Jonathan Loaisiga started and looked very good in his first two innings (four strikeouts) before things unraveled in his third inning (three runs). He is pitching for a rotation spot now. Aroldis Chapman was the only projected big league reliever to pitch today and he allowed a soft single in an otherwise ho hum inning. Here are the box score and video highlights, and here are the day’s notes from Tampa:
- Luis Severino (shoulder) is optimistic he won’t miss much time. All his strength tests came back strong. “It’s going to be tough for a little bit, but after that, like I said, it’s better it happened now than in midseason or at the end of the season,” he said. Not surprisingly, Brian Cashman said the Yankees will be cautious with Severino and give him as much time as he needs. [Coley Harvey]
- CC Sabathia (knee) threw his third bullpen session today as scheduled. Aaron Boone stated the obvious and said Sabathia will likely start the season on the injured list, but said it should be a “short” stay. Boone make it sound like it’ll be the injured list then the five-game suspension, not the other way around. The order does matter a bit because the Yankees have to play with a 24-man roster during the suspension. [Meredith Marakovits, Lindsey Adler]
- Aaron Hicks (back) is expected to resume baseball activities tomorrow, Boone said during an in-game interview with YES this afternoon. Hicks was ready to go today, but the Yankees held him out one more day as a precaution. Resuming baseball activities tomorrow means he is probably a few days from returning to game action.
- Jacoby Ellsbury (hip) will join the Yankees next weekend so they can evaluate his progress. What happens after that is anyone’s guess. Also, Mike King (elbow) has an MRI coming up soon. Three weeks ago the Yankees shut him down and said he’ll be evaluated again in three weeks, and it’s been three weeks, so there you go. [Brendan Kuty]
- The Yankees announced their first round of roster cuts this morning. Domingo Acevedo, Brady Lail, and Trevor Stephan were sent to minor league camp. There are still 59 players in big league camp, according to my unofficial count.
If you’re interested, this afternoon’s game will be replayed on YES (after the Nets game) and MLB Network (12am ET). The Yankees will be on the road tomorrow afternoon to take on the Phillies. Miguel Andujar, Greg Bird, Clint Frazier, Adam Ottavino, James Paxton, Gary Sanchez, Troy Tulowitzki, and Luke Voit are all making the trip, so says Lindsey Adler. Tomorrow’s game will be televised live.