The LoHud Yankees Blog

Here’s the Yankees lineup for the series opener against the Brewers, plus the latest from the Associated Press in Tampa. Also worth noting that Brian Gordon is listed as an available reliever.

Brett Gardner LF
Curtis Granderson CF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Jorge Posada DH
Russell Martin C
Eduardo Nunez SS

—

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter has run the bases for the first time, a key step in his rehabilitation program for a strained right calf.

The Yankees captain ran from home to first four times, first to second three times and first to third once on Tuesday at the team’s minor league complex.

“Running is probably most important,” Jeter said. “Feels good. I’m sure we’ll pick it up in the next couple days.”

There is no date yet for when Jeter, on the 15-day disabled list for the first time since 2003, will rejoin the lineup.

“As soon as I can,” he said.

Jeter is six hits shy of 3,000, a chase that’s been on hold since he got hurt June 13.

Jeter also took 24 grounders on the grass, 10 more at his normal infield position and made throws to first base. He took 47 swings during his second day of on-field batting practice.

Also, right-hander Bartolo Colon, sidelined with a strained right hamstring, practiced bunting, a sign that he could pitch in his weekend’s interleague road series against the New York Mets.

Colon, coming off a 60-pitch, four-inning simulated game on Monday, also threw long toss, ran sprints and did agility drills.

Converted reliever Mark Prior, on the DL at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre because of a strained groin, threw off a bullpen mound for the second time in four days. If there are no problems, he might throw batting practice later this week.

Tonight
RHP Freddy Garcia (6-6, 3.30)
vs.
RHP Zack Greinke (7-2, 4.77)
7:05 p.m., YES Network / MLB Network

Wednesday
RHP A.J. Burnett (7-6, 4.15)
vs.
RHP Shaun Marcum (7-2, 2.95)
7:05 p.m., YES Network

Thursday
LHP CC Sabathia (10-4, 3.25)
vs.
RHP Randy Wolf (6-4, 3.20)
1:05 p.m., YES Network / MLB Network

Yesterday, just one day before coming the Yankee Stadium, the Brewers designated Sergio Mitre for assignment. Would the Yankees be interested?

Spring training opened with Mitre as a heavy favorite to win a long relief job in the Yankees bullpen, but Bartolo Colon was outstanding, and when the Yankees decided they might not have room for Mitre, they traded him to Milwaukee.* With the Brewers, he’s actually been pretty effective with a 3.27 ERA through 22 appearances. He’s pitched as many as three innings at a time.

With a placeholder already in the rotation, and a series of long relievers coming and going from the minor league system, would the Yankees prefer a guy who they already know and saw pitch pretty well last year? For all the grief he gets in the fan base, Mitre did have a 3.33 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and .223 opponents batting average last year.

The situation reminds me of Chad Gaudin. The Yankees released Gaudin last spring, but they remembered that he pitched well at the end of 2009, and when Gaudin was released by the Athletics in mid-May, the Yankees signed him five days later. He made 30 appearances for the Yankees, pitching in more games than Mitre and throwing more innings than Boone Logan, Chan-Ho Park, Ivan Nova or Kerry Wood.

Could Mitre fall into a similar situation?

* Wonder if Mitre would have made the Opening Day bullpen ahead of Luis Ayala had he stuck around.

I have very few absolute rules in life, but one of them is this: If the AP has a cool picture of Yogi Berra and Don Larsen together in the Yankees dugout on Old Timers’ Day, I should find a place for it on the blog.

So, as we’re wrapping up the Yankees final off day until the all-star break, we’ll start with a picture of the catcher and pitcher together again.

Naturally, the return of Joe Torre grabbed the headlines today. Some of Torre’s history might be tainted, but in the end, I think John Harper’s column today was right on the money: Whatever your take on Torre’s book, it’s silly to ignore his place in the franchise’s history. I think it’s possible to be disappointed in the book, but still celebrate the legacy. That seems to be what the Yankees did in inviting Torre to yesterday’s event.

Anyway, here are  few more notes and links for the day. The Yankees get back on the field tomorrow against the Brewers.

• Back in Scranton, my old darts playing partner Marty Myers caught up with the one-armed military veteran who made a highlight catch at Yankee Stadium on Friday night. Michael Kacer is from the Scranton area, lost his left arm in a rocket attack in Afghanastan and made a now famous leaning catch with his cap. Great story.

• Here’s a really nice read about Eduardo Nunez’s role on the Yankees and his part in Sunday’s win. It’s written by one of the finest writers and reporters I know.

• Dante Bichette Jr. is getting the full Yankees experience down in Tampa. He seems to be enjoying working alongside Derek Jeter.

• Over at Baseball Prospectus, Jay Jaffe looked at the Yankees struggles against pitchers they’ve never seen. It’s not as much of a problem this year as it was last year.

• River Ave. Blues looked ahead to the 40-man spots that could open when injured Yankees come off the disabled list. I tend to agree with their list. I’d put Buddy Carlyle, Kanekoa Texeira and Brian Gordon at the top of the list of guys who could be removed to open a spot, though Gordon could certainly pitch his way into sticking around as a long man.

• This one’s a few days old, but with Derek Jeter taking some swings today, it seems to apply: The Hardball Times looked at other players — like Jeter — who have experienced an extended wait while on the verge of a major milestone.

• In the final NL voting update before the all-star rosters are announced, Rickie Weeks has moved ahead of Brandon Phillips in the race for second base.

• I failed to mention it until now, but the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center reopened last week after being closed for nearly a year for extensive renovations.

Associated Press photos

Through those first few weeks of spring training — before the games started and Manny Banuelos stole the show — Andrew Brackman was the prospect of the moment in Yankees camp. He’d made remarkable strides the year before, and camp opened with the Yankees raving about Brackman’s bullpen sessions. His fastball velocity was back, he was locating in the strike zone and even his changeup seemed to be coming together.

Three months into the regular season, Brackman has been the complete opposite. Donnie Collins did a nice job explaining the situation, noting that Brackman’s fastball velocity has peaked in the mid-90s, but it’s also sat in the mid-to-upper-80s. Brackman has also regressed in terms of command. As Donnie wrote: “Triple-A hitters are patient enough to force Brackman to throw strikes. He simply can’t right now.” When Rafael Soriano was injured, general manager Brian Cashman sugarcoated nothing. He said, with no hesitation, that Brackman wasn’t pitching well enough to be considered for a call-up.

The Yankees have since moved Brackman into the bullpen. Maybe it was to get him straightened out. Maybe it was an attempt to catch lightning in a bottle and see if Brackman could be rushed into the big league pen. Maybe it was because it simply made more sense to give other pitchers his starts.

In six relief appearances, he has a 15.63 ERA with eight walks and nine hits in 6.1 innings. Eliminate two terrific outings against Columbus, and the numbers are even worse.

For any 6-foot-10 pitcher, consistent mechanics are tricky, but Brackman seemed to figure it out last season, and he seemed to carry it into those first few weeks of spring training. Right now, it’s gone again, at a time when the Yankees could really use him.

• There’s been some interesting movement in the Yankees system in the past few days. The most recent moves are perhaps the most interesting: Right-handers Josh Romanski and Chase Whitley have been promoted from Tampa to Trenton. That puts Whitley officially on the fast-track, getting to Double-A mid-way through his first full season. He was drafted just last year and had a 1.68 ERA and 1.06 WHIP out of the Tampa bullpen. Romanski was originally drafted by the Brewers in ’08, signed with the Yankees last year and had a 2.99 ERA as a High-A starter. He’ll pitch out of the Double-A bullpen.

• In that same link, Mike Ashmore notes that Phil Hughes will in fact make his next rehab start with Double-A Trenton on Wednesday.

• Speaking of interesting call-ups, the Tampa roster is suddenly one of, as expected, J.R. Murphy has been promoted from Charleston to Tampa after hitting .297 with a team-high 23 doubles. Third baseman Rob Segedin (.323/.396/.482), first baseman Kyle Roller (.305/.379/.545) and starting pitcher Mikey O’Brien (3-4, 3.24) were also moved up from Charleston to Tampa.

• Slade Heathcott also has been promoted from Tampa to Charleston, but he’s on the DL with a minor injury so he hasn’t made his High-A debut. Just checked with a team official who confirmed that, when he returns, Heathcott be in High-A. His bat had slowed considerably in the past month and a half, but results are secondary for players at that level. The Yankees obviously feel he made the necessary strides after basically a full year in Low-A (he spent the second half of last season at that level as well).

• Helping make room for those corner infielders coming up from Charleston, Rob Lyerly has been promoted from Tampa to Trenton. He’s one of those guys who keeps doing enough to stay on the radar, even if he’s not in the spotlight. He was hitting .315 with five triples and four homers in Tampa.

• Other noteworthy promotions: Right-hander Fernando Hernandez and lefty Kei Igawa are up from Trenton to help fill pitching holes for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre… Outfielder Michael Ferraro has been assigned to Charleston. He was in extended spring… Not really a promotion, but Eduardo Sosa came on the DL to essentially take Heathcott’s spot in the Charleston outfield. He’s a little bit off the radar, but an interesting prospect out of Venezuela. He’s hitting .309…

• Not all movement has been positive. Melky Mesa was demoted from Trenton to Tampa this weekend. He was the Florida State League Player of the Year last year, but he returned after hitting just .214 with 54 strikeouts in Double-A. He’s an all-or-nothing kind of guy, and there’s been a lot of nothing this year.

• Other noteworthy demotions: Catcher Kyle Higashioka was sent down from Tampa to Charleston after hitting just .238/.300/.372. He hit just .225 in Charleston last year… Starter Scottie Allen went from Tampa to Charleston after a 7.21 ERA in 16 High-A outings. He was the guy acquired in the Juan Miranda trade… Infielder Kevin Mahoney went from Tampa to Charleston despite solid numbers. Probably a move strictly to get at-bats in the wake of the Roller/Segedin promotions.

• Steve Garrison is off the Double-A disabled list. He made his return over the weekend and allowed two earned runs on five hits through five innings. Not bad for his first Double-A start in nearly two months.

• Alan Horne is also active again. His return to Double-A was a five-walk disaster — he didn’t get a single out — but his second outing was better (2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K). It’s been a long time for Horne, but he’s got most of the season to get things going again. He’s one of the all-time bad luck, good guy pitchers I’ve ever met.

• Despite unusually high walk totals, Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances continue to pitch pretty well in Double-A. Betances has been especially good with a 2.37 ERA, .177 opponents average and 71 strikeouts in 64.2 innings. Problem is that on June 21 he lasted just 2.1 innings, walked four and gave up six earned runs. He’s walked four in three straight starts. He’s well above last year’s walk total.

• There were some early season concerns about Gary Sanchez, but he was named South Atlantic League Player of the Week two weeks ago, and he’s hit .291/.365/.491 in the month of June. That’s after a similarly productive month of May.

• Newly signed corner infielders Mike Lamb and Terry Tiffee have moved immediately into the heart of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre lineup. Those two have been hitting third and fifth, and they’re probably worth watching as potential alternatives to Eric Chavez if the Yankees decide they need a power-hitting infielder off the bench. Then again, Brandon Laird is also starting to hit a little bit. Jorge Vazquez has been on the DL for the past week.

• Speaking of Vazquez, he’s on the DL with a shoulder injury, and I heard today that the Yankees expect him to be out “not too much longer.” Sounds like it’s not too serious.

• The list of Triple-A pitchers currently on the disabled list: Tim Norton, David Phelps, Ryan Pope, Mark Prior, Carlos Silva, Kanekoa Texeira and Kevin Whelan. That’s three guys currently one the 40-man, two big league veterans and two guys who were pitching well enough to be on the call-up radar.

Headshots of Brackman, Romanski, Whitley, Heathcott, Mesa, Higashioka and Horne

The Yankees most obvious holes are in the pitching staff, but there are places that could be upgraded in the lineup. Whether those upgrades are necessary probably depends on whether you believe certain players will bounce back, fall apart, stay healthy or stay injured.

Brian Cashman’s made it clear he’s not in the market for a shortstop, and clearly the Yankees are not in the market for a starting first baseman, second baseman, third baseman or center fielder. That leaves just a few places to potentially upgrade.

Catcher

Russell Martin might very well start the all-star game, but his offensive production has slipped. Francisco Cervelli has been productive in spurts, but his defense remains surprisingly spotty while his bat has regressed since those unsustainable first few months last season.

Trade market: Thin.
Martin’s offensive production isn’t what it was in April, but he remains a more viable offensive player than a lot of everyday catchers. Hard to justify making a move when the Yankees have considerable catching depth in-house and a productive everyday option in position. Backup catchers are easy to find — the Yankees found Jose Molina at minimal cost a few years ago —  but most backups come with their own Cervelli-type flaws. It might be possible to find an affordable option on the trade market, but the catcher position is always tricky to fill.

In-house: The Prospect.
Perhaps the Yankees biggest trade chip, Jesus Montero is also their most advanced hitting prospect and most obvious in-house alternative behind the plate. Assuming the Yankees believe that his offensive ups and downs will go away when he’s challenged at the big league level, he could become an option sooner rather than later, but right now his Triple-A slugging percentage is lower than Ramiro Pena’s. He’s not quite knocking down the door with numbers that demand a call-up. A second half like he had last season, though, could force the Yankees hand. Either this year or next year, the Yankees will have to take a chance on him.

Corner outfield

The need here depends largely on your perception of Brett Gardner and Nick Swisher. Gardner’s first three weeks were so bad that they’re still masking his productive past two months. Swisher didn’t get off to quite so bad of a start, but he also took a little longer to become especially productive. Andruw Jones and Chris Dickerson have played part-time roles from the right and left side.

Trade market: Expensive.
The Yankees would have to give up an elite package of prospects in order to trade for a corner outfielder clearly capable of outplaying Gardner or Swisher. Their better bet might be to simply trust those two to continue their recent production. Fourth outfielders will be readily available, but Jones has hit for power against left-handers and Dickerson has been productive when given at-bats against right-handers. The fan base seems to be especially down on Jones, but as a platoon player who’s primary responsibility is to hit for power against lefties, he’s been pretty good. He’s been as good as any affordable alternative, anyway.

In-house: Role players.
Justin Maxwell and Colin Curtis are on the disabled list eliminating one right-handed and one left-handed option. Greg Golson is still in the system, and he gave the Yankees a late-season boost last year. He’s a faster, better-defensive option than Jones, and right now he’s arguably the best hitter in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre with a .291/.348/.440 slash line. He hasn’t hit like that since Double-A three years ago. The Yankees know him and would certainly trust him as a role player, but his splits have been unusual. He’s hitting just .184 with one extra-base hit against lefties. Jordan Parraz is also hitting pretty well in the Triple-A outfield, Kevin Russo has been productive for two months now and Brandon Laird is also starting to hit.

Designated hitter

The Yankees showed remarkable patience with Jorge Posada – sometimes maddening patience, if we’re being honest – but right now, it might be paying off. Posada has been productive for a few weeks now, and although he dug himself in a hole, he might have time to salvage his final contract year.

Trade market: Plentiful.
We’re talking about designated hitter here. The trade market includes pretty much anyone who can hit, and there will be plenty of bats available. On the high end, Prince Fielder will be a popular trade rumor if the Brewers start to slip, but he’s going to cost a ton. On the low end, the A’s would have no reason to keep Hideki Matsui if someone made a legitimate offer, but he’s been brutal. Rather than specifically trade for a designated hitter — like the Yankees did last year with Lance Berkman — it might make more sense to trade for a corner outfielder/infielder who could sub off the bench and occasionally spell Posada at DH.

In house: Out with a broken foot.
The best alternative at designated hitter might be Eric Chavez, who was an incredibly valuable bench player before that bizarre foot injury. He’s rehabbing, but the progress seems slow. If Chavez can make it back in July, he could ease any concerns about depth behind Posada at DH (while also easing some concerns about Alex Rodriguez’s nagging injuries). The Yankees could also dig into Triple-A and give a young guy like Montero a chance to get his feet wet in this role, but their other big bat in Triple-A — Jorge Vazquez — is on the disabled list. It’s worth noting that the Yankees just signed power-hitting veterans Mike Lamb and Terry Tiffee to minor league deals.

Associated Press photos

The latest from The Associated Press down at the Yankees complex in Tampa. Sounds like Barolo Colon might be closer than expected.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter did not let a thunderstorm deter him from increasing his workouts.

The Yankees captain, on the 15-day disabled list because of a strained right calf, took batting practice on the field for the first time and started a running program Monday.

Jeter took 30 swings in batting practice. He fielded seven grounders on the grass before rain forced a stop. After a brief delay, Jeter returned to the field for three light sprints and some agility-related drills.

“Everything’s good,” Jeter said. “Steps in the right direction.”

There is no date yet for when Jeter, who turned 37 on Sunday, will rejoin the lineup. He’s six hits shy of 3,000, a chase that’s been on hold since getting hurt June 13.

Other Yankees also continued their rehabilitation.

Infielder Eric Chavez, out with a broken left foot, took batting practice with Jeter.

Right-hander Bartolo Colon, sidelined with a strained right hamstring, threw four innings of 15-pitches each in a simulated game.

Colon struck out three and allowed two hits, including one to injured minor league outfielder Slade Heathcott, who was the Yankees’ first round draft pick in 2009.

There have been discussions on whether Colon will need a minor league outing or if he could be ready to pitch against the New York Mets this weekend.

Left-handed reliever Pedro Feliciano, on the DL with a left shoulder tear, made 15 soft throws off a bullpen mound,

Converted reliever Mark Prior, on the DL at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre because of a strained groin, is scheduled to throw off a mound for the second time in four days on Tuesday.

Associated Press photo

Two weeks from the all-star break and a little more than a month before the trade deadline, the Yankees are at a point where they can — sort of — figure out what they need to add for a second-half push toward the playoffs. Making this picture a little less clear is the status of their injured players who could provide a significant boost if/when they get healthy.

On the pitching staff, the preseason concern has become a surprising strength, and the preseason strength has become a surprising concern. These are three areas where the Yankees might look to upgrade their pitching staff in the second half.

Starting pitcher

The Yankees rotation has been better than anyone could have expected, and that’s despite injuries to Phil Hughes and Bartolo Colon. The Yankees, though, will surely kick the tires on alternatives, if only to add depth and peace of mind.

Trade market: Hit-and-miss.
A starting pitcher will be traded before the deadline, history tells us that much. The question is whether an addition would be an upgrade over the Yankees in-house options. If Hughes and Colon come back and pitch well – and both Freddy Garcia and Ivan Nova continue to pitch well enough – then the need for a starter will be minimal (though the want might still exist). If Hughes or Colon suffers a setback, Garcia or Nova regresses, or A.J. Burnett falls into last year’s habits, then the Yankees will need someone. Carlos Zambrano and Brett Myers seem to be available targets, but are they worth the headache? The Twins have been disappointing and could shed starting pitchers at the deadline, but are they more reliable than what the Yankees already have?

In-house: The kids.
Dellin Betances and Manny Banuelos are still in Double-A and both are pitching well (though still working on some control issues). Not so long ago, the Yankees had Hughes and Alan Horne dominating in Double-A as highly regarded prospects, but the Yankees left them there, and there’s not much reason to expect the Yankees to change course and suddenly rush Betances or Banuelos without at least a brief stop in Triple-A. More likely options might be Carlos Silva, Hector Noesi or someone from the David Phelps-Adam Warren-D.J. Mitchell trio in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Warren is probably at the top of that pecking order with Phelps is currently on the DL.

Setup reliever

Joba Chamberlain is lost for the year, and Rafael Soriano is almost certainly lost until after the all-star break. Dave Robertson has been terrific in the eighth inning, but the Yankees are mixing-and-matching in the sixth and seventh, still searching for one-inning relievers to complete that bridge to Mariano Rivera.

Trade market: They’re all relievers. Last year, the Yankees took a chance on Kerry Wood, and that move completely changed the bullpen. At the time of the trade, though, Wood was coming off injury and had ugly numbers with Cleveland. He came to the Yankees as a complete wild card and became a dominant setup man. The Yankees could go looking for something similar, but relievers are an unreliable group. Based on what Wood was doing at this time last year, he would not have looked like an especially attractive target. There will be risk in anyone the Yankees go after, though some big names seem to be on the market, including Padres closer Heath Bell.

In-house: Untested. The Yankees have had success plugging minor league starters into bullpen roles, and that’s occasionally worked as a stepping stone to the big league rotation. Right now, they seem to be trying something similar with Noesi.* They also might have found something in Cory Wade, though his innings have been limited. Andrew Brackman has moved to the Triple-A bullpen, but the results have not been encouraging. The Yankees have looked at Kevin Whelan and they’ve run through a series of long-relievers, but so far Noesi has been the call-up standout and Luis Ayala has been better than expected. George Kontos still seems to be pitching himself toward a call-up in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Left-handed reliever

The Yankees top two left-handed relievers should be Pedro Feliciano and Damaso Marte, but those two proven veterans have yet to pitch this season because of injuries. In their place, Boone Logan has been erratic, unable to repeat last year’s second-half success.

Trade market: Still relievers. The same problem that applies to the setup trade market applies to the lefty trade market: These guys tend to be unpredictable. The Yankees could take their chances on a veteran, with hopes that he doesn’t fall into either the Logan Trap of ineffectiveness or the Feliciaino/Marte Trap of arm problems. The Phillies just released J.C. Romero, who actually had solid numbers against lefties this season but passed through waivers without a claim. Logan has struggled all season, and the Yankees haven’t traded for a replacement yet, which might say something about the market.

In-house: Minor league veterans. The Yankees have signed some lefties for the Triple-A pitching staff, and those might be legitimate options. Randy Flores has pitched well out of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre bullpen, holding lefties to a .233 average with nine strikeouts, seven hits and one walk. Greg Smith has pitched well out of the rotation, but that’s only 14.2 innings and he has almost zero bullpen experience. If he could pitch in relief, Smith could give the Yankees a second lefty who doubles as a long man. It’s also worth noting that Whelan has had tremendous success against left-handers, but he’s currently on the DL and his first stint in New York was so short, it’s hard to imagine the Yankees trusting him with the bizarre role of right-handed lefty specialist.

—

* In my mind, this is why it makes sense to have Noesi playing a bullpen role while Brian Gordon gets a few spot starts. Noesi’s role could be a long-term thing. The Yankees have a very real need in the late innings, and if Noesi adapts to the role, he could be a significant boost the rest of the way. The current rotation opening is a no-doubt-about-it part-time job. Gordon is going to get one or two more starts before Hughes is ready, and obviously they’re going to skip him when they can. He had great numbers this year, so the Yankees are riding the hot hand for a while. They’re hoping for more than a short-term contribution from Noesi.

Associated Press photos

I got back to New York a little before midnight last night. My friend’s father died tragically and suddenly last week, so I went back to Missouri for the funeral. I’m just now getting myself caught up on the weekend in the Bronx.

A few thoughts on what I missed…

• I don’t know Gene Monahan especially well, but it’s impossible to not like that man. It would have been nice to see that ceremony yesterday. That must have been the highlight of Old Timers’ Day.

• Eduardo Nunez is giving the Yankees what they need in Derek Jeter’s absence. It’s too much to ask that he suddenly becomes an elite player, but the Yankees were banking on his ability to be hit a little more than Ramiro Pena, and he’s been able to do that. As backup shortstop’s go, Nunez is pretty good (By the way, he made himself better defensively in the minors, now he’ll have to do it in the big leagues, and I think he will).

• Last time I saw Boone Logan he retired Joey Votto and Jay Bruce in order in Cincinnati. Now he’s followed that with two good outings in New York. Reminds me of a few weeks ago when Jorge Posada had two or three good games. Posada kept that going, and now there’s legitimate reason to think he might have turned things around. Logan will have to do the same. No one is going to be sold on three games, but this is certainly a positive step in the right direction.

• Speaking of Posada, he’s hitting .393/.435/.589 in the month of June. That’s 56 at-bats.

• I think Nick Swisher’s found it. During that NL road trip, there was a lot of talk about Swisher swinging at better pitches. I can’t speak for him, but it just seems like he’s grown less anxious. He’s letting the bat pitches go by (which has boosted his walk total) and he’s swinging at the good pitches (which is the reason he’s hit six homers this month).

• Curtis Granderson has gone 11 games without a homer. That’s his longest stretch of the season.

• It’s not at all unusual to see a baseball player getting extra heat or ice this time of year, so I’m not sure all of these nagging Alex Rodriguez injuries are a big deal, but it’s hard to ignore them. Guys get banged up, and sometimes that begins to have an impact. Rodriguez, though, has been terrific lately (.329/.419/.595 in June).

• CC Sabathia just gets it done. As Joe Girardi would say, “That’s the bottom line.”

Associated Press photo

After his 1-2-3, two-K eighth to get the game to Mariano Rivera for a 1-2-3 ninth in Sunday’s 6-4 win over the Rockies, David Robertson had given up only one earned run over his last 18 appearances. That dated to May 17 and included just nine hits allowed and 30 strikeouts in 17 1/3 innings. His ERA for the season is a tiny 1.15 over 34 outings. He has fanned 50 in 31 1/3, although he has walked 20.

Robertson has moved up from the sixth and then the seventh after the injuries to the original eighth-inning guy, Rafael Soriano, and then Joba Chamberlain. Soriano could be back after the All-Star break from his elbow inflammation. But following this latest game, Nick Swisher endorsed Robertson for the permanent eighth-inning job.

“I’m not taking credit from anybody, but that’s the spot he should be in,” Swisher said. “He’s proven that. The numbers show that. He’s one of my good buddies. I’m so excited that he’s starting to get a lot of the credit that he deserves.”

I agree with Swisher. I can’t see going back to Soriano for the eighth no matter how much he’s making when Robertson is doing this well, and especially since Soriano wasn’t having a steady season when he went down. He checked out with a 5.40 ERA over 16 appearances.

Your thoughts?