For the Yankees, it’s crunch time to decide their final roster. With reason to keep both Tauchman and Bruce, the schedule can let it happen.
As soon as tomorrow, the Yankees must decide on Jay Bruce, who is seen as a power-lefty in a right-handed dominant lineup and more than capable of adding to his 319 home run total using the short-porch at Yankee Stadium.
If the Yankees decide not to add Bruce to their 40-man roster, he is free to go elsewhere to look for work, a task that should be somewhat easy for a man who still looks like he can play at this level.
With that, Mike Tauchman would automatically make the team and, by doing so, would save the Yankees the need to release or trade him, given he no longer has options to be sent down to the minors.
As though he could hear the wheels turning in manager Aaron Boone‘s office, Tauchman took it upon himself to make a statement the Yankees may not be able to justify ignoring.
Against the Tigers yesterday, Tauchman was on base all day with two hits, one of which was a towering home run to right field and two walks.
That caught the attention of Boone, who told the New York Daily News:
“Tauchie with some really good at-bats off some tough lefties, too,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Obviously, the leadoff homer, he put a good swing on what looked like a hanger there. He was on base all day long.”
The trouble, though, is that while Bruce and Tauchman have both been noticed by Boone, and with all five of the Yankees outfielders healthy and ready to begin the season, adding two outfielders is seemingly redundant and overkill.
Yankees: A Proposal For A Strategy To Keep Both
However, there is a way for the Yankees to keep both players for at least the first month of the season. The key to doing so rests within the Yankee’s schedule for the first month of the season.
In April, the Yankees have four regular and nicely spaced-out off days. Inclement weather, always found in the Northeast that early in Spring, increases the chances of more.
This means that Aaron Boone and his pitching coach Matt Blake (conceivably) could go with a four-person rotation. In turn, Deivi Garcia would be sent to Triple-A to build up further arm strength, and Domingo German can be used as an opener (preferred) or in long relief out of the bullpen.
This assumes, of course, that Boone sees the Yankees as a better team with Jay Bruce and Mike Tauchman on the team at the same time. My question – why not?
It also gives the brass more time to observe and sort out both players in action without having to make decisive no-turning-back choices now.
Yankees: Pluses Outweigh The Negatives
An additional plus, Bruce gives the team an added veteran presence on what is still a young team. The practice of adding a player like Jay Bruce is not new for the Yankees. Lyle Overbay, Travis Hafner, Vernon Wells, and Kevin Youkilis – all aging but still useful role players – all played for the Yankees in the latter stages of their career.
Tauchman, on the other hand, is still a player on the make and still smarting about how the Rockies handled him before being traded to the Yankees. Like others from last year’s shortened season, an off-year in 2020 sent him to training camp this year with something to prove. That spirit also bodes well in a Yankees clubhouse on the make.
So, it’s just a thought the Yankees might try. Providing the top four (Gerrit Cole, Corey Kluber, Jameson Taillon, and Jordan Montgomery) in the Yankees rotation remains healthy and able to carry their weight for April – why not move in this direction.
What say you?
Yankees Fans Weigh In With Their Thoughts
Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games, are created equal.
