Do you want the good news or the bad news first?
The Yankees didn’t exactly ask us that, but they might as well have after reinstating Trent Grisham from the injured list, only to add that Carlos Rodón was hitting the shelf with left-elbow inflammation, a move retroactive to June 30th. We’re only halfway through the moves, as Ryan McMahon has also returned to the fold following his illness and Oswaldo Cabrera is heading back to Triple-A.
With these four moves—six if you want to count David Bednar returning from the paternity list yesterday and Yovanny Cruz returning to Triple-A himself—the Yankees will, at least for the time being, carry only 12 pitchers and 14 position players, an unsustainable figure leading us to believe other moves are coming in the near future, perhaps as soon as Saturday.
Rodón was the scheduled pitcher for tomorrow’s matchup with the Twins. Unless the team calls someone up for a spot start tomorrow (Brendan Beck is possible since he was scheduled to go tonight for Scranton; Elmer Rodríguez pitched last night, so he’s out), the likely bulk options for a makeshift game are Paul Blackburn and Ryan Yarbrough, noting Yarbrough last pitched on Tuesday, while Blackburn tossed 19 pitches on Wednesday. After combining for 65 starts between 2024 and 2025, Rodón’s 2026 campaign has been dramatically affected by injuries, going on the IL with just nine starts to his season total, a shame because he hadn’t really skipped a beat upon his return.
Grisham needed just one game in Double-A before his activation after an early-June hamstring injury. He figures to slot back into the leadoff spot, a welcome addition to this lineup that has been depleted by injuries this season but unwavering in its production, number one in baseball in home runs. Trying to prove that last year wasn’t a fluke, Grisham was at his best right prior to the injury after a slow start—the hope is that this time off won’t negatively impact the left-handed hitter.
Due to a lack of options, if nothing else, Ryan McMahon will also likely return to a regular role, having last appeared in a major-league game a little under two weeks ago before being hit by an uncomfortable throat infection. Expectations may be low on his bat, but after watching too much of the shaky defense of Cabrera, Amed Rosario, and José Caballero at the hot corner, McMahon’s glove will at least offer a reprieve.
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