Meanwhile, last night, in the caustic blur of Fenway, the current Yankee SS, Jose Caballero, went 0-4 with two bellyaching Ks, including a fruitless ABS challenge, which stranded a cruise ship of runners. A "Meh" night for the Cabster, who is batting .234 with a withering On Base Percentage of .280. Considering his base-stealing prowess, if Caballero could reach base at the MLB average - .322 - he'd force Volpe to buy a condo in Scranton; there'd be no place for him.
Ah, if "its" and "buts" were candy and nuts...
Unfortunately, Caballero's ceiling - at age 29 - looks to be made of concrete. A .322 OBP looks like a bridge too far. And Volpe still has the "What if?" factor on his side. What if he hadn't been injured for most of last year? The Yankees have ridden with it now for three years. George Lombard Jr. is almost ready. But they're going to try Volpe one more time.
Soon - like, any day now - the Cashman A.I. algorithm will promote Volpe from Scranton, unleashing a roster transfiguration that, for better or worse, will reshape this team.
Volpe's return will probably mean the disappearance of OF Randal Grichuk, perhaps permanently. Thus, to complicate matters, Grichuk last night went 2-4, suggesting an awakening from his brutal 2026 start. (He is 4-for-24 - .167. - with an On Base Percentage of .192. Horrible, eh?) Still, his exile will force the Yankees to use two infielders - Cabby and Amed Rosario - to regularly play OF, while the infield becomes a logjam. They will be flying a plane with three wings and one propeller.
And, as usual, the farm system gridlock will worsen.
Last night, for Scranton, Jasson Dominguez went 3-for-4 with his 3rd HR of the season: he's batting .333, tied for 9th in the league. Spencer Jones, the lost incarnation of Joey Gallo, went 1-2 with a walk - (and, of course, a strikeout.) Lately, Jones has been on fire. He has 5 HRs - tied for 7th in the league - and is hitting .261 - (with too many strikeouts.) The thing is, Jones is supposed to be a fine defensive CF, which means he might be the first responder to a Yankee outifield injury, leaving The Martian forever stranded in the Strait of Boone.
Why am I saying all this? Well, part of it is to uphold the grand tradition of all Yank fans: When in doubt, whine! I mean, seriously, what a problem! A returning starter, and too many infielders. Woe is me! We just beat Boston. Break glass!
The Yankees are on a roll, and Volpe will soon return - with or without a place to put him. The captain has turned on the SECURE SEATBELTS sign. Hold on. It might get bumpy.
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Are we actually "on a roll?" Do you mean, as in a smear of deviled ham on a kaiser bun? Or are we on an unstoppable streak of 12 straight wins, pulled off with aplomb, dominance and confidence. Has our engine started to rev? Are the gears engaged? Is the wind at our back? Has the light broken through the clouds? What kind of roll are we on? I"m not whining. I'm just being pragmatic after years of being destroyed by the Cashman Machine.
Yeah, too early to trust. Too bad about Caballero...but he's not the answer at SS. I would really really really prefer to trade away Ryan McMahon for a handful of magic beans, but of course that ain't happening because we paid him too much. Ah, the weird, backward world of the New York Yankees!
Meanwhile, Mr. 50-50 now at 87 plate appearances without a jack. When he breaks out...ho-ho-ho...I mean, when he gets going...I mean, you don't wanna be around...I mean...What DO I mean?
Meanwhile...Love That Devin!
Not long ago, I was afraid that the Metsies had discovered a way to straighten out Devin Williams, and make him again the lights-out closer that he somehow was with Milwaukee.
Not to worry. Last night, our Devin came into a tie game, faced five batters, and did not get a man out. He had some bad luck—a botched bunt and a seeing-eye single—but he also walked three batters, and walked in a run.
This followed a blown save on Sunday, and a grand-slam that took the Metsies out of a close game in LA. He is now 0-1, 9.95, with 11 hits and 6 walks in 6 1/3 innings.
But the killer was his postgame reaction: "I've never been part of something like this before"—referring to the Mets' 12-game losing streak.
Um, Devin? It's not happening TO you. You are helping to make it happen. What an attitude for a closer!
Oh, and to answer Bitty's question: I believe we are on a sesame roll, with some mustard and pastrami. Delicious!
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