James Paxton

New York Yankees: Good injury news for Giancarlo Stanton and James Paxton

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New York Yankees, James Paxton

The New York Yankees have managed to resort to their old and frequent ways of injury-plagued baseball, ad Luis Severino, James Paxton, Aaron Judge, and Giancarlo Stanton are all dealing with mild to severe injuries.

Severino will miss the entire 2020 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery, Judge is dealing with a nagging sore shoulder, Paxton is recovering from lower-back surgery, and Stanton recently added a calf strain to his long list of ailments.

However, we finally have some good news to report, as Stanton is walking normally again, according to NJ.com’s Brendan Kuty. This is a great sign and in line with the normal recover-time for a grade one calf strain (7-10 days). Stanton has been frustrated with his inability to remain healthy, especially after enjoying just 52 at-bats in 2019.

How is James Paxton recovering for the New York Yankees?

The Bombers need Paxton to return as early as possible without risking any further injury, as May seems like a fair estimation for return. Yankees skipper, Aaron Boone, stated that Paxton could begin throwing at the end of next week, but that the lefty pitcher needs to limit his activity while he recovers.

How is Aaron Judge progressing?

Judge’s return has been more complication, as his sore shoulder was reinvigorated last week.

“It’s frustrating that we haven’t pinpointed exactly what it is, what’s caused the discomfort so that’s the frustrating part,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “But I would say I feel a little more optimistic as to where we’re at.”

Judge endured an entire day of treatment on Saturday but arrived at the clubhouse on Sunday feeling much better.

“He’s doing better today,” Boone added. “They worked on him a lot yesterday. So, I mean, I would say we were a little encouraged this morning. But I don’t have much in reality.”

Hopefully, the Yankees can receive more positive injury news in the coming days.

New York Yankees: Why we can remain confident in the starting pitching rotation

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New York Yankees, Jordan Montgomery

The injuries to Luis Severino and James Paxton have dampened the mood for the New York Yankees fan-base, and rightfully so, as losing your No. 2-3 starters for any amount of time can be detrimental.

However, the Yankees are versed in the reality of injures and have prepared accordingly. Retaining J.A. Happ was part of the master plan to supplement any concerns, and the concerns continue to mount ahead of the March 26 Opening Day matchup against the Baltimore Orioles.

Adding Gerrit Cole as the team’s bonafide ace is now looking more significant with every passing day, and his performance this spring has been right on track with our exaptations.

The New York Yankees can remain confident in the rotation:

The No. 4 arm in the rotation, Jordan Montgomery, who’s coming off Tommy John surgery, has been stellar this Grapefruit League season, posting four strikeouts in two innings against the Boston Red Sox on Saturday afternoon. His 0.00 ERA has proven to manager Aaron Boone that he can be a regular starter moving forward, a massive sign of relief for the Yanks and their managerial staff.

“He has good stuff, he battles out there and attacks the strike zone,’’ an NL scout said of Montgomery, as per the NY Post. “Pre-surgery he and King had the best command. They throw a lot of strikes.’’

A few weeks ago Boone was already high on Jordan’s return and what he brings to the mound:

“I think he has proven himself at this level. For him to get back last year was big, just for his frame of mind,’’ Boone said. “The fact he was able to make it back and get some work done, get into some games, I think was big for him and his mindset moving forward.’’

We mustn’t forget about Domingo German either, who will return at some point, likely after Paxton, who’s projected to make a May return. Montgomery, though, seems to be capable of holding down the fort in the meantime, and the 5th spot will be a rotational bevy consisting of Michael King, Jonatha Holder, and Jonathan Loaisiga.

New York Yankees: Time to panic?

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New York Yankees, Aaron Boone

The New York Yankees have only played a few spring training games and the fans are already panicking. A few weeks ago, it was announced that James Paxton was going to be out until June. Earlier this week, it was announced that Luis Severino will have to have Tommy John and miss the entire 2020 season. I wrote an article a few weeks ago that was initially going to be titled “Four Fifteen Game Winners“. This article talked about how James Paxton and Severino would both be above the fifteen win mark. However, before I could publish the article, Paxton got hurt. Now, Severino is done for the year. The Yankees were trying to deal J.A. Happ in December, but now are thanking their lucky stars that they didn’t. So, is it panic time in the Bronx?

I don’t think it’s time for the Yankees to panic. The Yankees are still going to throw out arguably the best pitcher in the game on opening day in Gerrit Cole. The Yankees have one of the more reliable and crafty starters in the league following him in Masahiro Tanaka. After that, we do get a little dicey. J.A. Happ will slide into the third spot in the rotation for now. If Happ can resemble the way he looked in September last year, nobody should have a problem with that. However, if he’s the Happ that we saw for the majority of 2019, it might get rough. Following Happ, you’ll see Jordan Montgomery. Gumby was on pace to be one of the better pitchers in a Yankees rotation prior to him going down with Tommy John early in the 2018 season. If he can return to form, the New York Yankees should have a very solid 1-4 in the rotation assuming Happ can return to decent form. The fifth spot is the biggest question mark at this point. Paxton, Severino, and Domingo German are not options due to injuries and suspensions. I personally don’t think the Yankees will throw one of their top two pitching prospects (Clarke Schmidt & Deivi Garcia) into the fifth spot just yet. Instead, I think the Yankees will try a couple of different pitchers. I know it’s been mentioned, but I think Luis Cessa stays in the bullpen. I think that is where he is best utilized. I think the last spot, for now, will come down to a battle of Mike King and Jonathan Loaisiga. If I had to put money on it, I’d lean a little towards Loaisiga, but it will just come down to who performs better in the spring. I really like Mike King, but I think the starting experience at the MLB level would give Loaisiga the nod as of right now.

The New York Yankees are going to be fine at the end of the day. James Paxton is going to be back before the All Star Break, and we are going to see Domingo German as well. If Paxton can return to the same form he did last year, the Yankees are still going to be in much better shape heading into October in 2020 than they were last year. Essentially sub in Cole for Severino and the Yankees will have a choice of Happ, Montgomery, or German for a fourth starter. Losing Severino for the year definitely hurts, but, I still think the Yankees are the favorites to win the whole damn thing in 2020.

New York Yankees: How the starting pitching rotation will look after Luis Severino’s injury

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New York Yankees, Jonathan Loaisiga

With the news breaking that New York Yankees No. 2 starter Luis Severino will likely succumb to Tommy John surgery, manager Aaron Boone will need to find a replacement for him in the rotation.

James Paxton is already facing a lengthy recovery after having a cyst removed from his lower back, so losing two pitchers for significant time will force others to slot in at the end of the rotation. Thank goodness GM Brian Cashman retained J.A. Happ after all since his services will be heavily required in 2020.

However, Severino and Paxton’s injury gives multiple youngsters an opportunity as starting level pitchers. The return of Jordan Montgomery will prove to be significant, and his outing against the Pittsburg Pirates on Monday was exactly what the Yankees needed to see regarding their confidence in him.

Montgomery pitched 2.0 innings, striking out three batters and walking one. He allowed zero earned runs, finishing a quality night. I expect him to slot in as the No. 4 starter while Paxton recovers, and then move down to No. 5. While Monty didn’t feature much in 2019 due to injury, his first two seasons (2017-18) saw him toss two consecutive sub-4.00 ERA campaigns.

How will the New York Yankees supplement the No. 5 spot?

The Bombers don’t have a solidified No. 5 pitcher to take the reigns and handle the final spot in the rotation with consistency. I believe they will utilize a rotating system in the last slot, consisting of Michael King, Jonathan Loaisiga, and Jonathan Holder.

The 2020 season will be King’s rookie campaign, after pitching just several innings in 2019 at the major league level. He had some consistency issues in the minor league’s but is ready to be called up and tested. Loaisiga, on the other hand, finished 2019 with a 4.55 ERA, allowing six homers and logging 37 strikeouts. I expect him to take a step forward in the coming year after working on developing his off-speed pitches. He has added a solid changeup to his arsenal of mostly fastball variations, giving him that extra diversity to confuse batters.

Holder, though, shouldn’t be cast aside. While Holder posted a 6.31 ERA in 2019, he logged 46 strikeouts over 41.1 innings. His SO9 land at 10.0, which is quite impressive, indicating a solid whiff rate. His low 90s fastball isn’t anything to write home about, but he does feature a changeup, slider, cutter, and curveball. His cutter and fastball are his best pitches in terms of accuracy and velocity, but he has the offspeed mojo to get the job done.

Overall, I think the Yankees have the talent to survive the injuries sustained to the starting rotation, and hopefully, they can gain back Severino before the postseason hits later on in 2020.

New York Yankees: James Paxton making phenomenal recovery

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New York Yankees, James Paxton

Being a fan of New York sports teams required patience and tolerance. For the New York Yankees, it’s tolerating constant injuries, the Giants, terrible ownership (Knicks too), the Rangers, continuos rebuilding, and much more.

The Yankees couldn’t even manage to get through one game of Grapefruit League baseball before watching three of their best players pick up ailments. Luis Severino has a forearm issue, Aaron Judge suffered a sore shoulder due to overexertion, and James Paxton had a cyst removed from his lower back.

Paxton was expected to miss at least three months but is making phenomenal progress with his recovery. He’s expected to begin a throwing program in nine days, which is exponentially earlier than initially anticipated. A June debut seemed to be reasonable for the lefty arm, but some are saying May could be more likely after the most recent development.

New York Yankees’ Aaron Boone gives us an update:

Yankees skipper Aaron Boone stated via YES that they “feel really good about where [Paxton] is.” He mentioned that Paxton would begin throwing somewhere in the 7-10 day range and is hoping that the “nagging issues” that plagued his lower back would be alleviated in 2020.

Boone, on an interview with Suzyn Waldman and John Sterling, stated that “there is a really good chance that he’ll be ready sometime in May.” The Yankees were preparing to continue without Paxton, likely elevating Jordan Montgomery to the starting unit. After they lost Severino to a potentially significant injury, a younger option like Michael King could get the call as well.

Gaining Paxton back earlier than anticipated would allow them to eliminate any concern with their pitchers, especially with injuries continuing to mount. Expect to see rust from “Big Maple” once he makes it back, but he has plenty of time to work his way into playing form.

The Yankees have the firepower and talent in the starting rotation to survive any injuries. Signing $324 million-man, Gerrit Cole, will surely help int hat facet.

Yankees rookie pitcher fighting for roster spot after solid game one performance

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New York Yankees, Michael King

Game one of Grapefruit League play for the New York Yankees saw several vital performances from young players, as Clint Frazier started with a clean defensive game. However, one notable rookie who took the mound has been fighting to reach the big leagues for quite some time.

Michael King, who came in to relieve J.A. Happ of his duties, faced six batters, retiring all six, allowing two hits and a walk-in 1²/₃ innings. King is currently fighting for a roster spot, primarily in the bullpen as Jordan Montgomery will be elevated to the starting unit in lieu of Luis Severino and James Paxton’s injuries.

“I don’t know if I will ever feel that way,’’ King said when asked about competing for a big league rotation spot. “My whole mentality when I first came in — and that was before any type of injury — was just make it as hard of a decision as possible to send me down and I am going to keep that type of mentality. Wherever the cards fall.’’

Is Michael King ready to be called up by the Yankees?

King has only pitched two innings of MLB play, so 2020 should rightfully be his rookie campaign. He posted a 4.18 ERA with Scranton/Wilkes Barre last season, allowing three homers and logging 28 strikeouts.

It’s possible King could slide in as the 5th starter in the rotation if Paxton and Severino miss significant time. The Yankees also have Jonathan Loaisiga as an option to start, but King has the stamina to last several innings of play, given his near two-inning performance on Saturday.

The minor-league prospect will be evaluated in the coming weeks as the Bombers have 15 games remaining (including Sunday) of preseason play. Reports of Paxton potentially returning in May have bubbled to the surface, as his recovery has gone well. The expectation was that he would miss at least three months, but team officials believe he will resume throwing in 10-days.

New York Yankees: Back of the Rotation Expectations

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New York Yankees, Aaron Boone

The New York Yankees are set at the top of their rotation. The Yankees have arguably the best pitcher in baseball in Gerrit Cole. The Yankees have one of the best young starting pitchers in the game in Luis Severino. They also have one of the best post-season starting pitchers in Masahiro Tanaka. Not to mention, James Paxton, but he won’t be pitching until June so we will leave him out of this conversation. You know what you’re going to get from those three. More times than not, you’re going to get a high-quality outing from any of those three. But, what about the last two spots in the rotation? What are the Yankees truly expecting from J.A. Happ and Jordan Montgomery? Yes, I know the Yankees don’t have a set starter at the fifth spot, but in this article we are going to go with the odds that Gumby wins the fifth spot. The Yankees have three very good righties and two big question marks surrounding their lefties. So Yankee fans, what should we expect?

Happ looking to bounce back.

J.A. Happ is a crafty lefty who was incredible when the Yankees first acquired him during the 2018 season. In 11 starts, Happ went 7-0 with a 2.69 ERA. He resembled the way James Paxton looked during the second half of 2019. He was the Yankees best pitcher, and he pitched his way into a new two year deal with the Yankees. However, he almost immediately proved that the Yankees overpaid during the 2019 season. Happ was awful last season going 12-9 with a 4.91 ERA. Happ allowed a career high in home runs, and he posted his second highest career ERA. The Yankees were trying to find a trade partner to take Happ once the offseason started. However, the Yankees pumped the breaks on that search when Paxton’s health became in question. Happ was no longer expendable in the eyes of the Yankees front office. So, Happ is going to slot in to the fourth spot in the rotation to start the 2020 season. What should we expect? Well, I think we are going to see his numbers improve from where they were last year. Do I expect him to be the Happ of 2018? Of course not. Nobody should expect Happ to be an all-star, but I believe Happ is going to be a very serviceable member of the Yankees rotation. If he has a decent start to the season, the Yankees could explore moving him at the deadline if Paxton comes back and seems healthy. The idea of trading Happ comes down to how the other member of the rotation does in his first half.

Will Gumby return to form?

Jordan Montgomery really came out of no where for the Yankees in 2017. Monty went 9-7 with an ERA of 3.88 in his first year with the Yankees. Montgomery continued to improve into the 2018 season. In six starts, Montgomery was 2-0 with 3.62 ERA. He looked like he was going to be another crafty Yankee lefty that was going to be a fixture in the rotation for years to come. Reminded me a lot of Andy Pettitte. However, during a game against the Astros, Montgomery was pulled for discomfort in his elbow. Montgomery ended up needing Tommy John surgery and missed the remained of 2018 and all of 2019. I’m not really counting the four innings he appeared in at the end of the season. Montgomery is a question mark because we really don’t know how he’s going to bounce back from TJ surgery. Most players seem to come back just fine, but until he proves it, he’s a question mark. Personally, I expect Montgomery to re-establish himself as a member of the rotation in 2020. I expect a decent year from Gumby with an ERA floating right around four. I think he will keep his spot in the rotation even after James Paxton comes back from injury. I believe the Yankees feel that Montgomery is going to be a member of the rotation moving forward, and I expect him to stay in the rotation beyond the 2020 season.

While the back-end of the rotation is no where close to the top of the Yankees rotation, I expect them to put up decent numbers in 2020. There are going to be some clunkers here and there from the two lefties, but for the most part, I expect these two will give the Yankees more chances to win games than chances to lose. The Yankees high-powered offense will help their W/L numbers, but I expect both guys to have sub 4.50 ERAs during the first half of the 2020 season.

Yankees: James Paxton delivers good news on injury front

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New York Yankees, James Paxton

When it was announced that New York Yankees starring pitcher would miss the first 3-4 months of the season with a lower-back injury, most were punished to the shady ways of negative expectations. Injuries were a significant factor in 2019 for the Yankees, as 30 different players spent 39 stints on the injured list.

For Paxton, he has been injury-prone his entire career, and this is another bump in the road he will be forced to overcome. Luckily, the Bombers have a stout starting rotation capable of supplementing the loss of one arm. However, the suspension to Domingo German doesn’t help their case. Once both Paxton and German return, the Yanks will feature a rotation that would intimidate the likes of the Dodgers.

What Yankees pitcher James Paxton had to say about his surgery:

A cyst was the discovered problem that forced the lefty pitcher to succumb to surgery. A so-called, Microscopic lumbar discectomy was the culprit, and according to doctors, his 3-4 month recovery timetable is the appropriate amount of time for him to return to major league play with a full bill of health.

“I wish I could have had it done in October,” Paxton said. “We just didn’t know exactly what was happening then. But I’d rather have it happen now than a full three months than midseason and miss a full three months of the season. This way I’ll hopefully only miss a month or so.”

Getting the procedure done earlier than later gives the Yankees time to prepare without him and work through the beginning of the season. If they had waited, his timetable for recovery could have been longer, and it would have occurred during more tumultuous times.

“It’ll make a difference if I start throwing in four or six weeks because that’s an extra two weeks to build up so, we’ll just have to see how it goes,” said Paxton, who was 15-6 with a 3.82 ERA last season with 186 strikeouts over 150 2/3 innings.

Paxton stated that he feels good so far:

“I feel pretty good,” he said. “ I think I’m eight days out of surgery now. I’m moving around pretty well. I’m starting to test it out little by little each day. I’m going to be a process, but the process is going well.”

The process will take a bit of time for Paxton, but the important part is that they identified the cyst, which had alleviated their initial screenings during the postseason.

New York Yankees: Key Position Battles for Spring Training

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New York Yankees, Tyler Wade

New York Yankees fans can rejoice. Spring training is… well, pretty much here. Pitchers and catchers report today. It’s now interesting to see just how many position battles are brewing before the Spring Training season officially begins. Here’s a quick rundown:

Number 5 Starter

With James Paxton out until May/June, and Happ sliding in for Domingo German until his suspension is over, there’s an opening in the rotation for the next couple of months. Jordan Montgomery is the odds on favorite, but Luis Cessa and Johnathan Loaisiga have a distinct edge. That edge being… they aren’t coming back from Tommy John Surgery. Devi Garcia is also coming to camp for the first time and can make a legitimate claim for the spot, leapfrogging over the three veterans.

Third Base

Rightfully, third base is Gio Urshela’s to lose. However, Miguel Andujar, who will be tried out at several other positions, will have a chance to take it back. His rehab for his labrum tear began in earnest in September and has more on his side than Urshela. Urshela has to prove that his subpar defensive statistics for 2019 were an anomaly and that his offensive output can be maintained throughout the 2020 campaign.

4th Outfielder

Until Aaron Hicks can come back from Tommy John surgery, the likely outfield configuration will be Aaron Judge, Brett Gardner, and Giancarlo Stanton. Countless Yankee fans want to see Clint Frazier given his opportunity, that his bat is worth the chance in the outfield. But if he can’t improve his defensive capabilities, why would the Yankees need him? Urshela and Andujar will see some time in the outfield, Tyler Wade can play outfield in a pinch, and you’ll have Stanton, Andujar, Voit, and Sanchez all seeing regular time in the DH slot. Where does Frazier fit in if his defense is just as sloppy as it was in 2019?

Backup Catcher

The Yankees have been STOCKPILING on backup catchers in the past few months. This is after Brian Cashman admitted that he’d be comfortable with Kyle Higashioka as the backup after Austin Romine left for the Detroit Tigers. You just signed 3 veteran catchers, all of whom could easily be backups for Gary Sanchez. If they REALLY were feeling comfortable with Higashioka at the backup role, you wouldn’t go out of your way to sign three catchers. I am seriously beginning to question if Higashioka will make it out of Tampa.

These are just some of the position battles to keep an eye on as Spring Training progresses. New York Yankees’ Masahiro Tanaka feels Astros cheated them out of World Series

New York Yankees 2020 Season Preview: Jordan Montgomery

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New York Yankees, Jordan Montgomery

New York Yankees starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery is looking to get back on track following Tommy John surgery that sent him to the IL for the majority of the last two seasons.

The southpaw of Sumter, South Carolina, had an impressive 2017 rookie campaign. He had a 9-7 record with a 3.88 ERA in 155.1 innings pitched. Montgomery rang up 144 batters and had a 1.230 WHIP.

After just six starts in 2018, Montgomery didn’t feel right. After resting for a while on the IL, it was decided that he would undergo Tommy John surgery. He missed the rest of 2018 and made only two appearances in 2019, both at the end of the year.

2020 Expectations:

With the news that James Paxton is going on the IL to start the 2020 season, Montgomery will probably be back in the starting rotation once camp breaks.

In the early part of the season, it may be a contest between him and JA Happ on who keeps the spot once Paxton is healthy. Whoever is worse will likely go to the bullpen.

But, come June and Domingo German’s reinstatement, both pitchers may be relocated to the bullpen unless one or both are having stellar seasons.

Since Montgomery will be the fifth starter, they need him to pitch similar to how he did in 2017. His 2017 stat line is fantastic for a fifth starter. It would be great if he were better than in 2017, but it’s not necessary for the team’s success. He needs to be consistent and get the game to the bullpen after the fifth or sixth inning without a huge mess.

The Yankees are hoping Jordan Montgomery can return to his normal self in 2020 after undergoing Tommy John surgery.