#kyle-higashioka

#kyle-higashioka

Scheduling made it so that the Yankees and Red Sox wouldn't meet until the second week of June, but they hit the ground running last night.The Red Sox won a 3-2 squeaker to open the weekend series, albeit with some ninth inning nail-biting on Kenley Jansen's part.The pitch clock brought a refreshing pace to a matchup that invariably turned into a slog in years past.

The history of the Yankees at the World Baseball Classic has been uneven, but almost always worth keeping tabs on.While Robinson Canó was the MVP of the tournament and only Yankee to play internationally in 2013, the 2017 WBC featured five Bronx big leaguers, second-most only to the inaugural edition in 2006.

NEW YORK (AP) - Eloy Jiménez hit a go-ahead homer in the seventh inning off Michael King, and the Chicago White Sox beat the New York Yankees 6-5 in the opener of a doubleheader Thursday to extend their winning streak to a season-high five games.After Wednesday's game was postponed by Major League Baseball because of hazardous air quality from Canadian wildfires, conditions in the Bronx had improved by first pitch Thursday.

NEW YORK (AP) - Eloy Jiménez hit a go-ahead homer in the seventh inning off Michael King, and the Chicago White Sox beat the New York Yankees 6-5 in the opener of a doubleheader Thursday to extend their winning streak to a season-high five games.After Wednesday's game was postponed by Major League Baseball because of hazardous air quality from Canadian wildfires, conditions in the Bronx had improved by first pitch Thursday.

White sox second.Andrew Vaughn walks.Jake Burger homers to center field.Andrew Vaughn scores.Romy Gonzalez strikes out swinging.Seby Zavala pops out to shallow right field to Gleyber Torres.Tim Anderson singles to shallow infield.Andrew Benintendi grounds out to shallow infield, Oswaldo Cabrera to Anthony Rizzo.
2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on.

The Yankees were nearly no-hit by underperforming former ace Lucas Giolito in their last game, so it was fair to wonder whether Lance Lynn-who similarly hasn't looked like himself over the past year and change-would also receive a lifeline in the Bronx sans Aaron Judge.That didn't happen, but Luis Severino helped him out by providing a spark for a White Sox offense that ranked 26th in the majors in wRC+ coming into the game.

NEW YORK (AP) - Eloy Jiménez hit a go-ahead homer in the seventh inning off Michael King, and the Chicago White Sox beat the New York Yankees 6-5 in the opener of a doubleheader Thursday to extend their winning streak to a season-high five games.After Wednesday's game was postponed by Major League Baseball because of hazardous air quality from Canadian wildfires, conditions in the Bronx had improved by first pitch Thursday.

Historically poor air quality conditions in the Northeast forced MLB to postpone yesterday's contest against the White Sox, meaning the Yankees will play back-to-back games this afternoon to decide the winner of the series.With Aaron Judge on the IL with a toe contusion/sprain, perhaps the added rest day is just what the depleted offense needs - they sure looked far off the pace in the series opener, getting no-hit by Lucas Giolito into until the Chicago bullpen lost it in the seventh inning.

The Los Angeles Dodgers dropped their rubber match against the New York Yankees on Sunday by a despite another strong start turned in by Bobby Miller.The rookie right-hander pitched six shutout innings, but the Dodgers offense was unable to muster any runs to support him.Once Miller was out of the game, the Yankees lineup took advantage.

These Yankees are trending in the right direction heading into a Monday offday that the team has to be excited about.They're 7-3 over their last 10 games, and after edging out Toronto in three out of four, they promptly rolled into Cincy and took the first two in this set.The division deficit has deflated from 10 games to 6.5, and the Yanks vaulted into third place with the two victories Friday and Saturday.

The Yankees send Jhony Brito to the mound for a Wednesday matinee and the finale of the three-game set against the Athletics.Oakland skipper Mark Kotsay will counter with right-hander Kyle Muller.The 25-year-old was the top name in the offseason Sean Murphy trade with the Braves, but it's been a rocky start to Muller's tenure in Oakland, as he has a 6.62 ERA and 5.67 FIP in seven starts.

It's been a busy, busy week in the baseball world.Another week of spring training has come and gone, bringing us ever so much closer to Opening Day.Meanwhile, the first World Baseball Classic in six years has finally kicked off, as pool play began earlier this week.Let's see what the Yankees have been up to on social media this week.

Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts will be leaving Camelback Ranch soon to join his Team USA teammates in preparation for the World Baseball Classic, which kicks off on March 11.It will be Mookie's first time representing his country in the WBC or any other international competition.Betts said recently that the opportunity to be teammates with Mike Trout again was a big pull for him to participate in the WBC.

The Yankees made a host of roster moves prior to their game against Seattle on Tuesday, activating Jose Trevino from the injured list and placing Harrison Bader on it in his place.Adjusting the active roster to accommodate the bench accordingly, they also recalled Franchy Cordero from Triple-A Scranton and demoted Ben Rortvedt.

On a rainy night in which both starters looked good out of the gate before ultimately running out of gas, the Yankees blew a four-run lead in spectacular fashion, snapping their season-high five-game win streak.After Baltimore's eight-run seventh, there was no coming back in this one as New York fell, 9-6.

After a thrilling win in extras last night, their second such victory in three games, the Yankees will try to extend their season-high five-game win streak in another Bronx bout with Baltimore.The game was perhaps closer than it had to be, given the Yankees' failure to wave Gleyber Torres home in the seventh on an Anthony Rizzo single and then a subsequent confounding DJ LeMahieu bunt attempt, but a win's a win.

The Yankees offense has been about as average as it gets in 2023.The bombers rank 15th of 30 in wRC+, with a perfectly average mark of 100 as a team headed out of their series with the Rays.There are certainly worse things a team could be, but it's not ideal for one that hopes to be a top-end contender.

TORONTO (AP) Aaron Judge homered twice, including a 462-foot drive over the center field batter's eye three pitches after manager Aaron Boone was ejected for arguing a called strike to the slugger, and the New York Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-4 Monday night.Judge hit a pair of solo homers, putting the Yankees ahead in the first inning with an opposite-field shot to right against Alek Manoah (1-4) and extending New York's lead to seven in the eighth with a 114.9 mph scorcher off Jay Jackson.

NEW YORK (AP) Aaron Judge hit a pair of two-run homers, Anthony Volpe sparked the Yankees by breaking Joe DiMaggio's team record for consecutive stolen bases at the start of a career and New York overcame a six-run deficit for a 9-8 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.Rays ace Shane McClanahan failed to hold a 6-0, fifth-inning lead, six days after Yankees ace Gerrit Cole squandered a 6-0, fifth-inning advantage in an 8-7, 10-inning loss at Tampa Bay.

When the Yankees' regular season schedule was revealed, I think everyone expected the A's to be in last place when their trip to the Bronx rolled around.However, I don't expect many thought the Yankees would be right there with them.A combination of injuries and poor play have consigned them to this position, but encouragingly they are coming off their best baseball in weeks despite having narrowly dropped a series to the Rays, and hopefully they can build more positive momentum starting tonight (and with Aaron Judge due back tomorrow).

Last night, a tense first battle of the season with divisional rival Tampa Bay ended in a 5-4 defeat for the Yankees.New York hit Rays star Randy Arozarena twice after his home run and ensuing celebration, setting off some tensions.For what it's worth, while Rays' skipper Kevin Cash was thrown out after the umpires issued warnings, both managers downplayed the kerfuffle postgame, insisting there was no intention behind the plunkings (which is entirely plausible given Jhony Brito and Albert Abreu's control issues).

The Yankees came into this game, on May 5 2023, nine full games back of Tampa in the AL East.They could go 9-4 against the Rays this season and that would still leave them four games back.Saying each game versus Tampa is must-win is not a stretch if the Yankees entertain hopes of claiming the AL East crown.

The Yankees come into tonight's series finale against the Guardians having righted the ship with a win last night after arguably the most demoralizing loss of the season on Monday.The comeback win ended a four-game losing streak, but that won't be enough to vault them out of last place.Winning tonight's rubber game would more effectively put that skid in the rearview mirror before the offday tomorrow.

MLB.com | Dave Sessions: The New York Yankees are mercifully heading back home after an abomination of a road trip was capped off with an embarrassing 15-2 loss to the Texas Rangers.It was their biggest win against the Yankees since 1996.Notably, it was Nestor Cortes' worst start of the season and the worst of his Yankees career.

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: It's Opening Day, and Anthony Volpe is making his major league debut today.The Yankees ' top prospect broke camp with the squad, and will be the youngest player to appear in the first game of the season since Derek Jeter in 1996.The expectations for the young shortstop are sky-high, but his polishing in the Yankee system over the past couple seasons should make him ready to hit the ground running.

We've reached the point of the spring where it's hard not to just entirely focus on Opening Day later this week.As every day goes by, we get more news on who has or hasn't made the Yankees' roster.On Sunday, the news was exciting, with the announcement that top prospect Anthony Volpe was going to be part of the big league roster.

CBS | RJ Anderson: It appears the road for a Yankee youngster to take over shortstop is being cleared, as Isiah Kiner-Falefa has been working out all across the diamond in spring.It seems IKF is ticketed to be a true utility player in 2023, but Aaron Boone hinted that the onetime shortstop would get some reps in center field during exhibition play.

Last week, when we opened the 2023 edition of Pinstripe Alley's annual Making the Team Meter, we found a Yankees roster that, despite battles for the shortstop and left field positions and the fifth spot in the starting rotation, looked relatively set for Opening Day.Things can change quickly during spring training, however, and over the course of the last seven days, the landscape completely changed: injuries to Carlos Rodón, Tommy Kahnle, and Lou Trivino suddenly opened a plethora of spots on the pitching staff, while Harrison Bader's oblique strain meant that the team has not one but two outfield spots up for grabs.

Spring training is dead!Long live spring training!It wrapped up in a 3-0 loss at Nationals Park, but what's most important is that everyone escaped the finale with their health intact.Oh, and Nestor Cortes was sharp along the way.Although he failed to record a strikeout, Cortes looked like he won't miss much of a beat when the games actually count the next time he pitches, allowing just two hits and a walk across four innings.

The Yankees looked ready to rumble from the start today, but their minor league relief pitchers couldn't quite hold things together as they fell to the Orioles.The regulars who made the trip to Sarasota did an excellent job in the lineup, and the position battles that the Yankees face become more and more interesting by the day.

We are getting into the heart of this year's World Baseball Classic.Two of the four pools are now fully in the books, and the other two are starting to take shape.We are now just two days away from the other two pools wrapping up and the knockout stage beginning.However before we get to all that, let's look back at yesterday's action at the WBC, which ended up being quite eventful.

Major League Baseball has revealed the official rosters for the 2023 World Baseball Classic, and the reigning champions will have three members of the Chicago White Sox in the fold.Team USA's roster, released on Thursday on MLB Network, includes some of the game's biggest stars, including Mike Trout and Mookie Betts, and three White Sox players will aim to give the American squad their second consecutive win in the tournament.

Just a week ago, USA Baseball announced the 30-man roster for the 2023 World Baseball Classic during a two-hour MLB Tonight show on MLB Network.While the roster has undergone a few minor changes since then, Team USA has put together a strong contender in the hopes of defending their title after the USA beat Puerto Rico 8-0 back in 2017 in the last World Baseball Classic.

The spring leading up to the 2022 campaign saw seismic changes to the Yankees ' catcher situation.For the previous five and a half seasons, they employed the most mercurial catcher in the league in Gary Sánchez, a player who looked equally capable of leading the league in home runs at some times and forgetting how to make contact with the baseball at others.

Spring training is in full swing, as the final few players reported to Tampa to begin ramping up for the 2023 season.But although batting practice, throwing regimes, and drills are the focus of the day, it's not all work and no play for the Bronx Bombers.Check out this week's social media roundup to get a glimpse into life at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

New York Post | Mark W. Sanchez: Last year was a challenge for Josh Donaldson, his worst offensive season since he was a rookie.The Yankee third baseman admitted that he let his struggles get to him by the end of the year, and he certainly didn't look like an MLB regular during the club's playoff run.

New York Post | Greg Joyce: Austin Wells has been waiting to participate in the spring training festivities due to sustaining a bruised rib.He was going to return to the field but felt something extra and got an MRI on Tuesday, February 28.The MRI revealed that he had a fracture in his 12th rib that could keep him out of spring training entirely.

NJ.com | Max Goodman: Another day, another catcher lost to injury.This time, it's Josh Breaux.An elbow injury will keep Breaux from throwing for at least the next few weeks.This, after the club already lost Austin Wells and Ben Rortvedt.Here's hoping Breaux's recovery is quick and smooth.He was slated to begin the season as the backup catcher at Triple-A.

MLB Trade Rumors | Darragh McDonald: With all of Ben Rortvedt, Josh Breaux, and Austin Wells banged up and Kyle Higashioka on his way to join Team USA for the World Baseball Classic, the Yankees suddenly found themselves very light on catching depth behind Jose Trevino.So they've found another backstop to help them out in the spring and to likely serve as a third-stringer once Higgy returns to New York.

One of the highlights of the upcoming World Baseball Classic in March was going to be watching Yankees 2021-22 sensation Nestor Cortes pitch for Team USA as part of its 2017 title defense.The man was clearly excited to do so as well, if his Instagram is any indication.Unfortunately for Nestor, Team USA, and the Yankees themselves, it's not meant to be.

The fact that Anthony Volpe topped every Yankees prospect list for the second winter in a row and ranks among the game's top 10 prospects is more than enough to make him a major point of interest when spring training opens next week; after all, spring training is our main opportunity to get to watch the organization's prospects on a daily basis.

Although the season ended in disappointment, many Yankees made positive strides in their development.You wouldn't normally expect a 32-year-old backup catcher to be in that group, but Kyle Higashioka took a big step forward to establish himself as one of the most dependable second-string backstops in baseball.

The mighty Astros have remained mighty and are (unfortunately) by far the best overall team still alive, having already secured their sixth consecutive ALCS appearance.If only this annoying team had rostered Oswald Peraza, eh? Whatever.The 111-win Dodgers went down on the same night, as the same Padres team that upset the 101-win Mets in the Wild Card managed to shock LA by stealing Game 2 at Dodger Stadium and winning back-to-back games at Petco Park.

The Yankees absolutely need Sevy to be healthy for the playoffs, so while in a perfect world, it would have been fun to see Severino go for the Yankees' first no-hitter since Corey Kluber last year (in this very same ballpark), it just wasn't worth the risk - no matter how minor.The former Baby Bomber was immediately erased though, as Sevy got Bubba Thompson to bounce into a double play.Over 35,000 fans packed into Globe Life Field in Texas on Monday night hoping to see Aaron Judge hit No. 62, setting a new American League record.