth noting however that Stanton was throwing before the Mariners game on Wednesday night. Stanton has also been working out at the minor league complex, where he was taking swings in the cage and doing some fielding work.

Didi Gregorius

Last season following the playoffs, it was announced that Didi Gregorius was to undergo Tommy John surgery. Gregorius has been rehabbing ever since the procedure and recently is making very positive progress. YES Network’s Meredith Marakovits talked with Didi yesterday prior to the game where he said, “I’m feeling pretty good, getting there, almost ready to go.” Gregorius has been traveling with the team and has been fielding groundballs, taking swings, and throwing consistently. His return is expected in the next few weeks, most likely in early June.

Dellin Betances

Dellin Betances (shoulder) was throwing a flat-ground at 60 feet before yesterday’s game and said to be feeling good. Betances has been traveling with the team and following their return to New York, he will begin to throw at 75 feet. He is making a positive improvement, but will not be returning anytime soon.

Luis Severino

General manager Brian Cashman confirmed that Luis Severino will not return until after the All-Star break. He is currently in a six-week shutdown, and will not be throwing until late May or early June. Once healthy again, Severino will most likely be given a multi-start rehab assignment before being reinstated to the active roster.

Greg Bird

Greg Bird (foot) is no longer wearing a boot but is still walking with pain. With a left plantar fascia tear, it seems Bird is not close to making a return anytime soon.

 

New York Yankees: Why There is No Need to Worry About Their Slow Start

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New York Yankees, Aaron Hicks

The New York Yankees have gotten off to a less than flattering 3-4 start in 2019, highlighted by losing two out of three to two of the league’s worst teams. There is disappointment with the four losses, but there shouldn’t be any worry, yet. There are a lot of contributing factors to their early struggles, so let’s review them.

Injuries

Obviously, injuries are the prominent factor in the Yankees early season struggles.10 main guys are on the IL in Jordan Montgomery, Miguel Andujar, Didi Gregorius, Aaron Hicks, Jacoby Ellsbury, Dellin Betances, CC Sabathia, Luis Severino, Troy Tulowitzki, and Giancarlo Stanton.

We know that Stanton will be back in about three weeks, and that Sabathia could possibly make his next start.

Hicks is just beginning baseball activities, Betances is throwing off a mound and should be ready for rehab soon, while Severino is still throwing on flat ground.

We don’t know a whole lot about the rest of the injuries. We’ll know in about 10 days weather the Yankees can start up Andujar again, or if he’ll need season-ending surgery.

Detroit and Baltimore are off to good starts

The Yankees have played two teams that got off to hot starts.

After taking two out of three against the Yankees, the Orioles went north of the border and took two of three from the Blue Jays before losing to the Yankees in their home opener on Thursday.

The Tigers started the season in Canada, splitting a four game series there. They came to New York to take two of three from the Yankees afterwards, then took their home opener against the Royals.

They aren’t alone

The Yankees are not the only World Series favorite to be losing a lot early. At 3-4, the Yankees are better than some other teams record wise.

The Red Sox are off to a terrible 2-7 start with the worst run differential in the MLB at -26. The Houston Astros have started off 2019 at 3-5. Like the Yankees, they have won the first game of each series and that’s it. Remember, the Yankees and the Astros play on Monday.

Off to the worst start in the MLB are the Chicago Cubs. After winning their opener, they have lost six straight to put themselves at 1-6.

This shows to tell that the best teams don’t always get out to hot starts.

This has happened before

Most years, the Yankees aren’t great out of the gate. They started 5-6 last year en route to a 100 win season.

In 2016, they started out 9-17 on the way to an 84 win season.

In 2009, the Yankees started out 3-4 as they would win it all come October.

The Yankees will get healthy and get back to normal. It may take a while, but they always seem to figure it out.

Morale of the story: the Yankees will be ok, and it’s just a matter of time until they win a lot of games and Baltimore and Detroit start to lose a lot of games. Sadly, it’s also just a matter of time until the team from Boston starts to win too.

New York Yankees: Dellin Betances to Start Season on Injured List

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During Tuesday’s spring training game on the YES Network, New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman announced in an interview that hard-throwing relief pitcher Dellin Betances will start the 2019 season on the injured list. Cashman said that in an MRI, he showed to have shoulder inflammation and the team is calling it a “shoulder impingement.” The team expects Betances to be throwing again “in 3 to 5 days.”

Betances had not been himself during spring training. He had an ERA of 5.40 in just four outings, and the team was concerned about his velocity. His fastball was only reaching 88 to 92 mph, much lower than his 96 to 100 mph average. He has had issues with getting off to a fast start, literally. His ERA is always a bit higher in the early part of the season, and way high in spring training with his strikeout rate lower.

More Injuries

This now leads to even more early season injury concerns from the Yankees. Though he is the only bullpen guy out right now, the Yankees are down two starters in CC Sabathia and Luis Severino. Aaron Hicks will not be ready until at least the second series of the season, Didi Gregorius is out until summer because of his Tommy John surgery, and who knows about Jacoby Ellsbury.

Like last year, the Yankees will need to have a “next man up” mentality to fill these roster spots. Young guys will be stepping up and providing a lot to start the season, especially on the pitching staff. Those pitchers may be Jonathan Loaisiga, Domingo German, Stephen Tarpley, and Luis Cessa.

New York Yankees Turn The Page To New Series After 5-4 Loss To Red Sox

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The stage doesn’t get bigger during the regular season than that of a Yankees-Red Sox series and the Bombers came away with two out of three for the series win, despite losing the rubber game 5-4 on Thursday night.

Fans attribute Thursday’s loss to the Red Sox to a number of factors, such as:

  • Manager Aaron Boone’s decision to leave Dellin Betances in to pitch a second inning of relief, which resulted in a J.D. Martinez homerun in the eighth inning which broke the tie and turned out to be the winning run;
  • Bad umpiring;
  • Fan interference with the Martinez homerun to prevent Aaron Judge from making an incredible leaping grab and preserving the tie.

In fact, the Yankees were not able to mount another come-from-behind victory, as had been the case often during the 17 for 18 winning streak. The team foundered on Thursday night against Craig Kimbrel, whom they had just bested on Tuesday.

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And despite what the fans appear to think, a contributing factor in Thursday’s loss was the inability of Brett Gardner, Didi Gregorius and Gary Sanchez to get their bats going—-Gardner was 0-4, Gregorius was 0-5, and Sanchez was 0-2 with two walks.

Prior to Wednesday night’s game Gardner told Kevin Kiernan of the New York Post that:

“With all the talent we have, other guys can pick you up, there is no pressure on me or anyone,” Gardner told The Post of this Yankees ballclub.”

While it is certainly true that the Yankees have a plethora of talent and on any given night can pick each other up if a bat or two is struggling.

However, more than six weeks into the season, we expect to see the bats pick up and averages rise for players such as Gardner, who is batting .208/.325/.609, and Sanchez, who is batting .202/.291/.775.

Maybe it’s time Boone applied some pressure on Gardner and Sanchez by moving them down in the order, or by bringing up Clint Frazier when he’s ready to challenge Gardner for left field.

As for Gregorius, after a torrid start to the season which garnered him the April American League Player of the Month honors, he has struggled at the plate recently.

Gregorius lately looks like an all-or- nothing hitter and he’s currently batting .100/.156/.133 as compared with the .330/.422/.739 numbers he posted for April.

Here, however, is the miracle that is baseball.  Today we turn the page to a new series and everything is once again possible.

The Yankees have Sonny Gray on the mound.  Gray will face the Oakland Athletics for the first time since being traded to the Yankees last season.  The Athletics have yet to name a pitcher for tonight’s game.

Time to look forward to a new winning streak beginning tonight against the Athletics, who are currently five games back in the American League West and 7-10 on the road.

 

The New York Yankees are Celebrating, Even Dellin Betances

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The New York Yankees had a historic three-run, walk-off home run by Baby Bomber Gleyber Torres against the Cleveland Indians in a come-from-behind victory that sent fans home cheering on Sunday afternoon:

Earlier in the game, Domingo German had pitched spectacularly in his first start as a Yankee.  German threw six no-hit innings to match Mike Clevinger of the Indians, who also had a no hitter going into the late innings.

German, who had nine strikeouts in the game was on fire and had a performance for the history books:

German, needless to say, will be a welcome sight in the rotation while Jordan Montgomery is out with a strained flexor tendon.  Yankee fans are already asking the question, what if German performs as he did on Sunday for his next several starts, what happens when Montgomery is ready to return?

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Another good problem for manager Aaron Boone to have. Particularly since the Yankees have been reportedly interested in adding another starter to their rotation.

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One not so good problem for Boone to have was the outing of Dellin Betances.  Brought into the game to start the seventh with German’s no-hitter on the line, Betances was spot on and retired the side in order.

Eric Boland of Newsday writes:

“Entering the day, Betances had not allowed an earned run in his last seven outings, striking out 13 and walking two in 6 1⁄3 innings in that stretch.”

Betances, it would seem, was back to being the feared hard-thrower who was mowing guys down.

However, Boone brought Betances back in the 8th inning since he was staying away from Chad Green and David Robertson who were being rested. Betances gave up a lead-off single to Yonder Alonso and Rajai Davis came in as a pinch runner and Yankee fans knew the running game would disrupt Betances’ outing.

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Betances gave up three straight singles before being replaced by Jonathan Holder and being charged with three runs. Betances second inning of work left Yankee fans criticizing Betances as a one-inning wonder.

Before the season even started, Betances told Pete Caldera of North Jersey.com that he wanted to return to the multi-inning reliever that he had once been for the club. Betances said at that time:

“I feel like that’s what I’ve been my first couple of years (in the majors),’’ said Betances, who turns 30 on Friday. And he’s already told manager Aaron Boone and the coaching that, “(I’ll do) whatever they need me to do.’’

Betances hadn’t worked a multi-inning game since he went two disastrous frames in Toronto on March 31, a game in which he gave up a home run and Kevin Pillar stole home.  The running game has proved to be Betances’ enemy.

When the damage was assessed at the end of the eighth inning, Betances was charged with three runs and a Rajai Davis stolen base and the Indians led 4-0.

But all the Yankees’ problems were solved on Sunday when the 21-year old Torres rocked a pitch over the centerfield fence with one out in the ninth inning.  Torres made history with this rocket, according to Danny Knobler of MLB.com, “becoming the youngest player in franchise history (21 years, 144 days) to hit a walk-off home run. In doing so he surpassed Mickey Mantle, who was 41 days older when he did it against the Red Sox in 1953.”

Betances’ problems with command and with holding baserunners when pitching multiple innings will likely continue, but, for the time being, these problems fade behind the accomplishments of an offense that never quits and is never out of the game. For Betances, a big offense can cover a multitude of mistakes.