The LoHud Yankees Blog

Colin Curtis is having surgery today to repair his injured right shoulder.

The Yankees initially believed Curtis would be rehabbing for about a month after suffering a shoulder subluxation during spring training. At the time Curtis said he wanted to avoid surgery “at all costs.”

He hurt himself making a diving catch on March 6. Although he no longer seemed to be favoring the shoulder in the clubhouse, Curtis went for another exam while the Yankees were in Boston and the decision was made that he would need surgery.

It’s unclear at this time how much longer Curtis will be out.

Joe Girardi has settled on one lineup decision: Derek Jeter will bat leadoff against left-handed starters. ”You can bank on that,” Girardi said.

Who bats leadoff against right-handers remains up in the air.

Jack Curry reported today that the Yankees will open the season with Brett Gardner in the leadoff spot. I’m sure Curry’s right, but Girardi said he hasn’t settled on a lineup against right-handed pitchers.

“It’s something we’ll talk about on the plane,” Girardi said.

The Yankees face Justin Verlander on Thursday, and won’t face a lefty through the entire opening series against Detroit. The fact Girardi stuck with Gardner in the leadoff spot through the final two weeks or so of spring training seems to be a pretty good sign that he’s leaning that way for the regular season, but he’s said he won’t set anything in stone until Thursday.

“We’ll find out in a couple of day,” Gardner said. “I’m not worried about it.”

Gardner hit .260 this spring. His nine walks were tied with Jorge Posada for the team lead. Jeter hit .304 and struck out only three times. In the final weeks, he seemed to be driving the ball more often, and Girardi said that’s what stood out to him about his shortstop.

“Some of the balls that he’s pulled with authority,” Girardi said. “I’ve noticed that he seems to get to that better now, and I think it’s something that pitchers are going to have to think about. Everything he used to try to shoot the other way, and he would pull some breaking balls. I’ve seen him pull some heaters with authority. People are going to have to decide whether the risk is worth it now.”

• Pedro Feliciano might be out longer than two weeks. Girardi said Feliciano has been shut down for 10 days and is likely to be out at least three weeks. “He’s going to have to play catch and long toss and flat ground then get off a mound and then throw to hitters,” Girardi said. “I think you’re looking at at least three weeks.”

• Feliciano, Damaso Marte and Colin Curtis are all traveling with the Yankees to New York. They’ll all be checked out in the City, but they won’t necessarily stay with the team for their rehab work.

• Girardi made it clear that if Curtis Granderson isn’t able to open the season, Chris Dickerson is the next in line to take that roster spot. If Granderson does open the season, though, the Dickerson will open in the minors.

• Every healthy Yankees reliever pitched today. Mariano Rivera, Boone Logan, Joba Chamberlain and Dave Robertson pitched in a simulated game at the minor league complex. Rafael Soriano and Bartolo Colon combined for a hitless inning and a third in the big league game. Even 12th reliever candidates Luis Ayala and Steve Garrison pitched today.

• In his final spring start, Freddy Garcia went 4.2 innings, allowing one run on four hits and two walks. He struck out three. The one run came on a home run by Brennan Boesch.

• Meaningless spring information: Colon started the spring opener, and he threw the final pitch in today’s finale.

• Garrison faced four hitters today. He retired the two right-handers — including a strikeout of Jhonny Peralta — but both lefties singled. Ayala faced three hitters. Magglio Ordonez doubled, Miguel Cabrera grounded out and Victor Martinez flied out.

• Phil Hughes allowed one run through five innings at the minor league complex today. Granderson and Dickerson faced Hector Noesi and some other minor leaguers in their sim game. Thank you to Donnie Collins for the information.

• Austin Romine hit his second spring home run. The two homers came in back-to-back games. The Yankees only other extra-base hit was a double by Andruw Jones, but the Romine homer push the Yankees to a 2-1 win.

• Girardi was asked today if he might be more willing to pinch hit for his catcher this season because he has Jorge Posada as an emergency option. “It’s probably something I would be somewhat reluctant to do,” Girardi said.

• Francisco Cervelli is no longer wearing his protective boot. “I don’t think it’s out of the question to have him May 1,” Girardi said.

• Speaking of Cervelli: “He asked me if I wanted (the boot),” Girardi said. “I said no, I don’t.” Only Cervelli would ask if someone else would like to keep his protective boot.

Associated Press photos of Jeter, Garcia and Rodriguez

The Yankees will find out tomorrow whether Curtis Granderson’s oblique injury is worth legitimate concern. Already this spring, the Yankees have seen one oblique injury take two or three days, another take roughly a week, and another take exactly two weeks.

In all three cases, the player in question — Sergio Mitre, Joba Chamberlain and Greg Golson — said the injury was not serious.

“The way (Granderson) was talking, it’s not that serious,” Andruw Jones said.

That’s obviously the best-case scenario. If Granderson is out for a couple of days, it’s a non-issue. If he’s out a couple of weeks, though, the Yankees might have to look into an extra outfielder to carry at the start of the regular season.

Colin Curtis might have been the perfect fit here.

As a left-handed hitter, Curtis would have been a nice compliment to the right-handed Jones, and he would have given the Yankees another option behind Brett Gardner in center field (I’m betting Curtis is better in center than Jones at this point).

Without Curtis, the Yankees still have two good options. Both Greg Golson and Justin Maxwell fit the profile of fourth/fifth outfielders who can play all three spots and offer some speed of the bench, but this is one situation in which a healthy Curtis might have jumped into roster contention.

It’s not unusual for a hitters to borrow one another’s bats from time to time. Especially in spring training, players like to try different things, and might take an at-bat with a heavier bat or a longer bat just to see how it feels.

This spring, Eric Chavez has been borrowing some of Brett Gardner’s bats, and Chavez is hitting .474 with a lot of sharp line drives.

“He’s taking all my hits,” Gardner said.

Of course, Gardner’s not exactly having a bad spring so far. With his adjusted, two-handed approach, Gardner is batting .286 with a .500 on-base percentage and .571 slugging. He said he’s been comfortable with the mechanical change, but he’s been drawing so many walks that he hasn’t taken quite as many swings as he’d like.

Gardner leads the team with six walks. A sign that his two-handed swing actually is leading to more consistent contact: He’s struck out only once.

• Colin Curtis was diagnosis with a shoulder subluxation. What does that mean? “I don’t know,” Curtis said. He was kidding. Basically, Curtis partially dislocated his shoulder. Looks like he’ll be rehabbing for a month.

• Gardner has yet to play center field this spring, but he’ll probably be there on Saturday. “I don’t feel like I need to,” Gardner said. “But it wouldn’t hurt.”

• Speaking of defensive assignments, Jorge Posada gets his first spring start at first base today. “It just gives us more options,” Joe Girardi said. The Yankees are planning to carry an extra corner infielder — and Nick Swisher can play first — but the Yankees want to give Posada a little bit of time at first, just in case they need to use him there this season.

• Putting Posada in the field seems to be a good sign for his surgically repaired knee. “His knee has not been a hindrance at all,” Girardi said.

• Robinson Cano is on this trip so he can get some time in the field with Ramiro Pena. Girardi said he also wants Cano to get some time with Eduardo Nunez at short, and he wants Derek Jeter to get some time with Pena and Nunez at second.

• The tarp is on the field here in Clearwater, but it seems likely we’ll have a game. These fields drain very well, and the rain seems to have stopped.

• Available in the bullpen: Dave Robertson, Mark Prior, Brian Anderson, Eric Wordekemper, Ryan Pope, Romulo Sanchez, David Phelps, Robert Fish and Daniel Turpen.

• Off the bench: C Gustavo Molina, 1B Brandon Laird, 2B Kevin Russo, SS Doug Bernier, 3B Bradley Suttle, LF Jordan Parraz, CF Justin Maxwell, RF Daniel Brewer, DH Austin Romine

• Tomorrow’s travelers today: With a split squad, most of the Yankees regulars are staying in Tampa for tomorrow’s home game. The only everyday travelers going to Dunedin are Curtis Granderson and Nick Swisher.

Pitchers on the road tomorrow: Warner Madrigal, D.J. Mitchell, Ivan Nova, David Phelps, Ryan Pope, Romulo Sanchez, Andy Sisco, Daniel Turpen, Adam Warren and Eric Wordekemper

Players on the road tomorrow: Jose Gil, Kyle Higashioka, Jesus Montero, Ronnie Belliard, Doug Bernier, Eric Chavez, Brandon Laird, Ramiro Pena, Kevin Russo, Jorge Vazquez, Daniel Brewer, Curtis Granderson, Melky Mesa, Jordan Parraz and Nick Swisher.

PHILLIES
Jimmy Rollins SS
Shane Victorino CF
Placido Polanco 3B
Ben Francisco LF
John Mayberry Jr. 1B
Delwyn Young RF
Carlos Ruiz C
Matt Miller DH
Josh Barfield 2B

RHP Roy Halladay

Associated Press photos of Gardner and Posada

After last night’s game in Sarasota, the Yankees clubhouse was not the most alert or busy place this morning. “I had to ask what day it was,” Joe Girardi said.

The Yankees bus is making it way to Orlando for this afternoon’s game against the Braves. Girardi’s not on the players bus, but we can be sure he won’t be driving himself. Turns out, his keys went missing last night in Sarasota and he had to leave his rental truck at the Orioles ballpark.

Kevin Long is a suspect in the case. He apparently borrowed the keys to get his hat out of Girardi’s truck. Long claims he gave them back. Girardi doesn’t remember getting them.

It’s a very sensitive and delicate situation.

• Still no diagnosis on Colin Curtis, who still has his arm in a sling. He can’t move it up and down too well. “Kind of unlucky,” he said. “Sick catch though.”

• No significant concern about Greg Golson, who felt some stiffness in his rib cage yesterday. Girardi said there are no tests scheduled. Turns out, Golson felt some discomfort when he woke up yesterday, but he thought it was normal soreness and decided to play through it. He had to be taken out of last night’s game. “Hopefully it’s not too long,” Girardi said.

• Ronnie Belliard is doing hitting, fielding and base running drills this morning. He’s expected to get in a game later this week. “He’s actually progressed a little bit quicker than we thought (he would),” Girardi said.

• Jorge Posada could get in a game at first base later this week.

• Andrew Brackman will make his first spring appearance today. The Yankees have been wildly impressed by Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances, now it’s Brackman’s turn. He’s been slowed by a groin injury, and Girardi said the only concern is that he’ll try to do too much to make up for lost time. “We have to make sure we watch that,” Girardi said.

• By the way… Any chance Brackman could eventually pitch his way into the bullpen this year? “I think that’s something you could definitely consider,” Girardi said.

• Phil Hughes, David Phelps and Steve Garrison had sides today.

• Available in the bullpen: Dellin Betances, Dave Robertson, Andrew Brackman, Robert Fish, Warner Madrigal, Romulo Sanchez, Daniel Turpen, Brian Anderson and Eric Wordekemper.

• Off the bench: C Gustavo Molina, 1B Jose Gil, 2B Kevin Russo, SS Doug Bernier, 3B Brad Suttle, LF Austin Krum, CF Melky Mesa, RF Jordan Paraz.

• There is no backup DH listed, suggesting the Yankees are going to let Posada get a full game of at-bats.

Given the state of the Yankees rotation, the flurry of swing changes in camp, the emergence of Jesus Montero as a roster favorite and possible resurgence of Eric Chavez, the position battle that’s gone completely overlooked this spring is between Eduardo Nunez and Ramiro Pena for the utility job. The importance of a utility man will be diminished if a big hitter is available to backup at third, but clearly Derek Jeter isn’t going to play 162 games at short. One of these two is going to get fairly regular at-bats.

“I think I have a good chance,” Nunez said. “I’m working hard.”

Nunez and Pena are friends. They seem to be around one another constantly at the Yankees spring training complex, and their lockers are only a few feet apart, but they seem to be jockeying for one spot. The Yankees know what they have in Pena — terrific glove, big league experience, very little offense — but Nunez is something of an unknown with only 50 big league at-bats, and limited experience away from shortstop.

“I am getting more comfortable with Nuney at second,” manager Joe Girardi said. “He’s an exciting player. The young man has a lot of talent. It’s just a matter of putting it all together.”

This offseason, Nunez spent seven weeks working with Robinson Cano in the Dominican Republic. He said they worked on hitting and general fitness, but Cano also worked with him at second base, including some work on turning a double play. He’s looked pretty good there this spring, and today he hit a three-run homer that brought his spring average up to .286. Pena just picked up his first hit.

• Turns out Greg Golson hurt his rib cage during tonight’s game. “I’m not exactly sure what he did,” Girardi said. “He came in and said it was bothering him.” Doesn’t sound too bad, but the Yankees should know more tomorrow.

• With three more hits this afternoon, Eric Chavez is continuing to make a strong impression on the Yankees. “You could see it right away that he had life, that the ball was jumping off his bat when we first started,” Girardi said. “He looks good to me. I watched him run the bases. There’s nothing that I’m seeing from him that would tell me he’s been hurt the last couple of years. Let’s keep it that way.”

• Andrew Brackman is scheduled to make his spring debut tomorrow.

• Here’s Girardi explaining the Colin Curtis situation: “He’s going to be out a while. I don’t have the exact diagnosis for you yet. He took the MRI today and Dr. Ahmad is going to look at it. My sense is he’s going to be out a while.”

• Rafael Soriano’s spring debut will be either Wednesday or Thursday. He pitched a simulated inning this morning but had to face one extra hitter because he got three outs too quickly.

• Girardi said we could start to see all of the Yankees regulars in the same lineup as soon as Sunday. “We’re getting closer to playing with some different things (with the lineup),” he said. This morning, the Daily News reported that there’s a strong push for Brett Gardner to slide into the leadoff spot.

• When asked about A.J. Burnett’s outing, Girardi cited the exact same at-bat that Burnett talked about this afternoon. “The way he finished getting (Wilson) Valdez,” Girardi said. “Strike after strike after strike, in a 2-2 count, down and away. I was really happy.”

• Four pitchers likely to make the big league roster pitched today (Burnett, Chamberlain, Feliciano and Mitre). They combined for eight scoreless innings with six strikeouts and no walks. Burnett, Chamberlain and Feliciano carried a perfect game through the fifth inning of this afternoon’s game.

• Mark Prior pitched another scoreless inning in the afternoon game. He’s still an extreme long shot to make the team, but he’s allowed just one hit through three innings. There might still be something left in that arm.

• Sergio Mitre made his first start after two relief outings. He went three innings, having not thrown more than two in either of his previous appearances. Mitre said he felt no fatigue and got better as the game progressed. “I’m trying to make their (rotation) decision as hard as possible,” Mitre said.

• Mitre’s three scoreless innings were also thanks to a terrific throw by Golson, who threw out Mark Reynolds at the plate, making an on-the-fly throw from mid center field. “We saw (his arm) last year,” Mitre said. “It’s a cannon. Saves runs.”

• Curtis Granderson hit his second spring homer, part of a two-hit day. Jorge Posada also had two hits. Of course, those came in today’s first game. The second game was a scoreless tie with four Yankees hits: Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Melky Mesa and Damon Sublett. Adam Warren and D.J. Mitchell each pitched two scoreless innings in the nightcap, Andy Sisco and Ryan Pope pitched a scoreless inning apiece.

Associated Press photos of Nunez, Granderson and Posada

A few very quick notes before tonight’s game.

• Colin Curtis is going to be out for a while. Joe Girardi said there’s no definite diagnosis yet, but he expects Curtis to be out for an extended period of time.

• Andrew Brackman will make his spring debut tomorrow.

• Rafael Soriano threw his second sim game this morning, and he’ll get into a game before the end of the week.

• Nick Swisher tumbled over a railing making a catch this afternoon, but Girardi said he’s fine. Russell Martin is also feeling good after back-to-back starts behind the plate. “It probably felt better today than it did yesterday,” Martin said.

A lot of balls got some help from the wind this afternoon. Alex Rodriguez’s home run in the fifth inning did not. Off to a strong start this spring, Rodriguez’s first home run was legitimate, continuing his strong start this spring.

“It doesn’t matter,” Rodriguez said. “It feels good to be getting my work in.”

Rodriguez is hitting .462 with four doubles and today’s home run. Only Jorge Vazquez, who homered in his first two games, has better spring numbers for the Yankees.

“I did take notice, I thought (Rodriguez) was pretty locked in from day one,” Joe Girardi said. “He’s a talented player. His offseason workouts, he works out extremely hard, and that’s the only thing I can really say. He’s a pretty good player.”

Rodriguez said this is the result of a winter spent training instead of rehabbing. He’s a little bit lighter, said he feels a little more flexible, and Hitting coach Kevin Long met with him more than once this offseason.

“(Spring training is) just a continuation of what we started in November,” Rodriguez said.

• Rodriguez has talked about being more relaxed than in the past. Today’s home run came maybe an inning after Cameron Diaz took a seat behind home plate, and when Rodriguez nearly hustled out of the clubhouse without talking to reporters, one writer joked with him, “What, do you have a date?” Upset him? Not this time. Rodriguez just laughed. “Behave yourself,” he said.

• Russell Martin had his first two hits this afternoon. He also stole a base, suggesting his knee is feeling pretty good. The Yankees will have him catch tomorrow’s home game, giving him back-to-back starts behind the plate.

• And how is Martin behind the plate? “He’s got a good idea back there,” Phil Hughes said. “He’s a good receiver, catches the ball well, frames pitches well and gets some (calls) you might not get with a guy that doesn’t stick as well as he does.”

• Derek Jeter had two more hits today and has his spring batting average up to .357. It’s still too early to know much of anything, but he’s looked a little better at the plate day by day.

• Five Yankees, aside from Martin and Jeter, had two hits today: Eduardo Nunez, Robinson Cano, Andruw Jones, Jordan Parraz and Justin Maxwell. Mark Teixeira and Eric Chavez had a hit apiece, continuing their strong springs. Greg Golson homered.

• Steve Garrison continues to be stretched out in big league camp. He went three innings today, a pretty clear indication that the Yankees are looking at him as a starter instead of a reliever (he’ll open in the minor leagues). On a day like this, giving up one run on three hits was awfully good.

• Converted outfielder Brian Anderson had a tough day on the mound. He faced seven batters, and five of them had a hit.

• Dan Brewer had a stolen base and a double, and Colin Curtis made two nice catches and threw a runner out at the plate, but both left the game with injuries. Right field was apparently not the place to be today.

• I never saw him, but apparently Roger Clemens was here to see his son Koby, who plays for the Astros.

• As you can tell from the picture above, Yogi Berra made the trip to Kissimmee.

Associated Press photos of Berra with Cano; Rodriguez after the home run; Jeter looking back at Jones

All winter we heard about the Yankees young pitching talent, a series of arms that could help out sooner rather than later. A week and a half into spring training, manager Joe Girardi is sold on both the quantity and the quality.

“I’ve seen a lot of good things this spring, from a lot of the young kids as well,” he said. “I thought Phelps threw pretty well today. Warren. Brackman. All of these kids have thrown the ball extremely well at this point in camp. I’m happy. Very happy… We’ve talked about that we have pitching coming, and I really believe that.”

Today, Girardi was asked specifically quite a bit about Manny Banuelos, largely because Banuelos faced live hitters on the main field, with Girardi watching most of the BP session. Girardi said what he saw “matches up” with what he’d already heard about Banuelos. Right now, Girardi knows what he wants to see out of young pitchers, and Banuelos has shown it.

“Strikes, and good strikes,” Girardi said. “Not just strikes, but good strikes. If they throw a ball where they don’t want to, can they adjust quickly? Say he throws a curveball and leaves it way up, can they adjust and get it where (they want it)? What I’ve seen, he’s pretty good at it.”

That said, the plan remains the same. The Yankees are happy with their pitching depth, but they brought in some rotation options that might buy the kids a little more time to develop.

“You have to be open minded, you have to evaluate,” Girardi said. “But it’s not necessarily what you plan on going in.”

• More evidence that the Yankees take Bartolo Colon seriously as a rotation option: “He’s looked pretty good,” Girardi said. “It’s the Bartolo that I remember: A guy that keeps the ball down, uses his fastball a lot and is able to hit his spots.”

• New lefty Pedro Feliciano is used to pitching 85 to 90 times each year. Last year, no Yankees reliever made more than 73 appearances. Boone Logan, Damaso Marte and Royce Ring combined for fewer appearances than Feliciano made last season. “I talked to him about the way we do things here,” Girardi said. “That I’m not a big proponent of throwing guys three days in a row, so don’t be surprised if I do some things different. He’s important to our bullpen. We have to keep him healthy all year long.”

• Eduardo Nunez and Austin Romine were sent home sick today. “It’s the head cold and the throat,” Girardi said. “We gave them medicine and sent them home. We felt that was the best thing to do.”

• With Andruw Jones, Eric Chavez and Ronnie Belliard, the Yankees have given themselves some options for veteran experience on the bench. And not just experience, but guys who were very good everyday players before settling into supporting roles. “I think it’s great, because you know they know how to play the game,” Girardi said. “You know that situations when they get in that day to play, there’s not going to be an extreme emotional high. They’re going to prepare the way they’ve always prepared. They know the league, they know the ballparks and they know what it takes to be successful.”

• On the other hand, the Yankees have taken notice of Brandon Laird: “He’s obviously proven that he knows how to drive in a run, he knows how to put good at-bats together when guys are on base,” Girardi said. “He’s a guy that you might think about (on the roster).”

• Speaking of which… Charging choppers at third base this morning, Laird might a nice play on a short hop at the edge of the grass. Minor league defensive coordinator Torre Tyson, who was doing the hitting for the defensive drill, said, “You couldn’t get there two years ago.” Laird agreed, said he had no shot at making that play two years ago. He looks pretty good at third these days. Not implying he’s a defensive wizard, but I haven’t seen anything to make me think Laird can’t play the position.

• Didn’t see anything particularly out of the ordinary about defensive positioning during drills today. Ronnie Belliard continued to take some reps at first base, and I did see Brad Suttle go to first base for a while.

• Dave Robertson was the only pitcher I saw throw his batting practice without a protective screen in front of him. Some pitchers just hate having the thing in front of them and feel like it actually causes them to mess with their mechanics (they feel like their arm or the ball is going to hit the screen). Robertson pitched without it, and as soon as he was done, the screen was put back in place for Ivan Nova.

• Didn’t seem serious, but Colin Curtis fouled a ball off his calf and crashed to the dirt. He was hobbling around for a while, and got some ice for it, but he should be fine.

• Here’s a must-read Times piece about the relationship between Yogi Berra and Ron Guidry. Four years ago, during my first spring training covering the Yankees organization, Berra was the very first person I saw when I first walked into the Yankees clubhouse.

Associated Press photos: Girardi surrounded by players; Berra with Derek Jeter; Alex Rodriguez laughing during drills

The Yankees know Andruw Jones will be their fourth outfielder. They know their utility infielder will be one of two candidates. They know their backup catcher will be either Francisco Cervelli or one of the young guys. The spot that seems wide open is the fourth man on the bench, a spot that could go to either an infielder or an outfielder, a power bat or a pinch runner, a defensive replacement or a potential pinch hitter.

The possibilities
The Yankees could go almost any direction with this spot. If they want additional outfield depth, Greg Golson and Justin Maxwell are both speedy, right-handed hitters who could be defensive replacements or pinch runners, and Colin Curtis could be a left-handed balance to Jones. In the infield, the Yankees could choose to carry both Eduardo Nunez and Ramiro Pena, or they could carry one of those two as a backup shortstop, with either Eric Chavez or Ron Belliard — or Brandon Laird or Kevin Russo or Jorge Vazquez — available to fill in at the corners.

The easy choice
That’s what the Yankees are hoping for: An easy choice. If anyone steps up in spring training and puts himself clearly above the other candidates, the Yankees choice will be simple. It seems that in an ideal world, Chavez will prove he’s healthy and can still hit for power. He would be a left-handed hitter on a predominantly right-handed bench, and if he can step in as the guy to give Alex Rodriguez an occasional day off at third base, that might be the best use of the fourth bench spot. Any other choice — either a fifth outfielder or a light-hitting second utility man — would have no clear role other than late-inning defense and base-running.

The alternatives
If Chavez is finished, the Yankees could focus on late-inning defense and base-running. Carrying both Pena and Nunez would let the team use either one as a pinch runner without losing defensive flexibility. The same would be true for either Golson or Maxwell, each of whom has enough speed to steal a bag and could slide into right field for the last inning or two.

Normally, the fact Curtis is a left-handed hitter would be a negative in an already left-leaning outfield, but of the favorites for a bench job, Jones, Cervelli and Nunez are all right-handed, and switch-hitter Pena isn’t much of an offensive threat from either side of the plate. If Chavez doesn’t emerge as a legitimate option from the left side, Curtis could bring some left-right balance to the bench.

The Yankees could also prioritize flexibility, opening a spot for either Russo or Brandon Laird as a player capable of filling in at the infield and outfield corners.

A separate but related issue
Eleven players had at least 150 at-bats for the Yankees last season (a group that included Pena and the since-departed Marcus Thames). Of the group that had fewer than 150 ABs, no one had more home runs or RBI than Juan Miranda. Defensive versatility is crucial on the bench, but the Yankees might be on the lookout for a hitter who can bounce back and forth from Scranton and occasionally give the Yankees productive big league at-bats, regardless of defensive ability.

Associated Press photos of Curtis and Chavez